With the Naviglio Grande canal chugging along in the background,
this market – which contains more than 380 stalls spanning a
two-kilometre stretch from the Da Vinci-designed Church of the
Conchetta to the Darsena (Milan’s mercantile harbour) – is a
must-visit for those who want to see another side to this famously
hard-edged, industrious city.

STAY: The
Yard Milano

On the first Sunday of every month this exquisite market
unravels in the crumbly renaissance city of Arezzo in Tuscany. On a
balmy day, there’s no better place to shelter from the sun than the
city’s cloister-like colonnades which are always teeming with
canvases, elaborately crafted furniture and absurd little trinkets
(either trash or treasure) supplied by collectors from all over
Italy.

STAY:
Il Canto Del Maggio

While it’s difficult to resist diving headlong into the eclectic
collection of jumble that pours out into Paris’s biggest antiques
market in the 18th arrondissement, it’s a labyrinth, so it’s wise
to prepare beforehand. The main drag is Rue des Rosiers so start
there before peeling off into Marché Jules Vallès for bric-a-brac
and Paul Bert Serpette for bigger furnishings if you’re feeling
flush.

STAY:
Hotel du Petit Moulin

This market’s all about the leisurely saunter rather than the
hustle. Over the first weekend of September (5 and 6 September in
2020), live musical performances fill the streets of the Braderie
and the city’s restaurants lay on extra covers to cater for the
swarms of hungry antique hunters. Over 100km of stalls pull 2.5
million visitors on average each year.

STAY: Mama
Shelter Lille

Old-school antique junkies will know this market as Waterloo
Antiques Market. It’s now pitched six miles south of the historic
battlefield made famous by Napoleon (perhaps more so by ABBA), but
is still filled with the same riotous mix of antiques and
contemporary collectibles. Each of the 500 vendors is carefully
vetted by the market’s organisers which means you’re guaranteed to
pick up authentic wares.

STAY:
B&B L’Orangerie

This global gathering of antique aficionados has been going
strong for the last 60 years – with traders unfurling their
candy-striped tarpaulin stalls in the Place du Grand Sablon every
Saturday and Sunday. After you’ve trawled through the silverware,
Chinese porcelain and African art that attracts the most
in-the-know dealers from all over Europe, meander through the
design shops of the Rue Haute and Rue Blaes.

STAY:
Hotel Des Galeries

A Viennese institution, every Saturday from 6.30am to 2pm you’ll
find seasoned pros selling hard-to-find historical artefacts, as
well as independent sellers with more ramshackle offerings. While
the market at Naschmarkt is a real hodgepodge of contemporary and
historical, antique purists looking for a more refined edit of old
gems should check out The Time Travel Antiques Market held every
second and fourth Sunday of the month at Ringstrassen Galerien.

STAY:
The Guesthouse

Part of the challenge here is keeping concentration amid the
panoply of lip-smacking food stalls selling regional delicacies
like risotto, polenta and grana padano cheese in surprisingly
inventive combinations. Eager types should set an early alarm and
head down for 5AM when it opens.

STAY:
B&B Terres D’Aventure Suites