When we started pulling together our picks for the world’s best markets, an issue immediately cropped up: should we go for flea markets? Clothes markets? Antiques markets or food markets? In the end we just hedged our bets and – very much in the market spirit of things – went for a little bit of everything!
Kadıköy Market, Istanbul
A world away from the elegance and calm of the designer stores of Teşvikiye and Nişantaşı, this teeming market offers shopping as sightseeing – a veritable feast for the senses. The main market on the Asian side of the city, it runs along the streets around Mahmut Baba Sokağı, selling clothes, antiques, food and spices – and many other goods besides.
See the rest of the top ten shops and markets in Istanbul
El Rastro, Madrid
A colorful street market in one of the city’s oldest working-class neighborhoods, El Rastro has been going for well over 100 years. While it’s best known for its flea market – the most famous in Spain – there are also dozens of stalls selling new clothes, furniture and antiques.
Dropping away from the square, Calle Carlos Arniches marks the beginning of the flea market proper. Among the bric-à-brac are watches, cameras, rugs, hats, oil lamps and record players. The lock vendor and his dog are a regular fixture.
Get more info on the top ten markets in Madrid
Pak Khlong Market, Bangkok
The onslaught of sights, sounds, and smells at Bangkok’s biggest flower, vegetable, and fruit market can threaten to cause sensory overload. Throughout the night, boats laden with jasmine, lotus, and carnations unload their cargo, and at dawn the colorful displays of blooms and tropical fruits are at their best.
Check out our roundup of markets and shopping in Bangkok
Monastiraki Flea Market, Athens
Small, seedy Plateia Avissynias comes alive on Sunday mornings with the arrival of Athens’ biggest and most colorful flea market. And it’s here you’ll find everything you didn’t know you needed: pink cut-glass Turkish liqueur sets, 100-year-old phones, beautiful carved-wood desks, and piles of fantastic kitsch and junk. Just don’t forget to bring your haggling skills!
Find out our other top ten bargains, antiques and market stalls in Athens
Marché aux Puces de St-Ouen, Paris
Every Saturday to Monday the largest antiques market in the world comes alive. There are actually 13 markets here: the oldest, Marché Vernaison, is the most charming; Marché Malik sells vintage clothing; others offer furniture, jewelry, paintings and assorted knickknacks
Read more of our top ten shops and markets in Paris
St Lawrence Market, Toronto
St Lawrence Market isn’t, in the strictest sense of the word, a market, but rather a sprawling shopping district. Considered by gastronomes around the globe as one of the world’s best markets, South Market offers a huge selection of meat, fish, cheese, and produce.
The outdoor stalls collect around the North Market. Here, vendors pushing food samples, as well as handcrafted gifts and buskers add to the dynamic atmosphere; frequent special events and festivals liven things up even more.
Look into the rest of our top ten shopping destinations in Toronto
Looking for more shopping tips on your travels? Then check out our pick of six of the best cheap shopping break destinations
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