Flea Guide

I created my blog initially when I found out that I was moving to Germany.  As the title of my blog, The Rococo Roamer implies, I like to mix travel with Rococo elements.  This can be anything from antique stores to flea markets to garage sales and living in Europe, I have been able to go to some pretty amazing ones… anything that makes me think of the grandiose and that awe inspiring period.  I’ve decided to create a tab on my blog to give readers more insight into the best flea markets in Europe.  Some of them I have been to and some of them are on my “wish list.”  These are markets I stumbled upon on the web, magazines, Facebook, or word of mouth.  The ultimate goal is to help myself and others find the best fleas to visit and some tips on the ones I have visited.   I will add more as I find them.  So always check back.  Enjoy!

Here is my compilation of European fleas:

Homburg Flohmarkt:

Huge flea market in Homburg (Biggest in Southwest Germany).  Held on the first Saturday of each month except for December.  Hours are from 8 am to 4 pm.  Held in front of the Town Hall (Rathaus).  More info here. To check out my trip to the Homburg Flea, go here.

Neumarkt  Jahrmarkt:

This is in a smaller town of Neumarkt.  The market is about medium sized.  It runs almost every Saturday from 8 am to 4pm at the Jurahallen (plug into GPS).  It is mostly an indoor market with some stands set up outside.  Not too much furniture at this market, but more smaller items.  This is a good place to go to find some really good deals on smaller items like porcelain/ceramics, jewelry, and small décor items.  I found my turn of the century German Naumann sewing machine here for just 25 Euro.  I will be adding a post about the market in the future but until then you can check out the sewing machine I purchased here.

Nurnberg Tremplemarkt:

Biggest flea in Germany held only twice a year in the second weekend of May and September.  It is held in the Old Town and it is huge! It has everything at this market!  Prices were good.  I went this year and I loved it and will be back in September.  They also have a farmer’s market going on at the same time.  You can read my posts about this market here, here, and here.
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There is also a flea market in Nurnberg every second Saturday of the month at the Grossparkplatz from 6 am to 3 pm.

Regensburg Trodel & Jahrmarkt:

Flea market in Regensburg inside a building on Am Protzenweiher 27 held every Saturday 6 am to 4 pm.

There is also a flea market held every first Sunday of the month from 8 am to 4 pm around the store "Globus" (Sulzfeldstr. 3).

There is a 3 day huge flea market every year in the Dultplatz. You can read about my experience here.

Amberg Flohmarkt:

Smaller market held every third Saturday of the month from 7 am to 2:30 pm at the Kaufland-Parkplatz an den Franzosenackern.

Tongeren Flohmarkt:

Biggest flea market in the Benelux region.  Has a lot of nice antiques, well worth the trip.  Held every Sunday but go on the first Sunday of the month because the antique stores in town are also open as well as other stores.  Hours are from 7 am to 1pm year round and change depending on the weather.  Plug de Shiervelstraat 10 into your GPS.  Parking on the street for free is easy to find.  I loved Tongeren.  You can read about my trip to the flea here.

Arlon Flohmarkt:

 Held every Sunday,  March through November.  A smaller flea market that runs though the Grand Place.  The good thing about this market is that it runs from 7 am to 6 pm!  I had reached the market towards the tail end when most vendors were cleaning up so I don’t have a post about the market but I do have a post about the four days I spent in Arlon, so it would be worth checking out this market if you ever find yourself using Arlon as a midpoint to travel around Belgium, Luxembourg, and Northern Germany.   Here’s my post: Arlon/Bastgone, Belgium.

For military buffs, there is also an indoor military flea market.

Metz Flea Market:

Huge flea market on varying Saturdays from 7 am to 12 pm.  Free entry and parking.  Held in the Metz Metropole Exhibition Center.  Since the dates of the market aren't set in stone, you can check this website for dates.  The site is in French so you can use Chrome as your browser which automatically translates for you. You can read about my Metz flea experience here.

Paris Flea Market:

Okay Paris is huge and there are tons of them around the city so it’s kind of difficult to give one place to go in Paris.  The biggest place to go would probably be March Aux Puces St. Ouen de Clignancourt (which has several markets within this area).  They generally run from Saturday to Monday from around 9 am to 6 pm.  Do your research before you go to the markets because they are huge and the dealers know what they are doing.  Some of the prices are a very pricey but a deal can still be had.  The stuff you can find is beautiful.  Many people say it has become a tourist trap.  I’ll let you decide.  It's definitely touristy when you are in the areas where they sell the knockoff designer items.  I wish I had a post to share with you but when I went to Paris it was only for 7hrs, but I will be back. Frommers info.

Strasbourg France:

Brocante market every Wednesday and Saturday at Rue Du Vieil Hopital and  Place De La Grande Boucherie from 9 am to 6pm.  I was in Strasbourg on a Wednesday but didn’t make it to the market.  It is a beautiful town.  You can read about my trip to Strasbourg here.

Luxembourg City Flea Market:

Every second and fourth Saturday the flea market is located in the Place D’ Armes from 9am to 2 pm.  When I visited Luxembourg I was there on the first Saturday of the month so I didn’t make it to the flea market but I was able to make it to the Farmers Market.  It’s a smaller market every Wednesday and Saturday from 7:30 am to 1 pm.  It is located in The Place Guillame II.  You can read about the Farmer’s Market and my trip to Luxembourg City here.

Cuijk Flea Market:

The Netherlands' largest antique and flea market.   Type Korte Oijen 3 5433 NE Katwijk into your GPS.  Held at an indoor building every Saturday from 9 am to 4:30 pm.  There's a cheap fee of 2.50 Euro to get in.  Parking is free.  More info here.

Maastricht Flea Market:

Open on Saturdays from 10 am to 4pm on Stationstraat.  Big market with lots of great antiques. I've been to The Netherlands (Amsterdam) but never to this market.   More info here.

 I had to include some info on the Christmas markets!  You can read about the 9 Christmas Market I went to in 2012 including my favorites, Nurnberg, Schloss Guteneck, and Rothenburg Ob Der Tauber.  Read about them here.

Rothenburg Ob Der Tauber Christmas Market


More Christmas Markets in Germany

Amberg Christmas Market
Smaller market in town.  Lot's of stores nearby.  Walled city.  Nice little market.

Heidelberg Christmas Market

Kuhstallcafe Christmas Market in Illkofen

Passau Christmas Market

Regensburg Thurn and Taxis

Wiesbaden Christmas Market

Here I will show you some of the helpful iPhone apps that I’ve stumbled upon and used during hunts, identifications, and pricing.  Because my phone goes with me everywhere, it is the most helpful tool I have when hunting.  I download apps that will help me as I go along.

Keys to the Fleas:

A great app that gives you tips for the fleas in Paris and also tips on how to ship containers to the States.  It costs $1.99.

Value My Stuff:

You send a picture of your item with a description and an expert will give you a report on the value.  This app is free but it cost 7.50 Euro to value one item.  So if you really want to find out the value and Google isn’t panning out maybe give this app a try.  I haven’t tried this one yet.  Let me know if you have.

My Inventory:

I love this app!  It’s free and I store all my flea market and antique finds on this easy to use digital storage app that I can use on my phone.  Just in case I’d like to sell an item later on, I can see how much I paid for it, where I got it, and include a picture!

 These are top three websites I use to find flea bargains while at home.

Craigslist:

This can be a great avenue to find second hand scores at a really cheap price.  But please be a smart Craigslist shopper and don’t fall for the many scammers out there that tell you to “mail them shipping money and they will mail you back the item,” “send me a check, money order, or use Western Union.”  If it sound too good to be true, then it is!  Only give cash and only pay when you have the item in your hand.  Meet in public and take a friend. 

Bookoo:

Bookoo has become a great avenue for second hand scores because it is a lot like Craiglist but many of the sellers are military so they are getting rid of great items due to a PCS or moves and they need them to sell fast and cheap.  Same guidelines with Craigslist.  I feel there are less scams on Bookoo.

Facebook:

Many of my finds have been through local yardsale Facebook pages.  These are great because you can become a part of the yardsale page community, have discussions, and let others know if a seller is dishonest.  These sales are quick so keep an eye out on those pages and apply the same guidelines as Craigslist and Bookoo.  Also with FB you can friend flea and antique market pages to get feeds directly to your FB page.  I have found some really cool items through FB yardsale groups.  You can read about one I found here.

 I do a lot of reading, blogs included, but some of the books that have been helpful and inspiring to me on my hunt for treasure are as follows.

Paris Flea Market Style by Claudia Strasser:

Wonderful pictures that will make you want to book the next ticket to Paris and tips to back it up. 

Antiques & Collectibles (price guide) by Eric Bradley:

Will give you plenty of examples of furniture and antiques to help you predict prices so you can be an informed shopper (remember these are suggested retail prices not necessarily flea prices which can be cheaper)  The book is updated each year.

This is a small list compared to how many are actually out there.  I try to feature the big ones as well as some of the smaller ones.  I will be adding more fleas in the future and also more tips as I visit them myself.  All times and places are subject to change.  I also frequent a lot of antique stores on my travels so if you ever find yourself in the Bavaria area, send me an email and I can let you in on all my favorites!  If you have fleas to add that I haven't mentioned, put a link in the comment box!

*Flohmarkt = flea market

 Jahrmarkt= fun fair

 Trodel= junk

 Tremplemarkt = bigger flea market?