These famous markets are worth visiting at least once in your lifetime – some before they disappear
By Pamela Chow
They say the best way to immerse yourself in a new place is to live like a local.
Markets are the crossroads of cultures and communities, and a great place to experience interesting interactions often absent at typical tourist sites.
From quirky trinkets to wares from all over the region, markets are often both shopping streets as well as places of historical significance.
We take a look at some of the most iconic ones around the world.
Colourful, bustling and filled with stories, La Boqueria is a quintessential Barcelonian market where locals go for groceries and a bite of tapas. (Photo: Andrey Bayda / Shutterstock.com)
3. Barcelona: La Boqueria
La Boqueria is to Barcelona what Tsukiji is to Tokyo — colourful, intriguing, essential and historical. La Boqueria, known natively as Mercat de Sant Josep de la Boqueria, dates all the way back to the 13th century, when it served as a travelling market for sellers from nearby towns and farms.
Back then, it existed on a major pedestrian road in front of one of the gates of the old city wall, with haphazard walls and makeshift stalls. Today, it is the largest sheltered market in the region, and features stalls run by fourth-generation traders.
Although the floors are slippery with melted ice and fruit skins, and the stall owners are loud, La Boqueria is a charming multi-sensory feast. Besides produce of all colours, tastes and origins, the market is also home to tapas bars where locals often queue to lunch at. These booths also sell light snacks if you’d rather be exploring as you eat on-the-go.
La Boqueria may be Barcelona’s most famous food market but another place worth visiting is the Santa Caterina, which is fast climbing in popularity. Originating in Barcelona’s old city, the Santa Caterina market is a combination of its old façade and a flamboyant modern concept, with its colourful wave roof drawing the eye from every direction.
La Boqueria, Las Ramblas, 91, www.boqueria.info
Santa Caterina, Av. de Francesc Cambó, 16
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