Do you want to visit the hipster hotspots in Europe? You know you’re in a hipster neighborhood when skinny jeans, man buns and vintage thrift stores overflow the streets. The hipster subculture exists in Europe and is growing in popularity. Enjoy an organic latte in Sweden and purchase a painting from a street artist in Germany—these are Europe’s most hipster neighborhoods.
Kreuzberg, Berlin, Germany
Thanks to gentrification, no longer is Prenzlauer berg and Friedrichstadt the most popular hipster hotspots in Berlin. Mosey on down to Kreuzberg, the alternative district, where graffiti walls, street piano artists and floating swimming pools signify the quirkiness. Visit Five Elephant 5 for Berlin’s best cup of Joe or shop at the vintage-inspired Voo Store.
Södermalm, Stockholm, Sweden
Södermalm is a myriad of eclectic shops, art galleries, Scandinavian designers and trendy cafes. Some find the atmosphere vibrant, others find it relaxing. One must experience the ambiance in person to create an opinion. Girl with the Dragon Tattoo admirers take walking tours to spot the homes inhabited by characters from Stieg Larsson’s best sellers. Book lovers head to the independent bookstore, Konst-ig.
Amersterdam, Noord, Amsterdam, Netherlands
What used to be a wasteland is AMS’s dirty little hipster secret. Outside of Central Station visitors walk the adjacent canal flooded with tourist attractions. AMS Noord is behind the train station and across the river. Visitors discover the best festivals, hippie-inspired cafés and the monthly mega flea market, IJ Hallen. Head to the NDSF Wharf, the once shipyard transformed into a cavern of art studios, start-ups and trendy offices.
Malasaña, Madrid, Spain
Malasaña is known for its spectacular nightlife and vibrant graffiti buildings. Flashback to the 1970’s at Lolina Vintage Café, a café with hodge-podge décor situated between 70’s-inspired wall paper. For the most epic shopping experience, visit the three-story, Mercado Fuencarral, for handmade clothes, jewelry and shoes. At night visit the beach, Ojala, a sand-filled bar that projects the sunset on the wall.
Miera Iela, Riga, Latvia
Eastern Europe is as hip as any Western European country. Riga, affordable and stunning, swarms with hipster-friendly vintage shops, art studios and hairdresser-bookstores. Miera Iela (Peace Street) is the hippest street in Riga where bartering for herbal tea is as common as drinking a cow-milk latte. For a frothy café experience, visit DAD and Laima chocolate factory. Writers, painters and men wearing beanies are the common folk on Peace Street.
Leipzig, Germany
Leipzig is the new Berlin. The new motto, “Leipzig to Hypezig,” is pushing the art scene and communal living. You can easily discover a vegan pizza café with a free-trade thrift store across the street. What is a free trade thrift store? If you need a new pair of pants, no problem, either take the shirt or donate your old shoes in exchange for the new tee. Adventurists, punks, Internet entrepreneurs, hedonists and artists congregate to the “LPZ” while enjoying a beer on the street.
Dalston, London, England
If you are searching for that long lost CD that got scratched in 1998, you’ll find it in Dalston. Record stores are as popular as nightclubs, jazz shows, vintage stores and design studios. Painted murals and fruit markets are some of the “normal” stores compared to the FARM:shop, a farm in a shop. Rooftop chicken coop and aquaponic fish farm, this is England’s urban farming at its best.
