There is something magical about food markets. Spices, rustic breads, local delicacies, seasonal fruit and veg, cheese, fresh seafood and vintage wines… this is where the action is. The offerings not only tell a complex story about a country’s landscape, but they also relate what’s in season, what’s for dinner, and what a culture holds dear, as Fodor’s travel guide nicely puts it.

Today’s food markets are also increasingly acting as tourist attractions and engines of urban renewal. They are community hubs where visitors can gather, shop, eat, socialise and learn.

Whether they’re designer food halls or clusters of food trucks, here are 10 European markets that show off these latest market trends and offer not only great food, but remarkable architecture as well.

1. Markthal, Rotterdam

Rotterdam’s new $200-million Markthal is a sensory explosion. Housed in an iconic architectural structure that takes up an entire apartment block, Markthal is a remarkable hybrid space that represents a new frontier in markets. Along with over 500 vendor stalls and retail shops, the building contains numerous restaurants and cafés, an underground supermarket, a massive parking garage, and 230 residential housing units. The market serves an average of 135,000 visitors a week.

Even without the food, Markthal would be a showstopper. The interior of the arch is blanketed in a colourful one-hectare mural depicting a profusion of larger-than-life fruits and vegetables. “It’s a Sistine chapel of fresh produce,” said architects from MVRDV. “The cornucopia shows oversized images of market produce, while the flowers and insects refer to the work of Dutch still-life masters from the 17th century.”

Located in the previously rundown square, the Markthal transformed the area, and the city as well, by providing a stunning covered public square that acts as a central market hall during the day and, after closing hours, remains lively due to restaurants and cafés.

2. Torvehallerne, Copenhagen

Torvehallerne, an upscale covered market in the city centre, is a new take on the old marketplace concept. Opened in 2011 as a solution to the problem of Israels Plads, the once-seedy square that used to hold Copenhagen’s fresh produce market in past times, the market is enclosed in a two-part glass and steel structure which allows natural light to flood the indoor space.

“We wanted to make a very simple structure,” said Hans Peter Hagens, who both conceived the market and was its architect. “In the market, the architecture has to be simple and like a background frame for the foods,”

The structures house over 80 food vendors selling a wide variety of both local delicacies and quality international products. A beer stand peddles quirky Danish brews and vinegars. A high-end food market takes cues from the traditional markets, but it’s still positively Danish in design and ethic. It’s very sleek and well thought out – lines are orderly, words limited. In a city where food is not only important but at the centre of its culture and identity, Torvehallerne is the first of its kind. It is a welcome addition to the community becoming almost instantly one of the busiest public spaces in a city.

3. Copenhagen Street Food, Copenhagen

Compared to the upmarket Torvehallerne, Copenhagen Street Food is an entirely different experience – “it is the first colourful and cheap street-food market for the people,” its website states. The market is located on an island in the city’s Inner Harbor that used to be a newspaper storage facility, and is now a multi-use creative hub with the best views in the city. The grey metal buildings have been revamped, and they now offer a genuine and sustainable food-truck atmosphere.

There is something very ‘Copenhagen’ but also very foreign about Copenhagen Street Food. There are Turkish flatbreads, Korean barbecue, and local delicacies from the small, individually designed food trucks, but the place – the raw halls in the maritime setting – has a distinct Copenhagen feel to it.

Copenhagen Street Food is also a place for creative souls, where artists and musicians take part in creating unique and creative experiences. Run by the local dairy association, the market opened in 2014 and, for now, has permission to stay until 2018, when the city plans to demolish the building and construct housing. Fortunately, the locals agree that Copenhagen needs a food market with room for individual diversity, combined with engagement in the community, and they hope to find it a permanent home afterwards.

4. La Boqueria, Barcelona

Officially opened in 1840, but with a history dating back as far as 1217, La Boqueria is recognised as one of the oldest and finest markets in the world. Located directly on La Rambla, a massive tree-lined pedestrian zone that makes up Barcelona’s central boulevard, the historic market is a feast for the senses, luring in locals and tourists alike with bright stalls showcasing the best and freshest food in Catalonia. This gastronomic temple, as local chefs refer to it, even has its own cooking school.

La Boqueria is a culinary and community destination, where most residents come to do their daily shopping and where, early in the morning, Barcelona’s top chefs gather to pick up glistening shellfish and colourful game birds. Amidst the fresh fish, vibrant produce and jamón stalls, you’ll also find some of the best pinxtos (tapas) bars in the city, where all the dishes are prepared using products found at the market.

Recently, the market has been reborn in commercial terms, and it is now an international name of reference. Although it mainly exists to provide fresh produce to locals, La Boqueria has become a major landmark and an icon of the tourist trail.

5. Santa Caterina Market, Barcelona

Delightful Santa Caterina Market strikes a magical balance between local producers and consumers, contemporary architecture and tourism. After major refurbishment in 2005, a great, wave-like roof now covers an existing 1840s market located in a large square within sight of the gothic cathedral. The roof consists of a mosaic of 325,000 vividly multicoloured, hexagonal Spanish tiles depicting fruit and vegetables.

The market has always been characterised by both a desire to innovate and a gleaming, eye-catching roof. The latter provides both generous shelter and a colourful sense of identity and place, while boldly breaking with the traditional look of a market. Although the latest technology helped to generate the form and structure of the roof, individual laminated roof panels have been cut by hand. So, the building is both ultra-modern and very old in spirit and technique, recalling local boat-building techniques and seeming exactly right for its setting in the medieval square.

6. Fish Market, Bergen

The picturesque, lively and recently refurbished historic Fish Market in Bergen is one of Norway’s most visited markets. It has a charming location, in the heart of the city between the fjords and Bergen’s seven mountains. Completed in 2012, the renovation carefully balances the site’s historic heritage with its contemporary use. Eder Biesel Arkitekter titled the project ‘History Continued’, and it honours these principles by telling the story of the site while creating a symbol of modern architecture in the centre of the city.

Bergen’s fish market has had a long and important presence in the city, not only as a market but as a public space used in many functions, in everyday life and festivals. Hence, the design strategy focused on integrating this cultural hotspot and its surrounding public life. By raising the square over the Market Hall, a public space is created with views over the city, and the market continues its history as a place for the people – an open and vibrant environment, where the daily fish trade occurs, and but where the Bergen International Festival also gathers locals and tourists alike.

7. Markthalle Neun, Berlin

FIve years ago, Markthalle Neun, a beautiful 1890s building in bohemian Kreuzberg, was rescued from the fate of becoming a commercial supermarket. It is now one of the few remaining grand market halls built around Berlin in the 19th century that still serves its original purpose. Now, Berliners shop here for quality cheeses, seasonal fruit and veg and bratwurst laced with apricots from local farmers and producers. Recently, Markthalle launched Sunday’s Breakfast Market and Street Food Thursday, when the place turns into party central, with live music and stalls run by aspiring chefs.

Markthalle Neun is also open to initiatives from Kreuzberg residents, and aims to fulfil a role as a local platform. They host a variety of events and act as a community anchor, with their goal to offer a new approach to alternative healthy foods within an urban space.

8. Mercado de San Miguel, Madrid

Located in the heart of the tourist centre of Madrid, the historic wrought-iron-and-glass Mercado de San Miguel has become one of the liveliest culinary spots in the city since it reopened in 2009, after a nearly six-year restoration. This is also one of the oldest and the most beautiful markets in the city that still manages to retain its traditional heritage and atmosphere.

The Mercado also aims to become a Centre for Culinary Culture, where the product is key, together with the active presence of food-related functions and events. It even has a large gastronomic library.

“It’s a traditional market for the 21st century,” said Ana Martín, a publicist for the 33 market vendors. By day, the Mercado woos residents and visitors alike, with beautiful fresh produce while after hours, the crowd shifts focus to wine and tapas bars and the famous Sherry Corner.

9. Mercato Centrale, Florence

The Mercato Centrale is in a beautiful two-storey building, built in the 1870s when Florence was still the capital of Italy. On the ground floor, there are the singular butchers, bakers, fruit and veg vendors and small specialty shops selling local specialties. There’s also a stunning library and tables where you can sit and savour what you’ve just bought.

Recently re-opened is the second floor, with numerous restaurants, cafes and food stalls open every day until midnight. The large space is divided into individual sections, each dedicated to a different Italian specialty such as cheese, Chianti wine or baked goods. This new floor of the market is not only a hub for food, but also for Italian culture and history. You can watch how traditional bread is made, or how artisan gelato is still made from scratch. By allowing visitors to see the production and engage in the process of artisan culinary traditions, the new Mercato acts as a cultural centre for Italian culinary traditions.

10. Besiktas Fish Market, Istanbul

Besiktas is one of Istanbul’s most populated and diverse neighbourhoods – an eclectic area with a village-like atmosphere that is in the process of urban renewal. Its small but iconic open-air fish market, more than a century old, is located on a triangular-shaped crossroads position in a zone full of small businesses and crowded restaurants. In order to remain faithful to its true essence, as a public market square covered with a porch, recent reconstruction solutions saw it ending up with a triangular-shaped concrete shell covering the entire site, with large openings at street level. The absence of any kind of façade, or pillars, means that light comes in on all three sides, and that the market is closely integrated with the pedestrian streets surrounding it. Due to its location and open and flexible structure, the space is now often used for temporary art exhibits and community events.

This is a quintessential public space that, unlike many other new commercial spaces of the city, doesn’t turn its back on the city but promotes local commerce and the slowed-down movement, social interaction and a range of activities, thus contributing to the lively scene in the neighbourhood.

Timeline:
1217 (officially opened 1840) – La Boqueria, Barcelona
1840s (refurbished 2005) – Santa Caterina Market, Barcelona
1870s (refurbished 2014) – Mercato Centrale, Florence
1890s (refurbished 2009) – Besiktas Fish Market, Istanbul
1890s (refurbished 2011) – Markthalle Neun, Berlin
1916 (refurbished 2009) – Mercado de San Miguel, Madrid
2011 Torvehallerne, Copenhagen
2012 Fish Market, Bergen
2014 Markthal, Rotterdam
2014 Copenhagen Street Food, Copenhagen. SCN