Go to Town

First-Class Glass

For fine porcelain and glassware, these cities are clear favorites

You needn’t be a bride — or one of her potential gift-bearers — to purchase dining finery. Crystal and fine china are requisites for any special meal. Not sure what to look for? Here’s a brief tutorial: A wine glass should ring rather than “clunk” when you toast; a plate should not only frame your meal but serve as artwork itself. Diners across the globe have learned to appreciate such attention to detail — here are seven cities where you too can get up to speed.

1

Waterford: Take a look at a map of Waterford, about two hours from Dublin, and you’ll recognize where the prestigious 225-year-old crystal company has found its inspiration for many of the nearly 200 intricate patterns. Lismore, Dunmore, Comeragh, Dungarvan — they’re ancient sites, and Waterford, on Ireland’s southeast coast, is the country’s oldest city, settled in AD 852 by Viking invaders. The Waterford Crystal Visitor Centre (Cork Road, Kilbarry, 353.51.332500; waterfordcrystalvisitorcentre.com) is the main draw for explorers these days — especially for day-trippers from Dublin. Hour-long guided tours are offered daily (reservations are recommended for groups of eight or more). The tour starts in, of all places, a virtual Times Square, with a replica of the Waterford crystal ball that ushered in the current millennium. You can chat with master craftsmen in the workshops, and then snap up their handiwork in the retail gallery, which Waterford says is the largest collection of crystal in the world.

2

Stoke-on-Trent: Centuries-old bottle kilns still dot the skyline in this English city, which was formed by six towns and is known colloquially as the Potteries. For 250 years, renowned local companies like Wedgwood, Royal Doulton, Spode, and Royal Stafford have produced some of the world’s finest ceramics. Today, the town is one big china shop — no bull. Eager shoppers arrive on the M6 via Birmingham or Manchester, both an hour’s drive away, to browse the wares at more than 40 outlet stores for the above brands as well as Aynsley (Sutherland Road, Longton, 44.1782.339.420) and Moorcroft (Sandbach Road, Burslem, 44.1782.207.943). You’ll find plenty of deals on seconds, and occasional discounts on first-quality pieces. Try to schedule your visit during the week, when tours at the Spode Visitor Center (Church Street, 44.1782.572.507; spode.co.uk/visiting_us) and the Wedgwood Visitor Center (Barlaston, 44.1782.204.218; thewedgwoodvisitorcentre.com) include walks through the factories as well as the manufacturers’ impressive museums. The new $20 million Wedgwood Museum opens in October.

3

Delft: Favorite son Johannes Vermeer painted in oils, but this quaint Dutch town, about 30 miles from Amsterdam, achieved fame for its mastery of another medium: clay. Craftsmen first perfected blue-and-white Delftware in the 1640s, to compete with Chinese porcelain imported by the Dutch East India Trading Company. Today, only one of the original studios remains: De Koninklijke Porceleyne Fles, better known as Royal Delft (Rotterdamseweg 196, 31.15.251.2030; royaldelft.com). Visitors can supplement the daily tours with a painting workshop and create their own Delft blue masterpieces to ship home. But most opt for collecting the real deal, signified by the company’s blue stamp. While the trademark Royal Blue is its best-known line, the store also stocks more colorful patterns such as the red-and-black Pijnacker, based on Japanese Imari porcelain.  

4

Meissen: Why Germany’s famous “white gold” is called Dresden china instead of Meissen china is something of a mystery. European porcelain was actually born 15 miles northwest of Dresden, along the Elbe River, in Meissen. Founded in 1710, Staatliche Porzellan-Manufaktur Meissen (Talstrasse 9, 49.3521.4680) boasts 10,000 color compounds and more than 175,000 items in its repertoire. Three-thousand pieces are on display in the 41,000-square-foot museum and demonstration workshop, and a wide array of tableware and figurines fresh off the line are available for sale in the adjoining factory store. Prices in town vary little from what you’d pay in Berlin, roughly 100 miles to the north. But in keeping with its title as Germany’s “City of Porcelain,” Meissen offers what many consider to be the best selection in the country.

5

Stockholm: It’s easy to imagine the frozen Nordic landscape inspiring Sweden’s prodigious crystal manufacturers. With their pure materials, and designs ranging from simple to sublime, art glassterpieces by Orrefors, Kosta Boda, and Nordiska Kristall often resemble ice crystals wrought large. Among Stockholm’s well-stocked stores, make your first stop Orrefors Kosta Boda (Birger Jarlsgatan 15, 46.8.545.040.84), where Orrefors’ crystal-clear offerings serve as a prism for Kosta Boda’s rainbow of glass artworks. Nordiska Kristall’s main store (Kungsgatan 9, 46.8.10.43.72) offers more cutting-edge designs, including a selection of contemporary glass artworks in its Gallery NKM. For a quick one-stop visit, try Wasa Crystal (Tegelbacken 6, 46.8.20.28.00).

6

Paris: The crown for connoisseur crystal belongs to the French luxury brand Baccarat. And an oversized crystal throne to accompany it graces the entry hall to the 30,000-square-foot Baccarat House Paris, in the très chic 16th Arrondissement (11 Place des Etats-Unis, 33.1.4022.1110). Designer Philippe Starck threw in the whimsical chair when he transformed the faded manse into a brilliant point within the City of Light. The shop houses the Musée Baccarat, which showcases prestigious commissions made for international celebrities and heads of state. You can join the renowned roll call of clients; the onsite store is the largest of the four in Paris, with expanded galleries for the brand’s lighting and jewelry collections.

7

Copenhagen: The three blue waves that have served as Royal Copenhagen’s trademark since 1775 are supposed to represent Denmark’s three straits. But once you visit RC’s flagship store in the Danish capital (Amagertorv 6, 45.3313.7181; royalcopenhagen.com), you’ll think of them as the company’s past, present, and future. The Royal Copenhagen Collection, the shop’s free museum, displays a line of the company’s Blue Fluted plates dating from 1775. In the Royal Café, patrons can select the china service on which they’d like to dine. The latest buzz in the showroom is the radical new line called Elements, which abandons RC’s traditional blue and white for a bold, bright color palette. It’s designed as a nod to 21st-century global cuisine, but works just as well for a danish too. 

Getting There: All the destinations covered in “Go to Town” can be reached by flying Continental Airlines. To book your trip, visit Continental Airlines Vacations at covacations.com.