Bordeaux
Romantic and youthful, this delightful 'cabinet de convivialité' inspires bags of instant feel-good factor. After several years in Paris, Claire…
Must-see shopping in Europe
Northumberland Coast
Coal fires, velvet ottomans, reading rooms and a cafe make this secondhand bookshop in Alnwick's Victorian former railway station wonderfully atmospheric…
Ohrid
Ohrid-born Marta trained as an architect and decided to dedicate herself to the traditional Macedonian craft of filigree – silver thread weaving that has…
Borgarbyggð
Find your way to off-the-beaten-path village Hvanneyri, 12km east of Borgarnes, and in among fjordside homes you'll find this fantastic wool centre…
The Far North
This shop calls on five generations of local experience to create original handmade Sami knives for everything from outdoor to kitchen use. They're real…
Vale of Avoca
Ireland's oldest working mill is the birthplace of Avoca Handweavers, a company that is now famous across Ireland and the world. The mill has been turning…
Vienna
One of the best flea markets in Europe, this Vienna institution adjoining the Naschmarkt's southwestern end brims with antiques and Altwaren (old wares)…
Northwestern Tuscany
Rev up your taste buds with a shopping spree at Antonio Mattei, Prato's famed biscottificio where the city's signature biscotti di Prato (twice-baked…
Oltrarno
Tuscan wines, wine accessories and gourmet foods, including truffles, in one of the city's finest wine shops – on the ground floor of one of Florence's…
Vienna
Vienna’s most prestigious providore brims with quality foodstuffs from around the world (over 17,000 products in all). Chocolate and confectionery…
The Lake District
A prodigious selection of Lakeland goodies are available at this farm shop, just outside Kendal on the A590. There's also a farm trail and woodland walk…
St Petersburg
This treasure trove of Soviet ephemera, pre-revolutionary antiques, WWII artefacts and bonkers kitsch from all eras is truly worth travelling for. Exit…
Centro Storico
Established in Rome in 1959 by Marcello and Rita Del Giudice and now operated by their children and grandchildren, this business produces leather bags,…
Paris
A favourite with chefs and locals, this chaotic street market's stalls are piled with fruit, vegetables and seasonal delicacies such as truffles. Behind…
Capri
First opened in 1906 (yes, that is not a misprint!) and best known for introducing Capri pants in the 1960s – famously worn by Audrey Hepburn, who bought…
Montmartre & Northern Paris
On stall-filled foodie street rue Poncelet, heady fromagerie Alléosse has its own cheese-ripening caves (cellars) spanning 300 sq metres with four…
Kreuzberg
Kreuzberg’s first concept store opened in an old backyard locksmith shop off gritty Oranienstrasse, stocking style-forward designer threads and…
Carvoeiro
Watch artists hand-painting traditional azulejo tiles at this pottery stocking a vast array of ceramics, from fridge magnets to plates, bowls, vases,…
Baixa & Rossio
This Lisbon landmark has been selling Portuguese wine since 1927 and is easily the best spot to pick up a bevy of local wines and spirits. It is…
Syracuse
Salvatore Davì is passionate about Sicily and all things artisanal, and his petite emporium only stocks idiosyncratic, high-quality goods with Sicilian…
The Algarve
Not only can you buy exquisite jams, chutneys, preserves, honeys, olive oils, carob powder and products, dried herbs, tinned fish, local wines and…
Centro Storico
Rome's most celebrated deli showcases a spectacular smörgåsbord of prize products ranging from cured hams and cheeses to conserves, dried pastas, olive…
Tridente, Trevi & the Quirinale
This multilabel boutique was the first in Rome to bring all the big-name luxury designers – Italian, French and otherwise – under one roof and its vast…
Santa Cruz de la Palma
An excellent deli which specialises in local and national Spanish cheese, gourmet olives, preserves, coffee and other goodies like anchovies and smoked…
Acropolis Area
Specialising in Greek avant-garde rock and obscure sounds, this is one of Athens' top record shops. It stocks a wide range of music genres on vinyl and CD…
Tridente, Trevi & the Quirinale
Producing soaps, perfumes, creams, lotions, bathsalts, shampoos and candles made with Sicilian natural ingredients – orange blossom, lime, pomegranate,…
Lübeck
This is Lübeck’s mecca for marzipan lovers, the almond confectionery from Arabia that has been made locally for centuries. Even if you’re not buying, the…
Naples
Top-notch Tuscan leather and traditional, handcrafted methods translate into coveted, contemporary leather goods at Bottega 21. Block colours and clean,…
Sighişoara
Inside Casa Vlad Dracul, this wondrous handicraft shop is the brainchild of self-styled 'Spoonman' Mark Tudose, who employs traditional woodcarving…
Beyoğlu
A leader in Turkey's contemporary-design movement, Özlem Tuna produces super-stylish homewares and jewellery and sells them from her retail space near the…
Paris
Not only does this contemporary, creamy white-fronted fromagerie (cheese shop) run by young, dynamic, food-driven duo Didier Grosjean and Thibault…
Linz
An apricot-coloured former salt warehouse now houses this spectacular gourmet emporium selling all-Austrian products from small producers. Browse for…
Notting Hill & West London
A cultural outpost of Japan in London, Japan House presents and celebrates Japanese art, design, culture, technology, craftsmanship and gastronomy in a…
Jordaan & the West
Levitating lamps and vases (using magnets), retro flipping clocks, Delft-style porcelain with contemporary designs such as cyclists and tilting canal…
Bordeaux
Follow local gourmets to this exquisite, oh-so-bourgeois chocolate shop, run by the same family since 1893. Fourth-generation chocolate-maker Thierry…
Catania
Nirvana for gourmands, Nelson is a one-stop shop for all things artisanal and Sicilian. Stock the pantry with everything from single-origin olive oils…
Luxembourg City
Luxembourg's finest designers and artisans are represented under one roof at this light-filled shop. Browse for women's, men's and children's fashions;…
Liège
This Belgian family business makes fabulous chocolates from cocoa that they grow, roast and grind themselves on antique equipment (apparently newer…
The West End
With its classic eau-de-Nil (pale green) colour scheme, the 'Queen's grocery store' (established in 1707) refuses to yield to modern times. Its staff –…
Bordeaux
Vintage designer fashion for men and women is the mainstay of Mathilde Milande's exquisitely arranged boutique, peppered from head to toe with an…
