Every city has souvenirs. These places have personality. Whether it is handmade baskets, fresh seafood, or centuries-old craftsmanship, these markets are worth adjusting your itinerary and luggage allowance for.
Charleston City Market — Charleston, South Carolina
Few markets feel as woven into a city’s identity as Charleston City Market. Stretching several blocks through the historic district, this open-air corridor hums with sweetgrass baskets, local art, and generations of Lowcountry craft traditions. Watching artisans hand-weave baskets using techniques passed down for centuries is reason enough to linger—but the market’s charm lies in how seamlessly it blends history, culture, and everyday Charleston life.
Portobello Road Market — London, England
On Saturdays, Notting Hill turns into a glorious, crowded scavenger hunt. Portobello Road Market is where antique dealers, vintage clothing sellers, and food stalls collide in the most London way possible. One minute you’re flipping through Victorian postcards, the next you’re eating a warm pastry on the curb. It’s chaotic, colorful, and endlessly entertaining—exactly how a great market should feel.
Maui Swap Meet — Kahului, Hawaii
Held every Saturday morning, the Maui Swap Meet is less tourist trap, more community gathering. Local vendors sell handmade jewelry, wood carvings, island-grown fruit, and souvenirs that actually feel personal. It’s affordable, friendly, and a refreshing counterpoint to Maui’s luxury resorts—proof that some of the best travel experiences cost only a few dollars and a bit of curiosity.
Tsukiji Outer Market — Tokyo, Japan
While the famous wholesale fish auctions have moved, the Tsukiji Outer Market remains one of Tokyo’s most irresistible food-focused destinations. Narrow lanes brim with knife shops, tea sellers, seafood vendors, and tiny eateries serving some of the freshest bites you’ll ever taste. It’s not an artisan market in the traditional sense—but craftsmanship, precision, and obsession with quality are everywhere you look (and eat).
Santa Fe Indian Market — Santa Fe, New Mexico
This isn’t just a market—it’s an event. Held once a year since 1922, Santa Fe Indian Market brings together thousands of Indigenous artists from across North America, showcasing jewelry, pottery, textiles, and fine art rooted in living traditions. Meeting artists face-to-face and hearing the stories behind their work turns every purchase into something far more meaningful than a souvenir.
Pike Place Market — Seattle, Washington
One of the oldest continuously operating public markets in the U.S., Pike Place is part food hall, part artisan hub, part Seattle icon. Beyond the famous flying fish, you’ll find local craftspeople, flower stalls, small-batch food producers, and waterfront views that make lingering mandatory—even in the rain.
Grand Bazaar — Istanbul, Turkey
Massive, mesmerizing, and centuries old, Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar is less a market and more a city within a city. Thousands of shops sell handwoven rugs, ceramics, lamps, jewelry, spices, and leather goods beneath vaulted ceilings. Getting lost here is inevitable—and encouraged.
