Where is the BEST SHOPPING in Europe
 

I am a shopoholic so after going sightseeing I love to go shopping especially for clothes, bags and furniture. I seem to go for branded things.

Milan for clothes and the rest of Italy for beautiful decorative items. The best things however are those that are not branded as they are far more special. Who cares about Gucci, Prada etc.. I would rather have something where people say "How beautiful" instead of "Oh I love your Prada bag".

I prefer Paris for handbags as there are so many beautiful and unique designs to choose from and the prices are reasonable. I think that's the right place for designer clothes also. Italy is another good place to get designer clothing and the handbags are a great buy just as in Paris. Leather jackets are the best in Italy I find.

The best shopping is in NY and Jersey and the Pottery Barn catalog. Europe has other things to offer.

La-- My favorite place to shop is FLORENCE-- I got vraxy over the unusual gold items that I cannot get in the US-- the quality and diversity and the prices are killer- <BR><BR>Never had I bought a piece that did NOT appraise at 3 X what I bought it at....<BR><BR>Enjoy- and pack me in your bag as I am a shopaholic too!! LOL

Travel nut, either answer the question or just don't respond.

Pottery Barn???? How much classier than all thats available in Europe....not.

While NJ does indeed have excellent shopping, I think what travelnut means is that Europe has so much to offer in the way of sights and sounds, why be so intent on shopping.

<BR><BR>The Barras, Glasgow.

I love he shopping in london.

Barcelona - shoes, bags, shoes, bags, shoes, bags

Paris for the sheer number of boutiques (and not just all the designer labels) beats any other European city fairly easily - including London. Sales can also be incredible. But one of the best department stores (if not the best) at the moment in europe would have to be Selfridges - one of THE shops in London now. Beats any dept store in Paris for style. Furniture -area outside Udine in northern Italy has a lot of upmarket factory outlets. Horrible town near Stuttgart has lots of factory outlet stores with biggest store there being Boss, but lots and lots of other stores and people from all over Germany head there for SAturday shopping<BR>Milan for shoes in my experience far better than Rome.

Travel nut is not too far off in my books I think shopping in the USA is amazing... and NY/NJ does have good places to practice your retail therapy, but then I have been living in Europe for many years and we usuallly shop till we drop in America when visiting as the prices are great and the clothes/household items are different.<BR><BR>My top places are:<BR><BR>London - Oxford Street, Camden Market and Portabello road<BR><BR>Paris - Just back and had a great time shopping (many things are cheaper than Ireland)<BR><BR>Madrid - We found great stuff in Madrid and surrounding area but then again we do not have Zara or Ikea in Ireland and they are a novelty for us!<BR><BR>I always found great clothes and household goods in any Major city in Germany as well. <BR><BR>Have fun but do some sightseeing as well!

Yes, we all know that Europe has alot to offer, that's the main reason we visit. But shopping in NY &amp; NJ cannot take the place of shopping in Europe! No, you do not find the exact same things in NY &amp; NJ as you do in Europe; there is a far better selection of stores/boutiques and merchandise in Europe in comparison to the US.

I understand!<BR>I love traveling and shopping. This summer I spent it at Europe, mainly Italy. And I was there for the summer sale in August. I did not know that designer stores has such great sales. For example gucci bags were 5o%off and Fendi and Prada 30% off and such... Now i want to, have to go again. I saw a gucci bag i bought in the states full price, in rome was half off! i wanted to cry. so i will wait to go to europe and buy over there. Now i wish i knew when their winter sale goes on and take advantage of that one. You could also try the outlet or factory stores for great bargains. But in my experience, dont go at a time when the sales are happening at the city stores cause you wont find anything at the factory stores.<BR>I also recomend Barcelona for shopping. It is soooooooooo cheap and great fashions and quality. Loved Zara and MAngo and did not have time for more!<BR>Also, i found it rewarding how you get your tax $ back. Eventhough it took 2 to 3 months to get the VAT back on my credit card... it is worth it!

If you want &quot;brands&quot;, the only place to even consider is Italy. Mainly because the regular prices are 30-70% less than US prices. Last year, my wife bought a Bottega Veneta bag for $270. Saw it on Rodeo Drive (BV boutique) for $950 two weeks later. And if you can catch a sale, it's like 80-90% off US prices.<BR><BR>Paris, esp. for men, has very little to offer. I found the prices not much different than US prices for the French Labels, and other European brands were very pricey, almost as much as US.<BR><BR>For non branded stuff, Spain seems good. But best place in the WORLD right now is Argentina. With the collapse of the Peso (last year it was 1:1, now $1 buys 3.5 pesos), it is like going back 40 years in time.<BR><BR><BR><BR>CoachBoy

Check the article:The January Sales,where to shop and drop in Milan?<BR>http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article...527718,00.html.

JC-- Your times link did NOT work-<BR>Can you post the complete link???<BR><BR>Thanks

Please try again. If not, go to Timesonline.co.uk, then travel section, then Italy. There are two articles about shopping in Milano.

Sorry but some of you obviously have not been to NJ :)<BR>You can (and I do) buy:<BR> Hermes, Louis Vuitton, Burberry, Prada, any designer in the world, you will find it sold in some of the prettiest and quite chic department stores and malls.<BR>So while I would never tell someone - &quot;don't bother shopping in Paris, London, Milan,&quot; I won't tell them that they can't find the same thing right here in good old New Jersey either!<BR>Happy Shopping &amp; Happy Holidays!