FLEA MARKETS

5 of the Best

Spend your a ernoons rummaging for treasure amid the tat at these top European markets

Thorvaldsen Market, Copenhagen, Denmark

Stop by this upscale flea market on cobbled Bertel Thorvaldsens Plads, specialising in crystal and Royal Copenhagen china. Also on the square is a museum dedicated to the eponymous sculptor. Ryanair flies to nearby Malmö, Sweden.
Open Fridays and Saturdays, 27 April to 27 October.

Mercato di Carmagnola, near Turin, Italy

The town of Carmagnola, 20 minutes' drive south of Turin, is worth a visit on the second Sunday of each month, when its charming main square fills with stalls selling local cra s, glass and jewellery alongside quirky bric-a-brac.
Open second Sundays (except August).

Marché aux Puces de Saint-Ouen, Paris, France

The phrase "flea market" is said to have been coined to describe this sprawl of stalls in the 18th arrondisement (Rue des Rosiers, Metro stop Porte de St-Ouen). These days, Les Puces is a more chic affair with 15 small markets - a warren of books, clothes, furniture and quirky objects.
Open Saturday to Monday.

Flohmarkt am Mauerpark, Berlin, Germany

The Mauerpark in Prenzlauer Berg buzzes with vendors selling everything from Soviet-era cameras to homemade honey and 1970s vinyl. There's a party vibe as boomboxes pump out techno and people relax on the grass with their currywursts.
Open Sundays.

Portobello Road Market, London, UK

"Street where the riches of ages are stowed," goes the song in Bedknobs and Broomsticks. No ing Hill's famous thoroughfare has a fine stash of antiques, but the cool kids head for the vintage fashion stalls under the Westway flyover.
Open Monday to Saturday.