European Food Markets

European food markets are rich in culinary culture and authentic food experiences.

European food markets indulge the senses with local and regional specialties as well as international favorites.

You will find fresh seasonal fruit and vegetables, meats, cheeses and salamis, herbs and spices, seafood, traditional favorites and, foods that are unique to a particular area.

And, European food markets are a foodie's heaven..

History

Open air, public markets were known in ancient Babylonia and Assyria.

The Agora located below the Acropolis in ancient Athens was a thriving market that sold local products as well as imported goods from all over the Mediterranean and other parts of the then known world.

The Agora was also a public meeting place to meet friends and to engage in political debate.

In ancient Rome, the Forum was where women went to buy goods (especially silk) and men went to discuss politics.

In early Western Europe, markets developed close to monasteries, castles or royal residences where annual fairs were held to trade in high value goods while regular weekly or bi-weekly markets traded in necessities.

The Grand Bazaar in Constantinople (now Istanbul), built in 1455, is regarded as the world's oldest market that continues to trade up to the present.

New Market (Nea Agora), Rhodes Island

New Market (Nea Agora)
Mandraki Harbor
Rhodes Island, Greece

The wonderful atmosphere of the New Market (Nea Agora) with its Moorish domes on Mandraki Harbor, Rhodes Island, is where you will find lively cafes, food stalls, gift shops and souvlaki bars.

The New Market in Rhodes is small compared to other famous European food markets.

What it does have however, is history all around it.

Sitting at a harborside cafe, you can gaze out to the medieval, fortress of Saint Nicholas, three Byzantine windmills, the UNESCO, World-Heritage listed, medieval Old Town built by the Knights of Saint John and, where one of the world's Seven Ancient Wonders, the Colossus of Rhodes, once stood.

Cafes line the New Market waterfront where you can gaze out to cruise ships, yachts and fishing boats.

The medieval Old Town of Rhodes is also within walking distance of the New Market and is filled with restaurants and many sightseeing delights.

Central Market
Varvakios Agorà, Athens

Athinas St. between Evripidou and Sofokleous Sts.
Athens

The market is divided into the open-air market where you will find fresh fruit, vegetables, Greek olives, cheeses, spices, and herbs.

Inside the 19th-century building is the meat and fish market,

The atmosphere in both, is lively with vendors yelling their specialties throughout the day.

Here also, you can taste local specialties and enjoy authentic Greek dishes in the tavernas in and around the market.

Borough Market

Address: 8 Southwark St,
London SE1 1TL, UK
Opened: 1851
Hours: Open 10am–5pm
Phone: +44 20 7407 1002

Borough Market is a wholesale and retail food market where stallholders come to trade from different parts of the the United Kingdom.

Borough Market is one of London's largest and oldest food markets located near London Bridge Tube station and where fresh fruit and vegetables, cheese, meat, game and freshly baked bread and pastries are sold and where you will find a wide variety of street food as well as traditional European and global products.

Berlin Markthalle IX

Eisenbahnstraße 42-43, 10997
Berlin, Germany
Tel: +49 30 6107 3473
Nearest station: Görlitzer Bahnhof

Markthalle IX (built in 1891) is an indoor market where local producers and farmers sell their produce, where people come to enjoy breakfast and lunch in a lively atmosphere and where chefs showcase their culinary talents every Saturday.

Naschmarkt, Vienna

Address: 1060 Vienna, Austria
Phone: +43 1 400005430
Open Mon-Sat 6am-7.30pm, Sat 6am-6pm

The famous Naschmarkt in Vienna has existed since the 16th century.

with more than 120 food and vintage stalls and restaurants, you can find everything from Viennese produce to products from around the world,

Every Saturday, the Naschmarkt hosts a weekly flea market as well.

Torvehallerne, Copenhagen

Address: Frederiksborggade 21, 1360
København K, Denmark
Phone:+45 70 10 60 70
Hours: Open 10am–7pm

The Torvehallerne sells everything from Nordic foods and baked goods to fresh fish and meat to gourmet lines and exotic spices.

People also come to enjoy breakfast and luch in wonderful, lively settings.

Markthal, Rotterdam

Dominee Jan Scharpstraat 298.
3011 GZ Rotterdam, Netherlands
Phone: +31 30 234 6486
Opens at 10:00 am
The new Markthal designed by architectural firm MVRDV is a spectacular horseshoe shaped residential and office building with a market hall underneath with
over a 100 shops and food stands on terraces where local and global products are sold.

The Markthal was built on top of a 10th century farm which was found 7 metres under the ground during the building.

Kauppatori, Helsinki

Address: Eteläranta, 00170
Helsinki, Finland
Phone: +358 9 31023565
Open Mon-Sat 8am-4pm

Kauppatori, or Market Square, is Finland’s famous outdoor market on the Port of Helsinki where you can walk down to the water and buy fish from the boats.

There are also many outdoor cafés at the square with herring and salmon being specialties.

In early October, the annual Helsinki herring market begins.

And, on the first Friday of every month old American cars are on display at Market Square.

Swooping seagulls have also become an increasing problem in the Market Square.

Central Market Hall, Budapest

Address: Budapest, Vámház krt. 1-3, 1093
Budapest, Hungary
Phone: +36 1 366 3300

Central Market Hall is also one of the great European food markets.

Built around 1897, the Great Market Hall or Central Market Hall is the largest and oldest indoor market in Budapest.

Located at the end of the famous pedestrian shopping streetVáci utca and on the Pest side of the Liberty bridge at Fovám square the Central Market Hall is a popular tourist attraction.

The market offers three floors for traders.

The ground floor offers fruit and vegetables, meats, pastries, candies, spices, and spirits.

The second floor has eateries and souvenirs

And, the basement has butcher shops and the fish market.

The building was awarded with FIABCI Prix d’Excellence in 1999.

The market is closed on Sunday, opens at 6am on other days, and closes at 5pm Monday, 6pm Tue-Fri and 3pm Saturday

Testaccio Market, Rome

Address: Via Beniamino Franklin, 00118
Roma, Italy
Mon-Sat, 7:30 – 13:30

Testaccio Market,formerly located on Piazza Testaccio, recently moved to a new 5,000 square meters building near to the MACRO Museum.

At the Testaccio Market you can find everything from authentic food products and regional specialties to eateries and anything else you may desire.

Le Marché Raspail, Paris

Address: Rue du Cherche-midi - Rue de Rennes, 75006
Paris, France
Tuesday and Friday, 7 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Sunday (organic market), 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Phone:+33 1 43 24 74 39

The trendy open-air Raspail Market began in 1920 and trades three times a week.

This is where the celebrities do their shopping and where you can find certified organic produce, regional specialties and so much more.