Must-see shopping in Western Europe
Cardiff
Together with Castle Arcade (1882), High St (1885) and Duke St (1902) arcades make up the trio of arty indoor shopping spaces known as the Castle Quarter…
Clerkenwell, Shoreditch & Spitalfields
Every Sunday, the stretch of Brick Lane between Buxton St and Bethnal Green Rd is closed to traffic so stallholders can set up shop. Stands of fried…
Cardiff
The most decorative of the city's arcades, Castle Arcade houses Troutmark Books (with mainly secondhand tomes) and eateries Madame Fromage (self declared …
Cardiff
Located upstairs in the Castle Emporium, this small independent shop and art gallery is the place to go for eclectic prints by artists of small to medium…
Oxford
Blackwell's split-level sibling store, all but opposite the main bookshop, specialises in reference books, coffee-table tomes, posters, cards and…
Oxford
A treasure trove of traditional butchers, fishmongers, cobblers, florists, barbers, coffee bars, restaurants and independent shops, Oxford’s 250-year-old…
Amsterdam
Amsterdam-based Nikkie Plessen was a familiar face on Dutch TV as an actress and presenter, but she's now swapped the screen for women's fashion design,…
Amsterdam
The beautifully curated Gathershop is a gift buyer's dream, stocking handmade and fair-trade items from clothing to homewares. Between the carefully…
Príncipe Real, Santos & Estrela
Grab a wicker basket at the door of this spacious deli and fill it with carefully selected national and international gourmet products, organic produce or…
Lisbon
This gift shop is stuffed top to bottom with vibrant-coloured souvenirs made in Portugal, from modern versions of traditional craft pieces and religious…
Amsterdam
In a warehouse-like space in De Hallen, ReCycle sells both new and secondhand bikes, carries out bike repairs and restores classic two-wheelers. And…
Oxford
The Oxford Committee for Famine Relief opened its first-ever shop on Broad St in 1948 – and it’s still going strong, selling secondhand clothes, homewares…
Cardiff
The Cardiff branch of the Britain-wide John Lewis chain is the city's premier department store, occupying a swish glass-fronted building at the bottom of…
Amsterdam
Up-and-coming Dutch-designed fashion for women is stocked at this chic, light-filled boutique, featuring carefully curated Dutch and international…
Marseille
From bold, graphic necklaces to dainty leaf-shaped earrings and bracelets, all of the metal and leather creations from this pretty petite boutique are…
Cardiff
If you're in the market for a vintage Hawaiian shirt or a 1970s printed sun frock, this is the place to come. Along with vintage men's and women's clothes…
Temple Bar
This surprisingly affordable independent boutique stocks a blend of cool clothing and funky homewares. The clothes here are mainly smart casual with sleek…
Cardiff
So you want to be a rock and roll star? This menswear boutique by Oasis' Liam Gallagher will at least have you looking the part. Stock up on paisley…
Amsterdam
Dutch shoemaker Manwood sells stylish men's and women's footwear (boots, lace-ups, heels, ballerina flats, sneakers and sandals), mostly by Italian…
Cardiff
It may look small from the outside but this excellent secondhand bookshop sprawls upstairs and down. There's a Welsh-language section and a big selection…
Amsterdam
Men and women's high fashion goes street in Ennu's uber-modish surrounds. Designer labels stocked here include Balenciaga, Rick Owens, Isabel Marant and…
Cardiff
Along with all the usual deli treats (olives, cold meats, Welsh cheeses), Wally's sells Penderyn whisky from the Brecon Beacons and a large range of local…
Cardiff
If you're after stuffed dragons, love spoons or Cardiff T-shirts, this is the city's biggest souvenir shop, conveniently located across the street from…
Cardiff
Taking up a whole corner of the Cardiff Market balcony, this record shop stocks a huge selection of secondhand vinyl and CDs, including rarities and…
Amsterdam
A huge store devoted to the blue stuff, with jeans by Levi, Nudie, Lee, Pepe, Kings of Indigo and many more. It also recycles denim into original pieces.
Rotterdam
This huge street market sprawls across its namesake square east of Markthal. Stalls sell all manner of food, gadgets, clothes, snacks and much more.
Amsterdam
A chic boutique selling cool fashion-pack favourites, such as pieces by Isabel Marant and other labels, including Paul & Joe and Ganni.
St-Germain & Les Invalides
Fig bread made from chestnut flour is a speciality at this award-winning boulangerie (bakery). Expect to queue around lunchtime.
Cardiff
This kooky collection of independent stalls is a great place to rummage for vintage clothes and jewellery.
Aix-en-Provence
This calissonnier specialises in Aix’s sweetest treat: small, diamond-shaped chewy calissons, made of almond meal, citrus peel and wafer. They were first…
Bordeaux
Canelés – a sandcastle-shaped, vanilla-infused fluted cake typical to Bordeaux – is the sweet speciality of this cake shop inside the Les Grands Hommes…
London
For one of London's oddest shopping experiences, pass through security and descend 12m into the windowless subterranean depths of the London Silver Vaults…
Paris
An institution since 1958, Publicis incorporates cinemas and late-opening shops, including an épicerie (specialist grocer), pharmacy, beauty counter,…
Liège
Vaudrée is one of the best-stocked beer shops in Liège (they also sell online through www.beer-lovers.be).
Harry Potter Shop at Platform 9¾
North London
Pottermania refuses to die down and Diagon Alley remains impossible to find, but if you have junior witches and wizards seeking a wand of their own, take…
The West End
Run by the people behind the design and international current affairs magazine Monocle, this tiny (and attitudy) shop stocks very costly clothing, bags,…
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