Covent Garden Market

This London institution may appear too commercial and crowded to provide a characterful retail experience, but some quirky gems lift the experience. The colonnaded nineteenth-century Piazza building houses Apple Market, where tourist-friendly crafts are the staple, as well as cutesy chain stores - although it's worth keeping a look out for independents still holding their ground such as Eric Snook's Toyshop and the specialist tobacconist/cigar shop Segar & Snuff Parlour. Over in the South Piazza, Jubilee Market is a little more eccentric: Mondays are for antiques lovers while Tuesday-Friday sees a hotch-potch general market including clothing and household goods, and Saturdays and Sundays are reserved for arty knick-knacks and crafts.