Europe has its fair share of those little tiddler states – you know the ones, territories like San Marino, Monaco and Liechtenstein which, if you cut a decent pace, you can walk across in a day.

Vatican City is the tiniest of the bunch. You can stride from one end of this theocratic state to the other in the time it takes to mumble two Hail Marys. In addition to those well known microstates, there are places like the Faroes, the Åland Islands and the Bailiwick of Guernsey which function to all intents and purposes as independent states while retaining a nominal political link to another entity. Then there are the places that aspire towards independence, but whose secessionist aspirations have not yet been internationally recognised: Abkhazia, Transdniestr and – certainly one to watch in the weeks ahead – Kosovo.

Oddest of the bunch is surely Sealand, an upstart self-styled principality on an abandoned sea fort in the North Sea. No-one really takes Sealand seriously, except for the retired British army officer who ‘occupied’ this unprepossessing lump of concrete in 1967. He and his family (all now royals of course) really assert Sealand’s right to independence, and in this fortieth anniversary year of Sealand life, devoted (or gullible) fans of Europe’s quirkiest polity can purchase souvenir mugs and T-shirts.

Last year life on the offshore statelet took a turn for the worse when a fire in a generator room destroyed what few home comforts Sealand ever possessed. Unsurprisingly, the Sealand Royal Family are minded to quit and return to the English mainland. So Sealand is up for sale. If you have 750 million euros to spare, now is the chance to splash out and buy your own (presumably slightly singed) statelet.

This is the six in a series of fortnightly blog posts by the editors of hidden europe.

Photo by JamesWallis

Cheapo shoppers, be warned: the weather in Paris this spring was unseasonably cool—apart from that burst of heat over Easter—and many stores have reported disappointing sales. This is great news for us as it means only one thing: fantastic markdowns in the sales starting on June 27.

At this time of the year, Parisian women are busy scoping out the stores for what they intend to buy once the sales get started. Precision targeting is the name of their game. Decide exactly what you want to buy and then hover patiently in the third week of June for the “pre-sale” discounts that are usually handed out by the shopkeepers who know they must clear their stock by mid-July. The other day we were were told in a shoe store that there was an “exceptional” discount of €15 on any pair of shoes that day.

A great place to max out your sale leverage is to shop at the outlet stores for your favourite brands. These places already have 30 to 60 percent markdowns on items left over from last season. When the sales roll around you get an extra 30 to 50 percent off. That’s a great deal in any currency.

Check out the Zadig and Voltaire outlet in the Marais, for instance. Zadig and Voltaire is one of the staples (along with brands like A.P.C., Isabelle Marant, Comptoir des Cotonniers, and Vanessa Bruno) of the fashionable Parisian’s wardrobe. You can find their famed loose cashmere sweaters in muted tones of moss, plum, and chocolate as well as a chic line for girls under 12 called Zadig and Voltaire Little for girls up to age 12. Cecilia Sarkozy, France’s First Lady and leading fashion icon, was wearing a pair of white Zadig trousers on election victory night last month.

Le stock Zadig et Voltaire is located at 22 rue du Bourg Tibourg, 4th. M° Hotel de Ville.

Photo by Tinkatonka

Finding a treasure amid heaps of second hand apparel always provides a healthy sense of shopper’s satisfaction. At Humana stores, located all throughout Spain, Germany, and in several other participating countries, you’ll not only be helping yourself to a fine deal, your purchases will contribute to a worldwide humanitarian organization!

When we passed by, shirts, dresses, pants, shoes, and great retro accessories were going for €5 or less! Doing your part for the cause has never been so much fun!

Photo by Not_forgotten

If you’re carrying any dead weight in the form of (designer) clothing when you’re in London, stop into Visa’s pop-up store, where you can donate unwanted gear and quality high street clothing. But never fear Cheapos. You won’t be giving up your designer duds simply for the sake of charity (of course we believe that you would have anyway).

Swap clothes for points loaded onto a Visa Fashion Swap Card. Then return to the pop-up store on June 16 and 17 to redeem your points for new (to you) clothing and accessories. All in the name of sustainable fashion, ecology, and of course style. Got to hand to the Brits and Visa (and then hand over your clothes).
To find out more visit the Visa Swap website.

Photo by eri-ka-ka

You spend more than one third of your life in bed, the argument goes, so skimping on bedsheets is definitely not a good idea. The ultimate way to wake up is wrapped in some Frette linens. If your anti-monarchist sentiments aren’t moved by the fact that the Italian Royal Family uses Frette linens at home, perhaps the fact that said linens outfit the beds of the Ritz in Paris—or that Frette was commissioned for the tablecloth of “The Holy Virgin” for St. Peter’s Cathedral in Rome—will leave you in awe.

Happily for Cheapos seeking a reasonable splurge, la Frette vita can now be obtained on a budget. The Frette outlet at The Mall in Tuscany offers the line at major discounts.

The Mall is located at Europa 8 in Leccio, Reggello (telephone: +39 055 865 7775) and is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. until 7 p.m. and on Sunday from 3 p.m. until 7 p.m.

Photo by H&M

Lately, Madonna’s face has been splashed all over Athens’s billboards, bus stops, metro trains, and even wrapping the free newspapers. A new album, a new movie, a tour, . . . ? No, H&M has come to Athens and Madonna is the designer of their new “M by Madonna” line.

Located in the heart of the city (Stadiou 49, +30-210-3249-302, open 9 am-9 pm M-F and 9 am-6 pm Sat), the new store has whipped Athenians into frenzy. It opened on March 29 and its first week had thousands of shoppers lining up down the block awaiting their chance to look trendy for less.

What’s more, H&M is introducing Greeks to the nearly revolutionary idea of a 30-day return policy. Ironically, only English-speaking Greeks can get good customer service at H&M, as the company has brought in its own team from Sweden to open the store! The cashiers, however, speak Greek.

Photo by fabbio

If you find yourself in London with the same pair of flip flops and jeans you had when you started traveling last spring, please (for you and for the rest of us!) stop into one of the many sample sales going on across London this weekend. Now that the sun is shining and we’re all cautiously leaving the dim lighting of the pub, that tatty kit needs to go—boys and girls both!

If you’re in the east end this weekend, hit the Secret Sample Sale, from Friday, April 13 through Sunday, April 15. Find t-shirts for less than a tenner. And stop into On the QT’s Chigga Guerrilla Store since you’ll be in the Truman Brewery anyway (Shop 14, Truman Brewery, 15 Hanbury Street E1 6QL). Get up to 80 percent off clothes, accessories and shoes (for both sexes; note that Secret Sample Sale has an especially cool selection for men), including items by Marc Jacobs, True Religion, Berube, Comme Des Carçons, and Paul Smith, among others.

If your digs are a bit more upmarket and you’re staying in Southwest London, Billion Dollar Babes is shedding designer wares like nobody’s business—note that Billion Dollar Babes isn’t exactly Cheapo territory—this Friday and Saturday. Tip: sign up on their site for access to VIP pre-sale opening hours.

Photo by Annie Shapero

A trip to Florence—or Italy in general for that matter—would not (and should not) be complete with a fabulous pair of leather shoes. Lucky for those of us with big shoe fetishes and somewhat less enormous budgets, there is Peluso, located right in the center of Florence!

The new collection is located at Via del Corso, 6/8. Peluso’s swank, all-leather designs don’t dare creep into the triple digits. The outlet store is located right across the street, and believe it or not, prices start at €19!

Your toes will be tingling with joy, and your wallet will hardly notice the difference.

Photo by Philip Sheldrake 

It’s no secret that Londoners love literature just about as much as they love their tabloids. When not sifting the mags to find out where Posh and Becks are currently being preposterous, Londoners are usually nose-in-novel on the Underground or while queueing at Sainsbury’s.

Here are just some of the places where we find our favorite wordsmiths in London:

1. Foyle’s bookshop was co-created by two brothers in 1903 after they both failed their civil service exams. The store first sold only textbooks; today it hosts author events (Chuck Palahniuk ring a bell?) and gallery tours at its flagship location in SoHo. It may not be the largest and most exciting shop, but it’s distinguished and impressive.

2. Travel fans (know any of those?) should visit Daunt Travel Bookshop in Hampstead, where it’s rumored that George Orwell once clerked. The bookstore has long been known for its courteous, brilliant staff (owner James Daunt writes reviews for The Times and The Guardian) and though the names that grace their events diary may not be household to us, the talks at Daunt sure do enlighten. Ol’ Jimmy Boy co-hosts many events with another famous lad from around the corner, John Keats.

3. Waterstone’s. If you like your bookstores big and comprehensive, then Waterstone’s is the place for you. The store on Piccadilly has six floors of literary madness. Look for JK Rowling when she signs copies of the next (and last) Harry Potter here in July.

Happy reading!

Photo by manna_from_the_heavens

Gucci, Fendi, and Prada … Three perfect excuses to plan a trip to Italy. You probably didn’t expect to hear those names on Eurocheapo, but we’re going to let you in on a little secret:

Twice a year, fashion retailers, from mass chains like Benetton to swanky designer boutiques, hold a sale that will blow your mind. Nearly all pricetags are slashed in half on January 15th and June 15th. Under Italian law, this is the only time such deep discounts can occur, to prevent fraud and unfair competition. The sales generally last around a month.

Those who brave the frenzied crowds on the first days will be rightfully rewarded. Italians know their fashion and the good stuff goes first!