1. Waterloo, Belgium
What a great market this is. Held every Sunday morning in the car park of the Carrefour supermarket in Waterloo, there is plenty of parking, and a good fast-food restaurant. The 300 or so stalls are all laid out in an orderly grid so it’s easy to cover the whole market and not get confused about the location of a particular trader. It offers a good mix of genuine antiques and more contemporary collectables, but watch out for replicas. When I finally got one trader to admit that the designer handbag she was selling (for an exorbitant price) was indeed a fake, she whispered, “But it’s a good fake” - and dropped the price considerably.
More information: see the regional tourist board website.
2. Turin, Italy
Carmagnola market is about a 20-minute drive south of Turin and held every second Sunday of the month (except August). Be prepared for a trek through this one: there are over 250 stalls laid out in the main square and winding pedestrian streets of the pretty town centre. With modern craftsmen set up beside bric-a-brac stalls, we found lots of lovely Italian glass and jewellery, alongside genuine antique and collectables. My co-presenter Jonty Hearnden and I also had fun with some lovingly restored Vespa scooters.
More information: see the regional tourist boardwebsite
3. Cadaques, Spain
This is a brocante market just south of Cardedeu, towards Barcelona. It’s held in a large field beside the town’s main park, and is all very rustic. While some of the dealers work off stalls or out of the back of their lorries, others just lay their items on tarpaulin on the grass. You'll find plenty of rustic Spanish furniture, along with some very fine glass and porcelain, and a wonderful collection of fans. But take a large umbrella if it’s hot: there is no shade, and the heat can be wilting.
More information: see the Spanish tourist board website or the local (Spanish language) Cadaques site
4. Milan, Italy
You need to be an early bird for the market at Cormano, near Milan. It starts at 7.30am every Saturday and is over by lunchtime (2pm). If you want a real bargain - and have comfortable walking shoes - you should find plenty of things to tempt you among the 150 stalls. The area is famous for silk - Como produces 80% of Europe’s silk and has been doing so since the 14th century - and we found some lovely fabrics among the household goods, toys, old clothes, glass and silver.
More information: see the regional tourist board website
5. Brussels, Belgium
The flea market at Place du Jeu de Balle is in the centre of Brussels and takes place daily. Here you can find everything from junk and antiques to bargain buys and rip-offs. About 200 dealers turn up every day from 7am until lunchtime. It’s a great place to find things you never knew you really wanted, and at knockdown prices. Once the dealers have gone, take one of the side roads from Rue Blaes into Rue Haute. Here they have a great selection of antique, brocante and craft shops. It’s a little more chic, but still good value.
More information: see the regional tourist board website
6. Alba, Italy
One of the great "discoveries" we made during filming was the warehouse markets in Italy. These are huge spaces where ordinary householders take their things to sell (the equivalent of British car-boot sales). You can buy everything, from fully fitted kitchens and furniture, to televisions, dinner services, toys and clothes. You name it – if you want to furnish your home, you can buy it here. Everything has a price (usually very cheap), and this decreases by 10% if the article has not sold after one month. Mercatino di Torino is certainly worth a rummage!
More information: see the regional tourist board website
7. Barcelona, Spain
Mercantic is an indoor market in the suburbs of Barcelona that is open every day from 9.30am to 8pm (except Mondays, Sunday afternoons and throughout August). This is a wonderful hunting ground for anyone looking for art deco or art nouveau items, as well as really fine furniture, glass, silver and porcelain.
More information: see barcelonaturisme.com; mercantic.com
8. Lake Maggiore, Italy
I loved the market at Borgo D’Ale for its happy atmosphere, its surprising and varied collection of antiques and collectibles, and the wonderful selection of local food. The 350 stalls set out their wares every third Sunday of the month and I defy anyone to come away empty handed from this bustling, fun and tempting collection of Italian goodies.
More information: see the regional tourist board website
9. Namur, Belguim
Once a year, in July, the huge Ciney Expo centre on the outskirts of Ciney is given over to a three-day antique/brocante fair. With hundreds of stalls both inside and out, you get a terrific variety of things on sale, from the very finest quality antiques to household wares. It’s a bit of a drive – but it’s worth it.
More information: see the regional tourist board website
10. Mirepoix, Southern France
Some of the small towns and villages in France have a wonderful reputation for staging huge markets, just once or twice a year, when the entire community is taken over by anything from 200 to 500 stalls. It’s like a massive car-boot sale but with all the trappings of a genuine antique and collectable market. You’d be amazed at the things that turn up. These markets are called "vide-greniers" – or attic sales. The village of Auriac-sur-Vendinelle hosts one over an entire weekend in May. There are professional dealers, and amateurs just there for the fun of it. Certainly worth a trip if you are in the area.
More information: see vide-greniers.org
And just one more because I couldn’t resist:
11. Lille, Northern France
Lille is home to probably one of the biggest markets in the country. It’s called La Braderie and is packed over the first weekend of September. And when I say big, I mean huge! It attracts over a million visitors and boasts around 200km if pavement stalls. So be prepared for a long hike!
More information: see the city tourist board website