Aliados & Bolhão
Bringing a new lease of life to a restored smithy, this store is the brainchild of Nuno and Rita. It harbours an eclectic mix of pop-ups selling…
Must-see shopping in Western Europe
East London
There’s been a market down here since the late 19th century, but the focus these days is artisanal food, handmade gifts and unique clothing. Cafes along…
St-Malo
The cheeses and butters handmade by the world-famous Jean-Yves Bordier are shipped to renowned restaurants around the globe. Showstopping butters include…
Northwest England
Atkinsons is one of Britain's most prestigious coffee merchants, serving up all kinds of exotic beans and loose leaf teas since 1840. It has been at this…
The West End
London's most legendary bookshop, where you can find even the most obscure titles. Once synonymous with chaos, Foyles got its act together and now this…
Western Canal Ring
Frozen Fountain is Amsterdam's best-known showcase of furniture and interior design. Prices are not cheap, but the daring designs are offbeat and very…
Bordeaux
Not only does the wine sold at this fantastically well-stocked cellar cover the whole range of prices (read: €2.50 to €5000 a bottle), bottles are also…
Nice
After the Cours Selaya produce market, this is Nice's largest outdoor display of fresh fruit and veggies – and an authentically local experience. When it…
Rotterdam
An emporium of eco-conscious and sustainable products, this indoor market hosts small businesses selling food, soaps, clothing, homewares, furniture and…
Parc Cenedlaethol Bannau Brycheiniog
The most famous and still the best, Booth's is a thing of beauty – from the exquisite tiling on the outside to the immaculately catalogued shelves within …
Bordeaux
Welcome to what must be the grandest wine shop in the whole of France. A magnificent central staircase spiralling up five floors is surrounded by…
Nice
With its gilded counters and mirrors, this opulent shop – run by the same family for five generations – looks more like a 19th-century boutique than a…
Jordaan & the West
Dating from 1895, Saturday's Lindengracht Market is a wonderfully local affair, with 232 stalls selling fresh produce, including fish and a magnificent…
Brussels
Fabulous food stalls cluster around an elongated, leafy square at this market. It's a true foodie heaven, featuring cheese, charcuterie, fresh fruit and…
Groningen
With its organic coffee bar, homemade cakes and impeccable choice of Dutch brands, this small concept store is worth lingering in. Among its designer…
Paris
Beautiful objects with une histoire (a story) is what this backstreet boutique is all about. Hand-woven items from West Africa pile next to silk and…
Northwest England
Lancaster's historic market is one of the best in the northwest, a gathering place for local producers to sell their goodies. You'll find potted shrimp…
Southern Canal Ring
This rambling shop is muso heaven, with a fabulous selection of new and secondhand vinyl and CDs encompassing every imaginable genre, including rockabilly…
East Sussex
Literally packed to the rafters with over half a million musty volumes, this incredible secondhand-book repository, an interesting amble from the train…
Rotterdam
Its name is revived local slang for 'pride', and this concept store in the Het Industriegebouw creative industries building is clearly proud of the…
County Donegal
You won't find any canned leprechauns or Guinness T-shirts here. Instead this huddle of craft studios showcases pottery, ironwork, handwoven fabrics,…
Aveiro
This warehouse concept store down by the canalside is a browser's delight. Carrying a selection of Portuguese brands and artisanal wares, it stocks…
Keswick
Quite possibly the most famous outdoors shop in the Lake District, founded in 1967 and still the place where discerning hikers go to buy their gear (even…
Haarlem
Haarlem is at its liveliest during its regular Monday and, especially, Saturday market, when its namesake square fills with stalls selling fresh produce,…
Galway City
A civic treasure, the rambling rooms at Charlie Byrne's are crammed with over 100,000 new, secondhand, thirdhand, discounted and out-of-print books,…
Dartmoor National Park
Ripe, cheesy aromas wash over you as you step into this award-winning shop. The counters are stacked with oozing, crumbling golden delights. Many are made…
The Lizard
Fancy bars and boxes of chocolate are sold in the shop at this premium Cornish choc maker. You can mix-and-match your own selection, or just go for one of…
Southern Canal Ring
Specialising in antique blue-and-white Dutch tiles, this engrossing, crammed-to-the-rafters shop is chock-a-block with fascinating antiques, silver…
Le Marais, Ménilmontant & Belleville
Spanning four floors, this design emporium is a concept store for unique, handcrafted pieces by emerging and established French artists and designers…
Edinburgh
Independent bookshops don’t get lovelier than this. The Golden Hare boasts a top-notch selection of 'beautiful, unusual and interesting books', an…
Jordaan & the West
Founded by Dutch designer Marcel Wanders, this gallery-shop features Dutch design at its most over-the-top, from the life-size black horse lamp to the …
Bordeaux
Gaëlle and Maxime are the creative duo behind this inspiring concept store stocking fashionable tote bags, t-shirts, fashion accessories and homewares…
Fort William
As well as a good selection of fiction and children's books, this shop stocks a superb range of outdoor-related books and maps covering climbing, walking,…
Southern Canal Ring
Love stationery and paper? Make a beeline for Vlieger. Since 1869, this two-storey shop has been supplying it all: Egyptian papyrus, beautiful handmade…
Vaucluse
If you do nothing else in Carpentras, make sure you find time to visit the fabulous Friday market, when several hundred stalls fill rue d’Inguimbert, ave…
Belfast
At Ulster University, this dynamic artshop sells pieces by students, alumni and other local designer makers, including graphics and prints, sculptures,…
The West End
Forbidden Planet is a trove of comics, sci-fi, horror and fantasy literature, as well as action figures and toys, spread over two floors. It's an absolute…
Baixa & Rossio
With stores in Porto and Madrid as well, this high-design T-shirt shop is one of Europe's best. It features a select, monthly changing array of clever and…
Belfast
This shop and exhibition space displays the work of more than 40 local designers and artists. High-quality pieces include ceramics, artwork, cushions,…
Antibes
A wonderful – and as its name hints, very Provençal – local market selling fruit, vegetables, meat, cheese and local products like tapenade (olive spread)…
