I've heard that Belgium is the place to go for antique markets. I live in Italy and am looking to go with friends for a weekend of quality shopping. Any sugguestions on the best places to go, with the best prices?

Being a guy, my passion for antique markets has so far been well hidden, but my mother loves to shop in <b> &lt;k&gt; Tongeren </b> &lt;/k&gt;, Belgium. This is a town which is slightly North of Liege and to the South West of Maastricht. The antique market there is reportedly huge.

I am not at all familiar with Belgium, would be my first time to travel there. Do you know how far Tongeren would be from a major city in Germany? I live in Northern Italy and have not decided my best mode of transportation, but would like a good reference point.

Tongeren would be 136 km from Cologne, equalling approx. 1 hour and 15 min. driving time or 67 km from Aachen, equalling about 45 min. of driving time. Both according to my route planner. I remember that my mother drove over for a day from the Cologne area when visiting down there.

Thanks for the information. I will have to do some research from here. I need to decide where to stay, for how long, drive or fly, etc.

I knew a women who owned an antique shop in New Orleans and she traveled to Liege twice a year for her major shopping. She thought this was one of the best places on the continent for antiques. Liege itself is not very charming, but is easy to get to from Germany and Holland as hsv has mentioned.

From what I understand, there are many cities in Belgium that have antique markets throughout the year. I am a military spouse with rare freedom from the children. I would like to make the most of my time by finding a market that people have been successful in locating good selections and great prices .... so thanks for your input!!

ssojak; I don't know when you want to go, but the last weekend in November and the first weekend in December are 'antique dealer's weekends' in Antwerp, when most antique shops stay open late, and open on Sundays too. In Antwerp, most antique shops are in the Kloosterstraat; from bric-a-brac junk to costly antiques. I don't know about markets in Antwerp.
Though I haven't been (yet), I've heard the antique market in Tongeren is very good.

Tulips, thank you for the tip. Do you happen to know how the weather is in that part of the country in late Nov and Dec? I'm sure it is similar to us in Northern Italy, which means it varies from one year to the next. I would be interested in the road conditions.

It has been very warm for the time of year, but usually end of November/December is pretty cold; near freezing. It doesn't usually snow, but it's not impossible.