Chatuchak Weekend Market – Bangkok, Thailand
Historic markets offer the kind of atmospheric, sensory shopping experience that stores and malls so often lack. Run by locals predominantly for locals, they also offer travellers an insight into a city’s authentic culture.
An assault on the senses, and on the wallet, here are 10 of the world’s best traditional markets.
What’s on offer: Food, crafts, Buddhist icons, antiques, electrical, DVDs, music, books, clothes, animals
Average number of vendors: 15,000
When to visit: Saturday and Sunday
Chatuchak’s 27 acres of indoor and outdoor stalls draw 200,000 people each weekend day. Most come for the astonishing array of goods, but there are a large number of vendors selling fresh food and drinks too.
From socks to exotic creatures and almost everything in between, there’s a mind boggling variety of things for sale along Chatuchak’s crowded and hot walkways.
Grand Bazaar (Kapalı Çarşı) – Istanbul, Turkey
La Boqueria (Mercat de Sant Josep de la Boqueria) – Barcelona, Spain
What’s on offer: fresh fruits, fish, meat, bread and other food ingredients
Average number of vendors: 200
When to visit: Monday to Saturday
La Boqueria is an atmospheric, ornate steel hangar just off La Rambla. In terms of sight and smell, this is hands down Barcelona’s most spectacular food market.
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