 Berlin
If you’re looking for a bargain, Berlin can’t be beaten. With every major global brand setting up shop here, your problem won’t be to find what you’re after, but to choose what you want from the astounding array.
Berlin’s main shopping street, Kurfürstendamm is a good place to start, and shopping here is simple - on the big street, you’ll find the big names, ranging from highstreet favourites like Zara, Deichmann and Mexx to designers like Jil Sander and Yves Sant Laurent. But turn off onto the smaller roads around Kurfürstendamm and you’ll find tiny boutiques from up-and-coming labels – a treasure trove of clothes and curios, that simply call out to you to buy them. After picking up a little something from “the next big thing”, you mustn’t miss that established favourite and Berlin landmark, the swanky Kaufhaus des Westens (“Department Store of the West”), more simply known as KaDeWe. This eight-floor temple to shopping was once the stuff of dreams for those in East Germany and the Soviet Union – a symbol of the riches of western capitalism. And it doesn’t disappoint – if you can’t find what you’re looking for here, it probably doesn’t exist – and the 6th floor food hall will have you drooling in your sleep for months to come. But it’s not just the west that tempts shoppers nowadays – east Berlin is the place to go for the cutting edge. Visit the area around the Hackescher Market if you’re after something avant garde, or love picking through second hand stalls to find hidden treasures. And if all that bargainhunting has worn you out, stop for coffee and cake at one of the many laidback street cafes, and take a breather before starting again. airBaltic flies to Berlin from Riga every day, and twice a day on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays – so with Kurfürstendamm just 20 minutes by bus from Tegel Airport you can easily fit your Berlin shopping trip into just one day. From Vilnius to Berlin there are 4 flights a week. Stockholm With its clean lines, bright colours and ingenious engineering, Scandinavian design, whether clothes, furniture or jewellery – is unmistakable – and Stockholm is the place to find it. Swedish labels are renowned the world over – among others, H&M, Lindex and Tiger, not to mention IKEA – are bywords for high design at affordable prices. You can find them all at home in Stockholm alongside a host of other labels, all selling very moreish goods. For easy browsing, visit the pedestrian streets near the central station – stretching from Hötorget to Gamla Stan. All the big names are here, or for an even more concentrated hit, just head for the Åhléns department store, which houses everything under one roof. If, however, you’re after something really rare and unusual, go exploring further uptown, in Ostermalm. Here you’ll find
the finer things in life – art galleries, high class boutiques and antique shops – and the famous Swedish glassmakers Orrefors Kosta Boda, whose shop doubles as a gallery, so you can windowshop to your heart’s content. You can even visit Stockholm’s answer to New York’s SoHo – the SoFo district in Södermalm. SoFo (South of Folkungagatan) with its cafes, squares and parks, is a great place for a relaxing stroll – and the beating heart of everything young, hip and fashionable in Stockholm. So, once you’ve filled up on Swedish design classics, come here to find the classics of tomorrow. airBaltic flies from Riga to Sweden 3 times a day on week days, once a day on Saturdays
and twice a day on Sundays. From Vilnius airBaltic flies to Stockholm twice a day on week days and once a day on Saturdays and Sundays. Tallinn Tallinn is arguably the Baltic shopping capital – it’s a favourite with people from Riga and Helsinki, who come here with the urge to splurge. And it’s easy to see why – a perfect mix of modern and historical, Tallinn is small enough for a weekend trip, but crams in plenty to keep you entertained. Tallinn’s Old Town is more than just a shopping destination, its pastel-painted medieval lanes are picture perfect – and the gem-like craft shops hidden along them are absolutely irresistable. Estonian craftsmen are masters of linen, leatherwork,
woodwork and ironmongery – and many of them have open studios, so you can watch them at work. On the streets in heart of the Old Town – Viru, Vene, and Pikk Jalg, you’ll be spoiled for choice – some favourite spots include the Katariina Guild – where craftsmen of all kinds work together, and Bogapott – which houses a cafe alongside its gallery and shop. A visit to Müürivahe Street knitwear market is a must – under the eaves of the city’s medieval walls you can buy handknitted hats, scarves, jumpers and mittens, guaranteed to keep out the winter chill. And for an instant pick-me-up
stop by the Pierre Cafe & Chocolaterie – whose handmade chocolates are craftworks themselves. But the Old Town doesn’t exhaust Tallinn’s treasures – for thoroughly modern shopping you can take your pick. Just outside Old Town there’s Virukeskus – where you can find all the highstreet fashions and the Kaubamaja department store – which has not only the major international labels, but also clothes from leading Estonian designers, such as Ivo Nikkolo – who’s rapidly gaining an international name. And don’t forget to leave some extra time on your way back to
the airport – right next door is the Ülemiste Centre – the largest shopping centre in Tallinn. You can stock up on Estonian
brands – Monton, Mosaic and PTA, and find the best of the rest of the world’s fashion, home furnishings and electrical goods. airBaltic flies from Riga to Tallinn 4 times a day on week days, and there’s an extra Sunday evening flight for weekend trippers. There are three flights a day from Vilnius to Tallinn during the week, and one flight on Sunday evenings. Milan Milan, one of the fashion capitals of the world, is a byword for glamour. The birthplace of a host of world-famous brands, from Prada and Versace to Bugatti and Alfa Romeo, come to Milan to worship at the altar of high fashion, and pick up a treat while you’re at it. The historic city centre is a great place for window shopping – you hardly know where to look, as every window display beckons, glimmering with jewellery and teasing you with luxurious clothes, shoes and objects of desire. The celebrated ‘Golden Triangle’ is the heart of the action – start at the glassdomed Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, where Prada first set-up shop, and then explore the streets around the Via Montenapoleone – stuffed with famous names, and serious temptations. But you don’t have to spend a fortune to enjoy Milan. A little off the beaten track you can find designer discount stores selling last season’s catwalk trends (which are still ahead of the game everywhere else in the world), for prices that are simply a steal. Or you can just soak up the atmosphere – the Milanese love to ‘fare una bella figura’ – cut a fine figure – and dressing their best to see and be seen, is one of their favourite activities. You can do that too, in top designer style – sipping a cappuccino at the Gucci Cafe, or a cocktail at the Dolce and Gabbana Martini Bar, or lingering over lunch in Armani World, while spotting famous fashionistas nibbling on their salads. airBaltic operates between Riga and Milan daily, and between Vilnius and Milan four times a week.  London
Europe’s biggest city and a magnet drawing people from all over the globe, you can do a mini world tour without ever leaving London. You could fill up your suitcase just exploring the most famous places – Harrods, Selfridges and Oxford Street – stopping off for refined refreshment in the famous food emporium Fortnum & Mason on Piccadilly, which this year celebrates 300 years in business. But to really get a taste of London in all its diversity, the city’s markets are the place to go. With hundreds to choose from, whether you’re after antiques, old books, new crafts or simply a snack, whatever you’re looking for you’ll find a market to sell it to you. Try the early birds’ favourite, Columbia Road flower market in the East End; or visit the famous and fashionable – in North London, Camden market bubbles with youth and innovation; in the West, Portobello Road in trendy Notting Hill was the place Vivienne Westwood first had a stall – and is still a great place to find the really cutting edge, as well as antique furniture and jewellery. In South London, Borough Market is one of the city’s oldest and largest, specialising in food. It’s a mouthwatering experience – and you might even spot a celebrity chef stocking up their larder. In central London, Covent Garden has become an attraction in its own right – the vegetable stalls left more than 30 years ago, but the market halls are now crammed with quintessentially English crafts. With cafes and bars spilling out of the buildings, it’s a great place to stop and watch the world go by, entertained by top notch performances by opera singers and musicians, who sound like they’ve just come from the Royal Opera House next door. Further afield and you can find markets of every flavour – African, Caribbean, Middle Eastern and Asian. What better way to add spice to the autumn days? airBaltic flies to London from Riga and Vilnius daily. |
