Local markets
This big market is a wonderful mix of souvenirs, antiques, old Soviet knickknacks, fur hats and anything in between. It is wonderfully diverse and the non-tourist section still has an adorable Soviet-feel to it with old babushkas offering random selections of things you would not think sellable. The top floor is occupied by genuine antique vendors with things that probably need export permission. The prices are fairly fixed and the vendors are mostly friendly, though the military stalls can collect quite some characters. Inspect the goods carefully and don't take any sales pitch about quality, origin and age too seriously. Come during the weekend when more vendors come in.
Hunting with falcons is popular in the Arabic Peninsula, particularly in Saudi Arabia. One of the best markets for both falcons and gear is the Falcon Market in Riyadh. Falcons are not cheap and the most expensive can go for SAR 400,000 (more than than $100,000). The falcons in the shops are displayed with hoods on so they sit quietly. The shop owners are nice and welcoming, even for curious window shoppers. There are two locations for the Falcon Market, which are separated by a road. The open-air market, which might be in use or not, and the proper shops, which are located at the ground level in the big parking building across the road. The season for hunting and falcon shopping is the winter months November to February.
Taif's traditional souq is a pleasant surprise. It has been renovated tastefully and is still divided into areas for gold, perfumes, abayas (black cloak for women), etc. The maze of small squares and narrow lanes are only for pedestrians, so powershoppers hire a carrier with a wheelbarrow to transport their goods. In the evening the souq gets filled with locals, making it a great place for people watching.
Since 1845 locals have been going to la Boqueria market to buy fresh fruits, vegetables, fish and meat - and they still do. Many of stands have been owned by the same family throughout the years and offer an incredible selection not seen elsewhere, including all kinds of Spanish specialities. Some days, the amount of tourists can be a bit overwhelming, but the stands towards the center of the market tend to sell less tourist friendly food items, like whole fish and dry ham by the kilos, so head there for a more authentic experience.
If you can't find it, you haven't looked well enough. The Chatuchak weekend market is massive and you can pretty much find anything under the sun; chopsticks, antiques, wannabe-antiques, trendy fashion, fluffy pets, not-so-fluffy animals, and food in any shape and taste. It probably takes more than a single weekend to get through it all for there are about 15,000 stalls. Yep, Chatuchak is the world's biggest flea market.
Bangkok has plenty of markets, there’s no surprise there. But have you heard of Talad Rot Fai (Railway Market)? This market runs every Saturday and Sunday night and is host to the best collection of nostalgia, memorabilia, antiques, mechanical obscurities and pretty much anything else that is old and cool. The market was the brainchild of two collectors that gained permission to use the abandoned train warehouse and tracks in Bangkok’s north to create a meeting point for like minded people to come and swap or haggle. Now it has escalated into the spot for the new wave retro rockabilly scene. The market can be found a short walk from the Kamphaeng Phet MRT station in the opposite direction to the Chatuchak market. Don’t expect to see too many foreigners, this is Thai people living out their normal lives at an amazing market.
Most people think of voodoo as black magic, but most voodoo is actually white magic. People go to the fetish market to buy the ingredients, which they then bring to the witch doctor next door. The witch doctor then grind the ingredients, perform a voodoo ceremony, and hopefully the person gets well, luck with love, or whatever the reason was to seek out voodoo in the first place. The fetish market in Lomé is famous for locals and tourists alike. The stalls are packed with animal skins, skulls, and bones, all with great voodoo power for the enlightened, but there are tourist voodoo dolls too. Visiting the market has been put into system and is surprisingly orderly. You pay an entrance fee along with a camera fee and for that you get a guide, who explain all the strange fetish objects, can take pictures of everything, and a visit to a witch doctor. Though there isn't any hard sale, it's kind of expected that you buy a (overpriced) premade talisman from the witch doctor, but just consider it as an additional fee for the small voodoo ceremony.
Far too often do magnificent old markets and bazaar turn into nothing more than tourist traps. They become places where it's more likely to find cheap Chinese-made souvenirs than local crafted arts. The main bazaar in Tunis can seem a a little like this at first. As the endless hordes of cruise travellers and package holiday vacationer clog the main artery of the bazaar, it's actually a fairly negative experience. But one alley does NOT the bazaar make! Taking any of the dozens alleys that lead off the main road will transport you to the bazaar you were hoping for. Locals meet, greet and haggle for daily products. Workmen pound away on their metal or wood. A men sit and smoke hukka/shisha/nargile before or after visiting one of the lovely mosques. In the case of the Tunis bazaar, those who wander are not lost, but rewarded.
The impressive covered bazaar with more than 4400 shops (we haven't counted) is one of the largest in the world. The first souq dates more than five hundred years back and has been extended and rebuild several times since then. The beautiful streets take their names from the goods that was made and sold here. Today it's less grouped but carpets, pottery and leather still have their own areas. Several hundred thousands people pass by here every day, and the prices of the nice goods have ascended with the massive flow of tourists on tours. Hard bargain is expected and some might find the buying pressure from the wily stallholder too intense. Keep in mind that this is the place, where they invented catch phrases like "looking for my shop" and "can I help spending you money".
The area around Brick Lane has become a very groovy place with fashion stores, markets for up-and-coming designers, trendy clubs, artistic cafes, cheap food stalls and endless rows of curry restaurants. Originally, the area was favoured by Jewish immigrants and was home to the Old Truman Brewery, whose chimney still stands today. Later, Brick Lane became a hub for London's Bangladeshi community, which led to all the curry houses the street is now so famous for. Then within the last decade, the indie art and design community has slowly taken over the area. Come on a Sunday, when the indoor markets are open and the street is lined with an eccentric selection of hawkers and street performers. You literally have to push your way through the alternative crowd to get down Brick Lane.