‘There is bounty almost everywhere’: why you’ll always find me in the flea market on my travels

<p>Forget sightseeing, secondhand shopping is now a major draw for tourists. A seasoned bargain-hunter shares her tips on picking up the best vintage finds when travelling abroad</p><p>Marburg, Germany. It’s a fairytale city, not only because of the hilltop castle that overlooks its cobbled streets and half-timbered houses, but also because this is where the Grimm brothers once lived and studied, starting the collection of folklore stories that would eventually become their famous anthology of fairytales. Throughout the city, sculptures – some&nbsp;perched in improbable places – pay homage to this past, forming a&nbsp;mile-long route known as the <a href="https://www.marburg-tourismus.de/Maerchen">Grimm&nbsp;Path</a>. It’s very much like a&nbsp;treasure hunt.</p><p>But on my visit to Marburg, I had a&nbsp;different type of treasure hunt in mind and, once done with enchanted mirrors and kissy-lipped frogs, headed straight for the <a href="https://drk-mittelhessen.de/angebote/lange-gut-leben/kleiderlaeden.html">SecondHand by DRK</a> (Deutsches Rotes Kreuz – the German Red Cross) to scout for pre-owned items.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2025/nov/08/flea-market-vintage-thrift-souvenir-shopping">Continue reading...</a>