{"id":83916,"date":"2025-03-27T07:29:29","date_gmt":"2025-03-26T20:29:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/?p=83916"},"modified":"2025-03-27T23:37:04","modified_gmt":"2025-03-27T12:37:04","slug":"worlds-best-markets","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/worlds-best-markets\/","title":{"rendered":"On the market: The world\u2019s best marketplaces (and what to buy there)\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

If you want to truly immerse yourself in the culture of a destination (who doesn\u2019t?), join the throng at a market. Feel the jostle of the crowd, inhale the aromas of fresh food and live the local lifestyle.  <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

From the one-stop-shop bazaars of Tashkent to the winter wonderland stalls of Prague, here\u2019s a shopping list of some of the world\u2019s best marketplaces and the unique wares you can get there \u2013 made by sellers with tales to tell. Buy a trinket, get a free story.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chorsu Bazaar, Tashkent, Uzbekistan<\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In the heart of Tashkent, Uzbekistan<\/a>, you\u2019ll find Chorsu Bazaar, one of the oldest and biggest markets in Central Asia<\/a>. In place of supermarkets, locals come here for their regular shop.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before you even set foot inside, Chorsu\u2019s awe-inspiring turquoise dome is a sight to behold. The outer circle greets you with aromas of freshly baked obi non (Uzbek bread) or honim (vegetables or meat rolled in dough and steamed). Inside, the stores are arranged in a maze-like circle piled in colourful mountains of fruits and vegetables.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tashkent brings new meaning to the phrase \u2018one-stop shop\u2019. Intrepid\u2019s global leader engagement partner Sarah Wallace says, \u2018You see toilets and plumbing stuff, and the next thing you see kitchen implements or meat, dairy, vegetables, fruit, dried fruit and nuts, then you see children\u2019s toys!\u2019 she says. \u2018You could be in there for a couple of days and not see the same thing.\u2019 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Chorsu Bazaar, Tashkent, Uzbekistan <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Jagalchi Market, Busan Port, South Korea<\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If you like your seafood fresh and your views pretty, make Jagalchi Market part of your trip. This enormous fish market is right on the waterfront in Busan, South Korea<\/a>, so you know the seafood \u2013 everything you\u2019ve tried and more \u2013 is the freshest possible.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But if you\u2019re not into seafood, there\u2019s still lots to see and lots to buy. Step outside for southside views and breathe in that fresh ocean air. Or keep moving through the building to find kitchen utensils and cooking ingredients. Sarah nabbed a game-changing grater that\u2019s a must-have for Korean cooking: \u2018It\u2019s this implement that grates cabbages beautifully. There’s no other way to grate it that finely, even with a food processor.\u2019 She does warn that the blades can be extremely sharp though: \u2018It\u2019s like a weapon!\u2019\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Jagalchi Market, Busan Port, South Korea <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Takayama Market, Gifu Prefecture, Japan<\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Early birds rejoice: Japan<\/a>‘s Takayama Asaichi (Morning Markets) reward patrons who arrive first thing.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Takayama is home to two centuries-old morning markets. The Miyagawa Market sells fresh produce along the river, while the Jinya-mae Market offers up sweets and traditional crafts. The stall owners all live in the area and have long histories of stocking their own produce: cute hand-crocheted keyrings or seasonal flowers plucked from their own gardens.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sarah found that going with an Intrepid leader guarantees you can chat to the owners \u2013 a really special experience.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018That’s the highlight. Leaders take you to their favourite places, where they know the store; they’ve got a connection with the store owner. And they translate for you, so you can ask them anything.\u2019\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The markets open as early as 6 am. If you can drag yourself out of bed for it, you get the wholesome experience of watching the owners set up shop. And you get to grab the freshest produce before it\u2019s snapped up. The early bird gets the fruit, right?  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Takayama Market, Gifu Prefecture, Japan <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Christmas Markets, Prague, Czech Republic<\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If you prefer to hit the snooze button, Prague\u2019s Christmas Markets<\/a> grant you a festive experience that\u2019s especially wondrous at night. The square sparkles with tiny lights, and you\u2019ll embrace the Christmas spirit among locals. Wander through rows of stalls sipping hork\u00e1 \u010dokol\u00e1da (hot chocolate) while you browse hand-crafted wooden clocks, glass ornaments and Christmas baubles.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although the main markets are in the city, Sarah says they can be found almost anywhere. \u2018Each of the tiny towns has their own Christmas market. Basically wherever you are, there’s normally a few little stalls open.\u2019 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

She says the variety of stalls and the bustle can be overwhelming at first \u2013 but that\u2019s what leaders are for. They can point you to the best ones and introduce you to the owners too, so you can hear how they made their goods. \u2018You get that beautiful backstory, which makes it more meaningful,\u2019 she says. \u2018And then you want to actually buy the product.\u2019 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just remember to leave plenty of extra room in your bags for your new haul \u2013 you\u2019re gonna need it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pay a visit to our fav food markets on a Real Food Adventure<\/a>, jingle your way through a tour of Europe’s best Christmas markets<\/a> or search hundreds of other Intrepid trips<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If you want to truly immerse yourself in the culture of a destination (who doesn\u2019t?), join the throng at a market. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16346,"featured_media":83920,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[3109],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-83916","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-good-trips"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe World's Best Marketplaces | The Good Times by Intrepid<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"From the one-stop-shop bazaars of Tashkent to the winter wonderland of Prague, here are some of the world\u2019s best marketplaces.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/worlds-best-markets\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"On the market: The world\u2019s best marketplaces (and what to buy there)\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"If you want to truly immerse yourself in the culture of a destination (who doesn\u2019t?), join the throng at a market.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/worlds-best-markets\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Good Times by Intrepid\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/intrepidtravel\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-03-26T20:29:29+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-03-27T12:37:04+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Intrepid-Travel-south-korea-06-busan-jagalchi-seafood-market-8253.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1920\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1080\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Michelle See-Tho\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:title\" content=\"On the market: The world\u2019s best marketplaces (and what to buy there)\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:description\" content=\"If you want to truly immerse yourself in the culture of a destination (who doesn\u2019t?), join the throng at a market.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Intrepid-Travel-south-korea-06-busan-jagalchi-seafood-market-8253.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@Intrepid_Travel\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@Intrepid_Travel\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Michelle See-Tho\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/worlds-best-markets\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/worlds-best-markets\/\",\"name\":\"The World's Best Marketplaces | The Good Times by Intrepid\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/worlds-best-markets\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/worlds-best-markets\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Intrepid-Travel-south-korea-06-busan-jagalchi-seafood-market-8253.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-03-26T20:29:29+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-03-27T12:37:04+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/#\/schema\/person\/1adc115f596608f19876c204355f97ce\"},\"description\":\"From the one-stop-shop bazaars of Tashkent to the winter wonderland of Prague, here are some of the world\u2019s best marketplaces.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/worlds-best-markets\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/worlds-best-markets\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/worlds-best-markets\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Intrepid-Travel-south-korea-06-busan-jagalchi-seafood-market-8253.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Intrepid-Travel-south-korea-06-busan-jagalchi-seafood-market-8253.jpg\",\"width\":1920,\"height\":1080},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/worlds-best-markets\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"On the market: The world\u2019s best marketplaces (and what to buy there)\u00a0\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/\",\"name\":\"The Good Times by Intrepid\",\"description\":\"adventure news\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/#\/schema\/person\/1adc115f596608f19876c204355f97ce\",\"name\":\"Michelle See-Tho\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/cropped-Michelle-See-Theo-96x96.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/cropped-Michelle-See-Theo-96x96.jpg\",\"caption\":\"Michelle See-Tho\"},\"description\":\"Michelle See-Tho is a freelance writer and advertising copywriter. Her debut novel, Jade and Emerald, won the 2023 Penguin Literary Prize.\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/michelleseetho.com.au\",\"https:\/\/instagram.com\/michelleseetho\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/author\/michelle-see-tho\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The World's Best Marketplaces | The Good Times by Intrepid","description":"From the one-stop-shop bazaars of Tashkent to the winter wonderland of Prague, here are some of the world\u2019s best marketplaces.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/worlds-best-markets\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"On the market: The world\u2019s best marketplaces (and what to buy there)","og_description":"If you want to truly immerse yourself in the culture of a destination (who doesn\u2019t?), join the throng at a market.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/worlds-best-markets\/","og_site_name":"The Good Times by Intrepid","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/intrepidtravel\/","article_published_time":"2025-03-26T20:29:29+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-03-27T12:37:04+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1920,"height":1080,"url":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Intrepid-Travel-south-korea-06-busan-jagalchi-seafood-market-8253.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Michelle See-Tho","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_title":"On the market: The world\u2019s best marketplaces (and what to buy there)","twitter_description":"If you want to truly immerse yourself in the culture of a destination (who doesn\u2019t?), join the throng at a market.","twitter_image":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Intrepid-Travel-south-korea-06-busan-jagalchi-seafood-market-8253.jpg","twitter_creator":"@Intrepid_Travel","twitter_site":"@Intrepid_Travel","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Michelle See-Tho","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/worlds-best-markets\/","url":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/worlds-best-markets\/","name":"The World's Best Marketplaces | The Good Times by Intrepid","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/worlds-best-markets\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/worlds-best-markets\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Intrepid-Travel-south-korea-06-busan-jagalchi-seafood-market-8253.jpg","datePublished":"2025-03-26T20:29:29+00:00","dateModified":"2025-03-27T12:37:04+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/#\/schema\/person\/1adc115f596608f19876c204355f97ce"},"description":"From the one-stop-shop bazaars of Tashkent to the winter wonderland of Prague, here are some of the world\u2019s best marketplaces.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/worlds-best-markets\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/worlds-best-markets\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/worlds-best-markets\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Intrepid-Travel-south-korea-06-busan-jagalchi-seafood-market-8253.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Intrepid-Travel-south-korea-06-busan-jagalchi-seafood-market-8253.jpg","width":1920,"height":1080},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/worlds-best-markets\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"On the market: The world\u2019s best marketplaces (and what to buy there)\u00a0"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/","name":"The Good Times by Intrepid","description":"adventure news","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/#\/schema\/person\/1adc115f596608f19876c204355f97ce","name":"Michelle See-Tho","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/cropped-Michelle-See-Theo-96x96.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/cropped-Michelle-See-Theo-96x96.jpg","caption":"Michelle See-Tho"},"description":"Michelle See-Tho is a freelance writer and advertising copywriter. Her debut novel, Jade and Emerald, won the 2023 Penguin Literary Prize.","sameAs":["https:\/\/michelleseetho.com.au","https:\/\/instagram.com\/michelleseetho"],"url":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/author\/michelle-see-tho\/"}]}},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Intrepid-Travel-south-korea-06-busan-jagalchi-seafood-market-8253.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4OQMK-lPu","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/83916","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/16346"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=83916"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/83916\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":83926,"href":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/83916\/revisions\/83926"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/83920"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=83916"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=83916"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.intrepidtravel.com\/adventures\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=83916"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}