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