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Columbia Road is London’s main flower market. On Sundays, it’s totally filled with flowers. It’s an amazing place. —Sophie Howarth Columbia Road Sundays, 8 a.m.–3 p.m. This story appeared in the Premier 2009 issue.

You have to be a little bit loco to want to visit Central de Abasto, much less actually go there, but it is the ultimate market experience. Central de Abasto is the market that supplies all of the other fruit and vegetable markets in the city and many others throughout the country. More than 30,000 tons of fresh produce enter and leave the market daily, or the equivalent of 80% of the fruits and vegetables consumed in the capital. It’s not for the faint of heart, though; this market is all business and hustle is the name of the game. Browsing and taking photos of towers of colorful vegetables are not recommended because aisles are crowded and fleet-on-their-feet workers moving hand trucks of goods don’t tolerate dawdling slowpokes.

The weekly flohmarkt (flea market) in Friedrichshain’s Boxhagener Platz is a popular spot where locals meet up for shopping, drinking, or just a bit of fun each Sunday. While the Mauer Park flea market gets most of the tourists, this one is far less touristy. You’re much more likely to find a good deal on used books, cool T-shirts (some by local designers, even!), music records, and knickknacks. Because the market is relatively small, it’s quite enjoyable to take a stroll through the stalls and then enjoy a picnic on the grassy area in the middle of the square. Many cafes and restaurants are situated on the streets bordering Boxhagener Platz so you won’t be bored for things to do. The market is open Sundays during daylight. On Saturdays in the same area you’ll find a fresh food & produce market.

The Bonsecours Market is hard to miss, whether you are walking around Montréal’s historic center or looking at the skyline from the harbor. A silver dome caps the long building, which dates from 1844 and was modeled on Dublin’s Customs House. It looks more like a stately civic building than a market, and in fact it was Montréal’s city hall for a while, as well as the seat of Canada‘s parliament for one session. After serving as the central market of the city for nearly a century, it closed in 1963 and was largely abandoned until 1992, when it reopened as the home of a visitors’ center for Montréal’s 350th anniversary. Today it houses a dozen or so boutiques featuring works by local designers, as well as a few restaurants that make for good pit stops on a day of sightseeing.

Nashville has the largest Kurdish population in the country, which speaks to its growing diversity. And with that diversity comes great food shopping from places like Sulav International Market—with a Kurdish bakery for fresh flatbread, Halal butcher, and rows of preserved lemon, spices, and nuts. Also check out Shish Kebob, the Kurdish restaurant located in the same strip mall.

Capitol Hill’s Melrose Market is a spacious, sunlit, vintagey-looking indoor market with a variety of artisanal and locally made foods: Rain Shadow Meats, Calf & Kid cheese, the Marigold & Mint flower shop, and Taylor Shellfish. There are also a few wine bars and restaurants in here, like Sitka + Spruce, Homegrown Sustainable Sandwiches, and Bar Ferd’nand. There’s outdoor sidewalk seating when the weather is nice, and some indoor tables and bars. You could put together one heck of a fancy dinner party with just one shopping trip (Sonic Boom Records next door can provide the background music) — but it’ll cost you.

Atlanta is ripe with farmer’s markets and the Freedom Farmer’s Market, held weekly from March to December at the Carter Center, is one of the better ones. It has less stalls than others around town, but many of the vendors come from much further away to showcase their goods. Grab a warm pastry from the Star Provisions tent and a pour over coffee from 1000 Faces Coffee of Athens to sip as you wander the stalls. Bring your own bag to take home your haul of produce. Each week a local restaurant holds a pop up tent to showcase a unique dish only available there. You may even see former president Jimmy Carter walking around!

Don’t miss strolling around the impressive Santa Fe Farmers’ Market with its glorious abundance of beautiful and colorful produce, artisanal soaps, flowers, cheese, grass-fed meats and of course, peppers for miles—both electric-green and bright red (local Chimayo, Velarde, and Socorro varietals). Open: Saturdays year-round, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.; and Tuesdays during warm weather.

Don’t be deceived by its West London locale. Notting Hill may be one of the city’s poshest neighborhoods but all that is forgotten when it comes to its outdoor flea market. Portobello Market is mainly known for its impressive collection of antiques but you can also shop for fresh food and score some unbeatable deals on clothing. I walked away with £5 dresses on more than one occasion. To get here, take the Tube to Notting Hill Gate, which is on the District, Circle, and Central lines.

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Every time I get a chance to spend some time in NOLA, you’ll find me on Frenchmen Street, Marigny, Bywater, 9th area. This art market, while not really a hidden gem, is always worth a visit. Grab a cocktail and catch some music to loosen up and chat it up with the incredible artists and business owners selling really fun swag in the heart of The Frenchmen Street party.

Once the center of commerce in Charleston, the City Market is now the heart of tourism. Although its location near the cruise terminal can make it feel like a kitschy open-air market in the Caribbean, the tackiness is part of its charm. Yes, you’ll find Christmas ornaments painted with Rainbow Row and enough cutely packaged pralines to give you a stomachache, but you’ll also see Gullah artisans weaving the finest examples of sweetgrass baskets available. Peak season brings 140 different merchants, and weekends include live music and food vendors. The market’s a requisite stop for any visitor and a one-stop gift shop for loved ones back home.

A-ji-shi is a stand-up sushi bar located in Taipei’s Shidong Market. There’s only a fixed menu and it is pricey by local standards. But the fish is fresh and the sushiman well-trained.

This elegant mall bridges glitzy Kalakaua Avenue and up-and-coming Kuhio Avenue. Its heart: a treehouse in an enormous Indian banyan tree. The tree was planted around 1850 and briefly owned by Queen Emma; at one point, one of its tree houses contained a radio station. A $500 million renovation overhauled the market place, a Waikīkī classic, in 2016. Now ten restaurants and 75 retail stores preside here, anchored by Saks Fifth Avenue—the first in Hawaii. While the International Market Place has lost its manic, Mad-Man-era, free-for-all vibe, it maintains quite a bit of character for a mall with touches like a three-story waterfall. Visit at sunset to catch traditionally dressed performers singing, dancing, blowing conches, and lighting the Lamakū Torch Tower.

When traveling, I love to spend Saturday morning at the farmers market. There’s no better way to meet the locals and get to know the town culture. What produce do they love? What coffee do they sip? What’s the overall mood? One of the best Saturday morning farmers markets I’ve been to was in a giant park in Portland, Maine. The stalls were packed with reasonably priced, locally grown produce (of course, Maine blueberries were abundant). Despite the chilly morning temperatures, children played in a splash park and adults sipped locally made apple cider while listening to the various jazz musicians who had set up around the farmers market. Despite the crowds, parking was abundant (such a rarity!) as was the “Maine nice” that we found around the entire state.

Calling all lovers of food: Shilin Night Market is the largest of many night markets in Taipei. It is easily accessible by MRT and has endless stalls of restaurants/stands as well as shops. Bring a friend so you can share and experience more of the many dishes that this great market has to offer. If you do take the MRT, make sure you get to the platform before 12am because the trains stop running after that. If you stay past 12am, you will need to catch a cab to get back to your hotel.