There are few better ways to experience a place than by visiting its food market. They can be colorful, crowded, noisy, and sometimes a little crazy, but that’s part of the fun. You get to see the foods people have grown, cooked, and enjoyed for generations, often in places that feel completely different from anything back home.
From floating markets on busy rivers to beautiful historic buildings filled with incredible food, these markets offer a chance to experience a destination through all your senses. You may discover something you’ve never tasted before, meet people who are passionate about what they do, or simply wander around and take it all in.
Here are 10 amazing food markets from around the world that are worth putting on your travel list.
Tsukiji Outer Market
Location: Tokyo, Japan
What makes it unique: Tsukiji is a busy maze of small shops, restaurants and food stalls packed into a few city blocks. This famous food market is known for seafood, but you’ll also find Japanese knives, kitchen tools, spices and plenty of things you probably won’t recognize.
Something crazy/interesting to eat: Sea urchin (uni) — the soft, bright-orange inside of a sea urchin is considered a delicacy in Japan and is often eaten fresh.
Cai Rang Floating Market
Location: Can Tho, Vietnam
What makes it unique: This market doesn’t have aisles or buildings because it’s right on the Mekong River. Vendors sell their goods from boats, creating a busy floating marketplace that starts coming alive early in the morning.
Something crazy/interesting to eat: Hủ tiếu — a bowl of Vietnamese noodle soup that can be bought and eaten right from a boat.
Jemaa el-Fnaa
Location: Marrakech, Morocco
What makes it unique: During the day, Jemaa el-Fnaa is a huge city square, but things change when the sun goes down. Food stalls appear across the square, grills start smoking and the place becomes one enormous outdoor dinner.
Something crazy/interesting to eat: Babbouche — small snails cooked in a heavily seasoned broth and served by the bowl.
Or Tor Kor Market
Location: Bangkok, Thailand
What makes it unique: Or Tor Kor is known for the quality and variety of its fresh Thai food, especially its incredible selection of tropical fruit. This food market is so colorful and carefully arranged that you may spend as much time looking as you do shopping.
Something crazy/interesting to eat: Durian — the infamous fruit with a powerful smell and a creamy texture that many people absolutely love.
Kashgar Sunday Market
Location: Kashgar, China
What makes it unique: Kashgar’s Sunday market is huge, and it has been an important trading center for centuries. You can wander among stalls selling food, spices, dried fruit, handmade goods and much more.
Something crazy/interesting to eat: Lamb kebabs — pieces of lamb cooked over charcoal and covered with cumin and chili.
Nishiki Market
Location: Kyoto, Japan
What makes it unique: Nishiki Market runs through a narrow covered street lined with more than 100 food vendors and specialty shops. It’s been part of Kyoto’s food scene for roughly 400 years.
Something crazy/interesting to eat: Tako-tamago — a small octopus on a stick with a quail egg tucked inside its head.
Borough Market
Location: London, England
What makes it unique: Borough Market has been a part of London for about 1,000 years, although today’s market looks very different from the one that existed centuries ago. The historic setting is now packed with vendors selling everything from cheese and bread to meats and international foods.
Something crazy/interesting to eat: Salt beef — tender, heavily seasoned beef piled into a bagel or rye bread with pickles and sharp mustard. It’s a classic deli-style sandwich with plenty of flavor.
Spice Bazaar
Location: Istanbul, Turkey
What makes it unique: Walking into the Spice Bazaar is like stepping into a giant box of spices. Colorful piles of spices, dried fruit, nuts, tea and sweets fill the stalls inside this centuries-old market.
Something crazy/interesting to eat: Turkish delight — soft, chewy pieces of candy that come in flavors ranging from rose and lemon to pistachio.
Markthal
Location: Rotterdam, Netherlands
What makes it unique: Markthal looks like something from the future, with a huge curved building wrapped around an indoor food market. The entire inside of its enormous ceiling is covered with a spectacular work of art called the Horn of Plenty.
Something crazy/interesting to eat: Stroopwafel — two thin waffle cookies stuck together with warm caramel in the middle.
Queen Victoria Market
Location: Melbourne, Australia
What makes it unique: Queen Victoria Market has been operating since 1878 and covers an enormous area in the middle of Melbourne. Its old market sheds, colorful stalls and sheer size give it a character that modern shopping centers simply can’t match.
Something crazy/interesting to eat: Hot jam doughnut — a fresh, sugar-coated doughnut filled with hot raspberry jam.
Food markets are about much more than buying something to eat. They are a chance to see how people shop, cook, and enjoy food in different parts of the world. And if you happen to discover something strange or delicious along the way, even better!
Image Credits
- Tsukiji Outer Market: Tsukiji Outer Market
- Cai Rang Floating Market: Viet Jet Air
- Jemaa el-Fnaa: Wikimedia
- Or Tor Kor Market: Migrationology
- Kashgar Sunday Market: Wikimedia
- Nishiki Market: Japan Travel
- Borough Market: Borough Market
- Spice Bazaar: Egypt Tours Plus
- Markthal: Azure Magazine
- Queen Victoria Market: LittleBig Marketing
- St. Lawrence Market: Elaine-iaK’s Travels
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