Tongeren Shopping

Sunday, July 31. 2005
On Sundays, Tongeren is an international town. You will see Dutchmen, Germans, French and British. And I spotted at least two Canadians!! They all meet at the weekly antiques fair. When Johan mentioned there was a large antique market in Tongeren, I was ready to go. More than 50 traders and over 40 antique shops show their best goods on Sunday. And the quailty was very good -- no junk here and lots of beautiful old furniture.
Held Sundays from 5 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Located along Leopoldwal and Veemarkt Streets.
What makes the fair even more charming is its location, with the medieval wall in the background and the "Moerenpoort" standing by.

What to buy: I was in abosolute awe of the cool old things that were available here. Religious artifacts must be in heavy demand as you see quite a bit of it. Beautiful crusifixes, statues, holy water containers, etc.
I stumbled upon a pair of wooden busts of an African couple. Since I am collecting articles for my African room, I was very interested in them. The vender wanted 15 Euros for the pair. When I balked at the price, Johan helped me out and we managed to get them for10 Euros. I was happy!!

What to pay: From a liitle to a whole lot

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Tongeren is probably best known for the antique market that it holds every Sunday morning throughout the year. This antique market is considered one of Europe's best and de 2de biggest in Europe! It is a place where people come from all corners of Belgium, even from neighbouring countries. Be it rain or sunshine, it will be crowded with antique lovers.

Antiques and other items from the last hundred years or so fill the dealers’ stalls in the market. There is everything from dining room sets to china and old paintings on display. For first choice and good bargains you have to be verry early, but there's always some nice stuff to buy.

The Tongeren antique maket starts every sunday at 05.00 in the morning and lasts until 12.30

What to buy: Whether you do your antique shopping in the classy shops around the town, picking through Chinese screens or by flashlight early on sunday morning at the flea market, the hunt in Tongeren can be as entertaining as the purchase. Tongeren offers an incredible wealth of antiques, art deco objects, old books, fine crystals or just plain interesting junk.

What to pay: it can be cheap ... or expensive.