I’ve picked places with dense, well-loved shop scenes, noted a few essential stops, and flagged mainstream lines that routinely call at them, so you can plan your crate-raid with military precision.
Amsterdam, Netherlands
If a city could hum at 33⅓ rpm, it would be Amsterdam. Start at Concerto (multi-room temple; new, used, jazz to indie), then detour to Rush Hour for dance, global rarities and its cult in-house label; finish at Red Light Records for carefully curated second-hand and synth/left-field finds. All are walkable or a short tram hop from Centraal.
Who’ll take you there: Princess, Celebrity and Norwegian all include Amsterdam on Northern Europe runs.
Hamburg, Germany
Port city, lots of port crates. In St. Pauli and Sternschanze you’ll find Smallville Records (a house/techno institution), Hanseplatte (Hamburg artists and German pressings) and veteran Zardoz (deep, well-priced second-hand). Distances are short; the cafés are plentiful.
Who’ll take you there: Hamburg’s cruise terminals host lines including MSC, AIDA, Cunard and more.
Lisbon, Portugal
Sunny record stores with a pleasant river breeze. Work along the waterfront into Cais do Sodré for Flur (avant/electronic/experimental with superb staff picks), Louie Louie (broad, affordable stacks) and Groovie Records (garage/psych and a cult reissue label). Easy on foot or by tram.
Who’ll take you there: The Port of Lisbon is a fixture on Atlantic and Med itineraries. (You’ll see the big names here across the season.)
Barcelona, Spain
Between the Gothic Quarter and El Raval you can do some serious wallet damage. Discos Paradiso is the city’s DJ brain; Wah Wah Records specialises in original pressings and reissues; Revolver is the long-running all-rounder where “just a look” ends up becoming “hand luggage Tetris.”
Who’ll take you there: Barcelona is a major homeport/stop for MSC, Royal Caribbean, NCL and others.
Copenhagen, Denmark
Cool, compact and very collectible, Denmark is a must for liquorice pizza lovers. Aim for Accord (a big, mixed-genre trove), Beat (well-curated new & used records) and Route 66 (classic rock, jazz, Americana). Most shops cluster around the inner districts, 10–20 minutes by metro/bike from the cruise piers.
Who’ll take you there: Scandinavian city-hops by Princess, Royal Caribbean and NCL regularly include Copenhagen.
Stockholm, Sweden
Stockholm collects collectors. Record Mania (soul, jazz, boogie, disco with museum-level grading), Pet Sounds Records (indie to classic) and Snickars (dance/boogie edits and rarities) are the holy trinity; all within an easy tram/foot loop from Gamla Stan.
Who’ll take you there: Baltic/Northern Europe itineraries put Stockholm on the board for the major fleets.
Porto (Leixões), Portugal
From the Leixões pier it’s 20–25 minutes by taxi/metro into the UNESCO-listed centre and a compact, excellent triad: Porto Calling (strong used rock/jazz), Tubitek (new releases and reissues) and Matéria Prima (avant/experimental). Grab a francesinha after.
Who’ll take you there: Leixões is Porto’s cruise gateway on Atlantic Spain/Portugal routes.
Dublin, Ireland
Slip past the Guinness pilgrims and head for Spindizzy (indie, soundtracks, Irish labels) and Freebird (since 1978; rock/jazz and Irish pressings). Both sit by Trinity College in the city core, 15–20 minutes from the port by taxi.
Who’ll take you there: British Isles cruises from Princess and others regularly feature Dublin calls.
Practical crate-digging intel (a.k.a. how not to miss sail-away)
- Map a tight loop. Pick two or three priority shops near the old town/metro spine. Most cities above let you do a full dig within a 2–3 km radius.
- Arrive for opening. Prime stock goes early; you’ll also dodge crowds and keep a safety margin for traffic back to the terminal.
- Bring a 12-inch mailer or tote. Many shops will throw one in, but a stiffener saves corners.
- Ask the counter. Staff picks and local reissues are where the gold hides—especially in Lisbon, Porto and Barcelona.
- Customs sanity. Keep receipts handy and don’t shrink-wrap until you’re home if you’re mixing old and new.
If your idea of a perfect port day involves sleeve scuffs and the faint smell of cardboard, these stops turn a shore call into a proper hunt—and they’re all close enough to make all-aboard without breaking into a sprint.