There is something magical about food markets. Probably it’s the unique mix of the fuss, the horde of hungry people, the smell of all kinds of greens and meats – and of course the great opportunity to improve your bargaining skills. Get your own slice of foodie heaven with a visit to the 8 best fresh food markets in Europe.
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Amsterdam: De Hallen
If you prefer having the entire night’s entertainment in one single spot, go to De Hallen. This slickly renovated 19th Century tram depot is smack in the middle of Oud-West, which is steadily becoming Amsterdam’s foodie village.
Choose a restaurant – Remise47, Halte 3, Belcampo Café and Meat West are all in the same complex – or opt for the huge FoodHallen, Amsterdam’s answer to Copenhagen’s Torvehallerne and London’s Borough Market: twenty food trucks dishing out goodies like gourmet hotdogs and Vietnamese Bánh mì.
Leave some room for popcorn though, because the independent cinema next door is one of the city’s biggest and comfiest.
Where: Hannie Dankbaar Passage 33
Tel: +31 20 705 8164
Nearest station: Ten Katemarkt
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Barcelona: Mercat de La Barceloneta
Mercat de la Barceloneta is another neighbourhood market that has been given a modern makeover. In this case, unusual iron canopies – homage to the barri’s industrial past – were placed over the original 19th-century construction with a result that divided neighbourhood opinion when it was finished in 2007. Most locals, though, love the prettied-up square outside, as well as seeing their favourite stalls inside all shiny and new.
Where: Plaça del Font 1
Tel: +34 932 216 471
Nearest station: Barceloneta
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Copenhagen: Torvehallerne KBH
Hand-picked spices, quality chocolates, organic bread, homemade ice cream and select wines. The common denominators in these choice offerings are their craftsmanship, excellence and taste, in which you can indulge in this covered Copenhagen market. Even when you are not on the lookout for anything particular, an inspiring stroll around this market will awaken your taste buds.
Enjoy the many refined specialties based on genuinely local recipes, as well as several regional specialties from all over the world, such as from Spain, Italy, Greece, Asia and South America. Be sure to try a cup of quality coffee from The Coffee Collective and taste the sweet treats made by the pioneering Danish chocolatier, Summerbird.
Where: Frederiksborggade 21
Tel: n/a
Nearest station: Nørreport
Read more: 7 things not to miss in Copenhagen
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Lisbon: Mercado da Ribeira
From hot spices and mushrooms to fresh seafood and floral bouquets, this market has everything you could wish for. Housed in a neoclassical building dating from 1882, the setting and atmosphere are half the fun, especially in the early morning.
Once Lisbon’s market for the masses, the building was recently taken over by Time Out magazine and, after a lengthy restoration project, now features a trendy upstairs café area and more than 20 food corners, with plenty of different world kitchens to choose from. The black and white pictures hanging on the walls feature fish sellers from the last century, offering an interesting view into a time when fishermen would moor their boats on the dock outside and sell directly to the customers.
Where: Avenida 24 de Julho 60
Tel: +351 213 244 980
Nearest station: Cais do Sodré
Read more: Lisbon’s best hostels and cheap hotels
London: Southbank Centre Food Market
If you need refreshment while exploring London’s Southbank at the weekend, take a detour behind the Royal Festival Hall to a small street food market, crammed with food stalls and a few outdoor tables from Friday to Sunday. Bread, cakes, gourmet burgers, curries, even artisan cheese on toast – there is a lot to munch on at the market here, with food from all cuisines and corners of the globe.
On a cold day, try the churros, tasty doughnuts from Spain. Long crisp fritters sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon, they’re perfect served with a cup of thick, creamy chocolate.
Where: Southbank Centre Square, Belvedere Rd
Tel: +44 (0)20 7960 4200
Nearest station: Waterloo
Read more: The 9 best nightlife spots in London
Berlin: Markthalle IX
One of the few remaining grand market halls built around Berlin in the 19th century, Markthalle IX still serves its original purpose. The vast space hosts regular indoor markets with lots of local producers and farmers selling their wares – as well as a weekly street food Thursday market and equally popular monthly breakfast market.
There’s lots of benches to grab a seat and enjoy a glass of Riesling or a wheatgrass shot, or you can just roam around with your pulled pork bun and soak up the trendy vibe. Don’t forget to look up and admire the building’s original awnings and beams.
Where: Eisenbahnstraße 42-43
Tel: +49 30 6107 3473
Nearest station: Görlitzer Bahnhof
Read more: Vintage shopping in Berlin
Paris: Le Quartier Chinois
Paris’ Chinatown does not at all resemble the Latin Quarter. Actually, it does not even look like Paris. There are no beautiful buildings or balconies with curlicues, just grim concrete blocks and huge high-rises.
However, though the neighbourhood is far from picturesque, it is a joy for everyone who likes to eat or cook Asian food. Around 250,000 Chinese, Vietnamese and Thais live here in the surroundings of the Latin Quarter, and consequently you can find anything you could possibly think of in terms of Asian delicacies and foodstuff. For example, pay a visit to the Frères Tang supermarket on Avenue d’Ivry, where you will find the oddest noodles and weirdest types of rice as well as cabbages, sauces and beans.
Keep in mind, however, that many of the shopkeepers don’t speak French and English, so communication may be an issue.
Where: Avenue de Choisy and Avenue d’Ivry, 13th arr.
Tel: n/a
Nearest station: Porte de Choisy
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Rome: Testaccio Market
When the inhabitants of the very popular, very colourful Testaccio district heard that their long-running produce market was being moved into shiny new purpose-built premises, they were skeptical. But since its inauguration in 2012, they’ve embraced the new-look venue whole-heartedly.
All the old traders are still there, with their piles of delicious fruit and vegetables, fresh fish and meat and – a Testaccio specialty – last season’s shoes at knock-down prices.
The new market also has great street food at Mordi e Vai, excellent just-squeezed juices and smoothies at Zoé, not to mention clothes, housewares, bread, cakes, wine and more.
Where: Via Galvani/Via Alessandro Volta
Tel:+39 06 578 0638
Nearest station: Piramide
Read more: The 10 best cultural spots of Rome
