Brooklyn Flea at Dumbo New York, USA

Sun, 10AM-5PM (April to October)

Under the arches of Brooklyn Bridge, Dumbo's flea market is the weekend playground of New York's avant-garde. Lining up against the granite bridge walls, you’ll find up-and-coming artisans selling quirky costume jewellery next to moustached hipsters overseeing sales of mid-century furniture (antique hunters should keep and eye out for Adrian Pearsall chairs). Thumb through wooden boxes of vinyl records from New York’s favourite labels and grab retro US licence plates, strung from the bridge’s supports. But it’s not all about the buying: spontaneous music gigs and impromptu poetry readings are de rigueur at Pearl Plaza on Sundays and at least a quarter of the stalls setting up camp are street-food vendors. Grab a pillow-soft bao bun with Peking duck from C Bao (£2.65 per bao).

Portobello Road Market London, UK

SAT, 9AM–5PM

Packed out with hustling crowds, the higgledy-piggledy antiques stalls sit squeezed between the colourful facades of Victorian terraces, pallet tables stacked high with china teacups and silver service sets. Be wary of arriving too late: its popularity can make it impossible to navigate at peak times. Start explorations at Notting Hill tube station, where quintessentially English collector’s items are on show. Scour stalls for pottery from Britain’s best-known studios, particularly the blue-and-white reliefs of Wedgewood tableware and the delicate florals of Staffordshire crockery. Fuel-up early before you hit the market. Breakfast is served on bric-a-brac plates at Lowry & Baker coffee house, where doors opens at 8am. The toasted brioche loaded with creamy ricotta and fresh berries is £6.80.

Trödelmarkt am Fehrbelliner Platz Berlin, Germany

SAT–SUN, 10AM–4PM

Join well-to-do Berliners of Wilmdersdorf rummaging through ornamental beer steins, gilded Prussian pottery and sets of silver cutlery at the affectionately names 'Fehrbi' in the west of the city. This small market enforces a strict rule which says that everything sold in the lanes of canvas-covered wooden stalls must be second-hand, which encourages specialist dealers. The hawkers enjoy a barter, so get stuck in with matriarchal Frauenquibbling over 1930s fur coats and old GDR-era cameras. Listen out for Russian voices: a small and shrinking group of vendors hail from the local Orthodox church and specialise in Eastern antiques.Browse for silver tea urns and silver saints’ pendants engraved with Slavonic lettering. On Sundays, a red-carpeted ‘art mile’ is added, filled with local artists.

Mercadillo Historico del Jueves Seville, Spain

THURS, 7AM-3PM

Walk down the thoroughfare of Calle Feria in Seville's bohemian district early to catch the greetings of Andalusian vendors echoing across the cobbled streets. Embellished mirrors and heavy oil paintings are hung from the walls of shabby townhouses, while matador suits get hooked up to rusting window grates. Expect to see ecclesiastical figurines and gold crucifixes teetering on tables that can barely hold the weight, alongside frilled flamenco skirts, intricately hand-painted wooden fans and ornate birdcages. If the Spanish heat becomes too much, duck into the atmospheric interiors of Antigua Abaceriía de San Lorezo. Take a seat in this wood-panelled bodega and order up plates tapas to refuel. Chorizo and black pudding start from 80p and pair beautifully with a glass of crisp fino sherry.

Marché aux Puces de Saint-Ouen Paris, France

SAT, 9AM-6PM; SUN, 10AM-6PM

Once and enclave of Paris's petty thieves, and pickpockets, the rabbit-warren alleyways that comprise the Puces de Saint-Ouen are now a glorious hunting ground for antiques experts in the city’s north. The 15 districts of the market are too vast to cover in a day, so be selective. Among the Louis XVI dining chairs and belle époque lampshades, head to Marcheé Dauphine for sepia photographs of the city, while boxes of vintage Hermès scarves to dig through await in Marcheé Serpette. For a post-market food stop, avoid the heaving cafés nearby and head back towards the centre of Paris. An easy 20-minute stroll away is L’Esquisse (Rue Marcadet), a laid-back neighbourhood bistro where chef Laeëtitia Bret plays with the classics. Highlights include trotter tacos and date-stuffed rabbit tartelettes.

Dry Bridge Market Tbilisi, Georgia

DAILY, 10AM-5PM
Watch your step as you make your way along the bank of the River Mtkvari beside Dry Bridge. Carefully laid out blankets littered with collectables cover the pavements and vendors squat on low stools on their pitch. Set on Saarbrücken Square, this market has a split character. Vintage tech lies beside Communist relics engraved with hammer and sickle,while Persian rugs are pegged between trees. Search between the fur ushanka hats for traditional Georgian pandoris (musical instruments), polished brass drinking goblets and silver urns glazed with a hazy patina. For lunch, pop into Zakhar Zakharich next door to sample khinkali – dumplings made with mutton. Chacha is the regional spirit, but for something different, ask to try Midamo,a honey distillate served without ice.

Feriköy Pazari Istanbul, Turkey

SUN, 9AM-7PM

Don't be reluctant to step inside this old car park in the European Şişli district of Istanbul. Feriköy doesn't offer the elegance of other pazari (bazaars), but suspend your fears: it’s the communal atmosphere that makes this a standout market. Stallholders drink black tea and chat animatedly behind displays of carved spoons and Iznik-style tiles. Hawkers might seem more concerned with the local gossip than in selling their wares, but show interest and you’ll find they’re well versed in the skill of pazarlik (bartering). Amid the patterned kilim throws, curved kilij sabres and aged brass bowls, keep your eye out for Ottoman-era antiques. Join locals buying fresh gözleme pastries at the front of the market, and take restorative Turkish tea before you enter into negotiations.

Choor Bazaar Mumbai, India

SAT-THURS, 10AM-8PM

The 'thieves bazaar' of Mumbai sits to the city's south, a labrinth of cubby holes and shops stuffed to the ceilings with the vibrant relics of India’s past. Equal parts colourful and confusing, it takes time to navigate the 150-year-old market. Dodge between mopeds and stray goats on the narrow Mutton Street to browse over 100 shops. At Mr Abu’s Poster Shop, retro Bollywood adverts hang from the ceiling, with original illustrated prints costing just £11, while at Taherally’s, check out the back room where items such as original railway lights are stored. Sellers are often honest about reproductions, so always ask and haggle aggressively because prices are commonly pegged to at least twice an items’ value. The bazaar sits in a conservative Muslim area, so make sure you dress appropriately when you visit.

Fiera Antiquaria di Arezzo Arezzo, Italy

FIRST SAT/SUN EACH MONTH, 9AM-7PM

Period walnut dressers and baroque mahogany chests litter the Piazza Grande during one of Italy’s most well-regarded antiques markets. Surrounded by the honey-hued walls of Renaissance-era buildings, dealers from across Europe descend on the medieval Tuscan city in search of elusive items. This is very much a traders’ market so expect hard haggling for 17th-century oil paintings that catch your eye. To the north of the square, stroll under the arching loggia and between tables to browse sets of art deco espresso cups and miniature art nouveau bronze statues, or hunt the streets that branch off the main square for sturdy chairs that hawkers will tell you have belonged to the Medici family. Get a table at La Torre di Gnicche, just off Piazza Grande, which has the best pasta and tiramisu in town.

Fuhe Bridge Market Taipei, Taiwan

DAILY, 6AM-12PM
The sun has barely crested the horizon in Taipei New City when market vendors start laying down their blankets beside the concrete monolith of Fuhe Bridge. Get down to the riverbank on the Yonghe side of the river early, ducking under frayed red and blue parasols that shield vendors from the heat, to browse elegant pages of Chinese calligraphy, ink pots and Asian instruments, including old two-stringed fiddles and zithers. There’s little order to the trestle tables, so follow the locals.Look for jade bracelets, gaudily dressed hand puppets and carved wooden statuettes of friendly folk gods. If an Yixing clay teapot takes your fancy, make sure to buy a slab of fermented pu-erh tea to brew inside. Seek out the local favourite of oyster omelette at the food bazaar nextdoor to the flea for a post-thrifting snack.