Liege

Sunday morning market at la rive gauche

typical purchases

Val Saint Lambert crystal, now sold throughout the world, makes an exceptionnal gift in the "splurge" category.

The tourist information office sells local artists' products including scarfs with medieval motifs and ties with contemporary artistic designs.

Marionnettes of "Tchantchès", a character from local folklore embodying the Liégeois attitude, are available in the 6 marionette theaters in the city.

Other typical purchases are food and drink products:

As elsewhere in Belgium, pralines filled chocolates and the numerous cheeses and beers are a must.

Local products include "Herve" cheese with a strong smell!, "Sirop de Liège" made from a mix of apples and pears and typically used for cooking/baking, and cider the alcoholic kind.

"Pèkèt" genièvre is an alcoholic beverage available in countless varieties.

For sweets, you can't go far without encountering the famous Liège waffles, smelling of cinnamon and sugar. They're best when freshly-cooked, though the pre-packaged variety also exists and has spread to many other countries.

Other sweets are available depending on the season: boûkètes dark crêpes with raisins, eaten with brown sugar are mainly available for 15 August and at Christmas, while lacquemants/lackmans dry waffles filled with a mix of sugar and other sweets are found at the fairs.

If you find them, try "cûtès peûres" baked pears, which unfortunately seems to have disappeared from the street vendors.

Liège coffee café liégeois is originally from Vienna but was rebaptised by the Parisiens to show their support for the heroic resistance in Liège at the start of the first world war.

shopping in city center

The best options for shopping are around Place Cathédrale and Place Saint Lambert, and in particular at Vinâve d'Ile Celio..., Saint-Michel Van den Borre, Delhaize, C&A, the Opera Galleries Zara, Springfield and the Saint Lambert Galleries FNAC, Média Markt, Inno, Champion, as well as along the roads towards the center rues Féronstrée, Saint-Gilles, Puits-en-Sock in Outremeuse, Grétry in Longdoz...