By Samantha Collins in Rome–

Whether you are seeking designer dresses or cheap chic, Rome has some of the best places to shop in Italy. The names of Italy’s finest designers sit alongside independent boutiques and market stalls as shopping in Rome caters to every budget.

Here is my “Top Five” guide to the best places to go whether you are looking for Prada shoes or a flea market bargain.

1. Via Condotti and the Spanish Steps

This is the home of Rome’s designer shopping area and where you will find Prada next to Armani with a sprinkling of Gucci. The shops that line Via Condotti entice your credit card out of hiding with their glittering window displays. Take time also for people watching, as this is the haunt of any celebrity in town worth their Hermes bag. And even if this is way out of your budget, remember it costs nothing to go in and unfold things.

2. Via Cola di Rienzo

This busy shopping street just behind Castle St. Angelo is home to mid-price shops with a mix of designer boutiques and high street chains. Look out for Brandy, a teenage basement clothes shop that is almost hidden below street level. COIN, one of Rome’s few department stores is a great place to spend an hour or two browsing.

For a bite, check out “Castroni,” a delicatessen that sells not only a fantastic range of Italian delicacies but also stocks international food. It’s the only place in Rome where you can buy peanut butter or baked beans! (Metro A, Lepanto or Ottiviano)

3. Via del Corso

This long narrow street is at the heart of Rome’s historic centre running from Piazza Venezia to Piazza del Popolo and a short walk from the Pantheon and the Trevi Fountain. During the evenings, the street is packed with shoppers. Wander around the mix of high street stores like H&M, Mango, Diesel, Levis, and Zara mixed with small designer boutiques, bookstores, and the elegant Galleria Alberto Soldi shopping centre.

4. Porto Portese Flea Market

Held every Sunday morning, this is the largest market in Rome and the place to come for a bargain. With a mix of second hand and new goods, food, antiques, and general bric-a-brac, spare at least a couple of hours to browse the endless rows of stalls.

Getting there: Tram 8 Largo Argentina to Trastevere Station – then about a five minute walk to Via Ippolito Nievo. Follow the crowds.

5. EurRoma2 and Castello Romano Outlet

Euroma2 is a newly-opened shopping centre in the EUR area of Rome spread over three floors in an elegant temple style with ornate glass domes. Chain stores and designer shopping sit alongside coffee shops and restaurants catering to all budgets. This is a good place to come during summer as it’s air-conditioned and all indoors.

Getting there: Take the Metro to EUR Palasport Metro Line B and then take the free shuttle bus that stops just outside, a journey of around 10 minutes.

Castello Romano is a designer outlet village, part of the McArthur Glen chain, around 15km south of Rome. Designer discounts housed in a mock ancient Roman village, brands here include Burberry, Calvin Klein, Dolce & Gabanna, and Roberto Cavalli.

Getting there: There is a bus service to the outlet that operates from EUR FERMI Metro Line B and there is a private shuttle that can be booked at most hotel receptions.

About the author: Samantha Collins is a freelance travel writer and editor, who has lived in Rome for the past two years.  She is originally from Manchester in the UK.  Read all about her adventures by visiting her blog, www.samanthacollinsrome.blogspot.com.

Popularity: 6% [?]

By Theadora Brack in Paris—

Gather around, my fellow multitasking “Puces de Paris” junkies. Here’s a twofer for you: a hot “flea market sandwich” with a virtually free bus tour filling in between. Tous à bord!

Two flea markets and a Paris city tour

My name is Theadora and I am addicted to flea markets in Paris. One is never enough. Cheapos, haven’t we all been there?

No worry lines, though, because I have the solution: Let me introduce you to the 95 bus line, or, as I call it, the “Oriental Rug Express.” It connects the two best flea markets in the city: the Marché aux Puces de la Porte de Vanves (bus stop: Porte de Vanves) and the Marché aux Puces St-Ouen de Clignancourt (bus stop: Porte de Montmartre).

For the mere price of a metro ticket (the same tickets work for both buses and metros), you’ll not only travel between the flea markets in comfort (the markets are at both ends of the line, so you’re guaranteed a seat), but you’ll also be able to kick back, catch your breath, and boast about your first kills of the day while the panorama of Paris rolls by en route to the next market. The 95 is one of the most scenic bus lines in the city, so don’t pack your camera away!

Junket bus tips

Hit the Porte de Vanves market first, since it’s open only on weekend mornings. Arrive early—vendors start packing up at noon. Shop your heart out, and then hop on the 95.

Cold outside and no bus in sight? Grab a café at bar “Grill 14” directly behind the bus stop. While warming up, you can keep an eye out for your ride. There’s a WC in the bar and an ATM machine just around the corner, too.

Once aboard, you’ll cruise clear across Paris to Clignancourt, which stays open till 7 PM. The ride is as good as a guided tour! Here are just a few of the hotspots you’ll glimpse whilst snaking through Paris’ narrow streets for the next 45 minutes.

Keep your eyes peeled for:

1. Institut Pasteur — Got milk? here’s why!

2. Gare Montparnasse — Jumping off place for Chartres, and points west and south-west.

3. Tour Montparnasse — Tallest building in France.

4. Musée de la Poste — Way more than just a stamp collection.

5. Rue de Rennes — Left bank shopping mecca.

6. Félix Potin building, 140 rue de Rennes. Art Nouveau masterpiece, now home to a Zara.

7. L’Eglise Saint-Germain des-Prés — Oldest church in central Paris.

8. Sennelier art supply, 3 Quai Voltaire — Where Picasso & friends got their paint.

9. Pont du Carrousel — Statues representing Industry, Abundance, Paris, and the Seine.

10. Pont des Arts – First cast-iron bridge in the city, for pedestrians only.

11. Musée du Louvre – ’nuff said.

12. Pyramide du Louvre — I.M. Pei’s pointy glass peak.

13. Arc-de-Triomphe du Carrousel – The “Mini-Me” of the big Arc de Triomphe.

14. Rue de Rivoli — Colonnade made for promenading à la mode.

15. Comédie-Française — Home to thespians from Molière to Sarah Bernhardt.

16. Rue de la Paix — Priciest address in the French version of Monopoly!

17. Palais Garnier, a.k.a. the “Opéra de Paris’ — Haunt of the Phantom; it sits atop an underground lake.

18. Boulevard Haussmann — Starring grands magasins like Printemps and Galeries-Lafayette decked out in Belle Époque.

19. Gare St-Lazare — Train-station-muse of both Monet and Manet!

20. Place de Clichy — “The Times Square of Paris”.

21. Brasserie Wepler – One of writer Henry Miller’s favorite hangouts.

22. L’Hippodrome — With an indoor horse track it was the largest theater in Europe, now a Castorama hardware store.

23. Cimetière Montmartre — Deathplace of Dalida and Degas.

And finally, at the terminus, the flea markets of Clignancourt! Soothed by all these sights, your junk-searching eyes are ready to roll again. Bon chance!

About the author: Theadora Brack is a writer working in Paris. Her fiction has appeared in more than 30 literary publications, including 3AM International, The Smoking Poet, Beloit Fiction Journal, Mid-American Review, and the Haight-Ashbury Literary Journal.

Popularity: 7% [?]

By Susan Buzzelli in Berlin—It’s no secret that Berliners take a deep breath on Sundays. Shops are closed and traffic dissipates, making the already laid-back city feel completely chilled out. Capture the spirit by heading to a hip hood where part of the Berlin Wall once stood (at the Mitte-Prenzlauer Berg-Wedding border, near the U-bahn stop Bernauer Str.). Hipsters, students, and young families crowd the café-lined drags of Kastanienallee and Oderberger Strasse to indulge in leisurely breakfasts, followed by a twirl through a flea market or two. (If you won’t be around on Sunday, you can replicate this routine sans flea markets during the week.)

Let’s do breakfast!

Berlin-style breakfast is a jackpot for Cheapos, especially on weekends, when cafés roll out all-you-can-eat buffets. Laden with German breakfast basics—cheese, cold cuts, vegetables, fruit, jam, butter, hard-boiled eggs, and crusty rolls—the best spots offer extras like Sekt (sparkling wine), exotic fruit, and homemade spreads. Coffee, tea, and the Berlin favorite, Milchcafé (coffee with milk), usually aren’t inclusive.

We recommend showing up before 11 AM, when the buffet is freshest, the staff is alert, and the crowds are thin. (Most spots serve breakfast from 10 AM to 3 PM) Once you’ve occupied a table, take your time—read a newspaper, people watch, and make plenty of trips to the buffet. Do it right and you won’t be hungry until dinner.

Where to go?

The cozy neighborhood favorite Schwarze Pumpe (Choriner Str. 76, one block east of Kastanienallee) is a Cheapo hit. For €4.90, you can graze the basic but high-quality buffet with great scrambled eggs. Order a Milchcafé, load your plate, and have a seat in the rustic-cozy interior or on the tree-shaded sidewalk. (Breakfast à la carte is available the rest of the week.)

Vegetarians, leftists, and budget travelers are also fans of the vegan-friendly buffet (available Friday and Saturday from 11 AM to 2 PM) at the grungy café-bar-collective Morgenrot (Kastanienallee, 85). A colorful spread laid out on the bar in this dingy, art-filled space features tofu cream cheese and fruit-studded yoghurt. In keeping with its leftist mission, the café asks for €4¬–8, depending on your income.

If you prefer breakfast à la carte, try the Kiezkantine (Oderberger Str. 50). Operated by a non-profit organization for the mentally challenged, this homey place is beloved for its bargain breakfast. Ample enough for two hungry travelers, the Grosses Frühstück (big breakfast), a composition of cheese, ham, salami, fruit, hard-boiled eggs, vegetables, warm rolls, and seed-studded bread, is only €4.20 (students pay a reduced rate of €3.30). Gourmet it isn’t, but filling it is.

Snap up a flea market bargain

Walk off breakfast while exploring two of the city’s best flea markets, which get going around 11 AM. The Mauerpark Flohmarkt (Bernauer Str. 63-64, at the western end of Oderberger Str.), a maze of stalls next to a scrubby park that once bordered the Berlin Wall, is well stocked with chic and cheap souvenirs hand-crafted by local designers. Look for photographs of Berlin, silk-screened T-shirts, glass bead jewelry, and trendy clothing. Pick through the junkier stands to find retro teapots, vintage leather purses, and LPs.

Afterwards, stroll south on Wolliner Strasse to reach the Flohmarkt am Arkonaplatz (Arkonaplatz). It’s small, but the items on display in this picturesque square are more valuable—and more expensive. Expect vintage sunglasses and retro vases in groovy shades.

Check out the Wall

Cap off your tour with a stop at the admission-free Gedenkstätte Berliner Mauer (Berlin Wall Memorial, Bernauer Str. 111), which is hidden five blocks east of Arkonaplatz (take Anklamer Str., then make a right onto Acker Str.) Study an original stretch of the Berlin Wall up close and from the top of a lookout tower across the street.

From there, pick up a tram on Bernauer Strasse or walk west to the Nordbahnhof S-bahn station to continue your Berlin adventures.

Popularity: 7% [?]

By Theadora Brack

PARIS—Fellow Cheapos, I’ve got a confession to make: I’m hooked on flea markets. I’ve hardly missed a weekend at the flea market in years. I rarely spend more than €20 a visit, but rest assured, I’ve slowly amassed a world-class collection of treasures (which some might call “kitsch”).

Porte de Vanves Flea Market

If you only have time to visit one flea market during your trip to Paris, I’d suggest heading to the The Porte de Vanves Flea Market on Saturday or Sunday morning.  The market stretches for blocks along Avenue Marc Sangnier and around the corner on Avenue Georges Lafenestre on the southern border of Paris.

The Porte de Vanves market isn’t dirt-cheap, but you can bargain, the “coolness quotient” is pretty high, and even just looking is plenty of fun.

The city’s flea markets were started in the late 19th century by the infamous “rag and bone men” (forerunners of today’s “dumpster divers”), and today you’re likely to find anything from trinkets to treasures.

On a typical trip, you’ll probably spot plenty of plastic key chains,   postcards,  religious tokens, and old magazines. But you might also uncover vintage designer clothes, agate cigarette holders, swanky barware, retro bistro tables, ancient archaeological treasures, and perhaps even a genuine Old Masters (even the occasional world-class find—Monet’s, Utrillo’s and Cocteau paintings, have been known to pop up here from time to time!).

Tips for flea market success

Here are a few tips to get the most out of the experience and make the most of your hard-earned euro:

1. Arrive early.

The Porte de Vanves flea market opens at 7 AM on Saturdays and Sundays and the dealers start packing up to leave at noon. An ATM is located near the “Boulevard Brune” exit from the Porte de Vanves Metro, and just around the corner on the way to the market is a patisserie where you can grab a flaky, heart-shaped palmier for breakfast.

2. Carry cash.

If you can, organize a small “till” the night before. I usually carry €30 in coins and small bills.

3. Know some key phrases in French.

Practicing some key phrases like “Combien ça?” (How much is that?) and “Accepteriez-vous une euro?” (Will you take one euro?) will carry you far.

Keep a sense of humor and don’t be afraid to walk away if the dealer won’t budge. Chances are that he’ll counter offer before you get far. It also helps if you learn French numbers prior to your trip. (Of course, this will help outside the flea market, too!)

4. Bring along a sturdy bag.

Grocery stores like Champion sell lightweight fiber-cloth bags in bright colors for less than a euro and they last for years.

5. Arrive with a mission.

It’s great to have a “quest” in mind, since visualization helps narrow your hunt while increasing your chances of finding the object of your desire.

6. Pace yourself.

Don’t buy the first thing you see, since you may spot a cheaper, similar item later on. And don’t dawdle—the market stretches for about eight or ten blocks. When you get to the snack wagon on the corner you’re halfway. You can always go back and snag something if it’s still calling your name on the way back.

7. Look for the bargain tables.

These are usually marked with hand-written signs like, “TOUT À €1 CETTE TABLE.” (Anything on the table for one euro.)

8. Boast about your bargains.

Last week I found a gorgeous hand-painted Venetian tray for €2. Tell me what you find! Bon chance!

Practical Info

Marché aux Puces de la Porte de Vanves (Porte de Vanves Flea Market)
Metro: Port de Vanves, line 13
Days and hours: Every Saturday and Sunday 7 AM—1 PM

Other flea markets

Since the Porte de Vanves market is open only on weekend mornings, hit it before trying the other markets. If this only whets your appetite, hop on the 95 bus near the patisserie and ride it clear across Paris to the Porte de Clignancourt flea market, which stays open till 7 PM. Or visit the Clignancourt or Porte de Montreuil fleas on Monday.

About the author: Theadora Brack is a writer working in Paris. Her fiction has appeared in more than 30 literary publications, including 3AM International, The Smoking Poet, Beloit Fiction Journal, Mid-American Review, and the Haight-Ashbury Literary Journal.

Popularity: 19% [?]