Travel Tips & Links - Much More Out There

The following are things I have learnt over the years from making bookings to looking at where to eat.
It’s not an exhaustive list but a set of guide points I use when planning a trip.

Travel advice websites

Doing your research

The politics of a country

Travelling as a single woman

Planning your trip

Accommodation

Tours

Food

Restaurants

Markets

Travel advice websites

To Trip Adviser or to not Trip Adviser

There have been many stories written about Trip Adviser including the fake reviews and hotels getting higher rates if booked through them – including other travel sites – but it does remain one of the best sites to find hotels, restaurants and other information – including about sites.

With anything, you apply a grain of salt to what you might be seeing in a review. If someone complains that the drinks weren’t cold (a comment that was made about an amazing eco-lodge we stayed at in Rwanda that was solar powered), include a photo of any minute problem they can find in a hotel room, or complain that they didn’t get a balcony room – then it’s always good to apply a degree of skepticism about what their experience may have been, that perhaps they have an unrealistic expectation when they travel or what their motivation may have been for the comments.

Trip Adviser have been very public in their efforts to stop fake reviews or vexatious comments and allowing hotels and accommodation o respond to some comments is very useful to get both sides of the story.

I continue to use it including reviews of my own. I think only once have I left a ‘bad’ review for something as I genuinely want to highlight the positives of travel and the fact – as I have said – there is something wonderful about anywhere you travel to. What I typically do is – for example – when I am looking at hotels is that I do a general search, use a site like Expedia or country and city websites and have a look at Trip Adviser to see what people have written about it. Some of the best hotels I have stayed at I have found through Trip Adviser and also good recommendations for buying tickets, when to go to sites and good locations for restaurants, as examples.

There is just about always a degree of bias when anyone comments on a travel experience as we all experience a place differently and sometimes when you have bad experiences with a hotel, restaurant, airline or anything else, it impacts your whole experience of a place. Sites like Trip Adviser at the very least provide a guide and comments by other travelers that can assist you in planning your trip.

Expedia

There are many websites around through which to book travel, but Expedia is probably the most reliable I have used. It has been around for a long time and partners with reliable travel organisations. Before I started using Trip Adviser I did a search on travel booking websites and Trip Adviser was universally seen as being one of the most reliable, well-established and trusted sites. There are others such as Webjet and Skyscanner – both of which I will also often check and have used Skyscanner, but I find the search feature and general features of Trip Adviser the best.

Occasionally I have found that Trip Adviser will provide certain options particularly when doing fights searches and I understand they have partnership with certain airlines so that isn’t unexpected. On some occasions if I know I want to travel with a particular airline for reasons related to stop-overs there or on the way back or because I am looking to in get frequent flyer points, I will book directly trough an airlines site. That is therefore another option as they will also give you accommodation suggestions. Again Trip Adviser generally provides a wider set of options.

One thing I did l learn however, post-COVID-19, was that sometimes when you use these sites, you might be purchasing a flight etc. from a third party website. I learnt this when havign to try and get a refund for a flight due to COVID-19 and it was a drama. I will now, when I can, book directly through an airline if I know for sure I want to travel with them. I will still use a site, like Expedia, if i want to compare flights. Theer is also of course the option of using a travel agent if you have a more complex booking.

Other helpful websites:

Doing your research

I remain a loyal follower of Lonely Planet guides – from the country, city to pocket guides. I took Lonely Planet when I was backpacking and using their shoestring guides and continue to use them now that I am no longer a backpacker.

To be honest, I haven’t really looked wider than Lonely Planet when it comes to actual guidebooks, but I have browsed others. I continue to find Lonely Planet the best in terms of providing a good mix of history; travel tips and need to know information such as currency, getting about, cultural awareness; a mix of restaurants, shopping and accommodation from cheaper to boutique options; and maps.

Like all guides by the time the make it to your hands some information may already be out of date and I have found that with some of the Lonely Planet guides but that is always to be expected.

Lonely Planet have the option of having hard copy, book guides or electronic version. I still like the old fashion books as you can read them whenever you want and I still love to have them on the shelf to look at the places I have been and remind myself yes I actually did go there – when it you have returned and it all feels like a dream.

The Lonely Planet website also has very good summary information which is worthwhile looking at.

Country and city-based websites

Another good source of information including for accommodation and sites, museums, restaurants etc. are city-based and country-based websites. Many will often have list of accommodation, suggested restaurants, sites and national or regional public holidays, or provide links for information. The information on sites is very useful as it will advise about needing to book tickets in advance and advise on sites in general.

These are some very good websites I have used:

Japan

Japan Travel
Includes information activities, travel deals, transport, seasonal activities, and culture.

https://www.japan.travel/en/au/

JTB Travel
Australian based travel website for japan. This is where you can purchase Japan Rail passes – note you can only purchase outside of Japan – and find information about accommodation, tours and tickets for sites.

https://au.jtbtrip.com/

Copenhagen

This is great website on Copenhagen providing links and information on a range of areas for visitors to Copenhagen. The information on restaurants has categories for different areas, family friendly, coffee shops, value for money and fine dining.

https://www.visitcopenhagen.com/

Stockholm

Many countries have ‘visit’ websites and this is another very good one. Listing eating and drinking options, things to see and do, guides to different areas and events.

https://www.visitstockholm.com/

The politics of a country

It’s obviously just coincidence but we seem to be travelling to a country when there is a major protest occurring.

It happened in Delhi, India after the horrific rape and death of a young woman on a bus and there were huge protests which shut off parts of the city; Thailand at the time of the protests against the Government – we encountered the teachers and public servants on the Sky Train and saw the most ever riot police I have seen a huge barbed wire being rolled out; Mexico City when families of the 23 students marched against their disappearance; London at the time of Parliament Brexit votes with big gatherings outside Parliament; central America having just left Cuba when Obama announced the end of sanctions (since reintroduced by Trump); Cambodia when they were having ‘win, win’ day – well the Khmer Rouge did bad but they are now in government so it’s all ok; and the home of the climate strike in Stockholm when it was happening.

I am a political person and was very involved in politics for many years, but as with remembering that a place is someone’s home and respecting that, it’s also important – I think – to admire and maybe give a nod to people when you see them being actively political, but again respecting you don’t know the full reasons for what is happening and not being a foreigner getting involved.

I know this is a vexed subject, but it is one of judgment, including about the actual politics of the country. Bearing witness and talking about it or writing about is a way of still raising awareness without putting yourself and the people protesting in a dangerous situation.

Travelling as a single woman

I did most of my early travel as a single woman. My first ever big trip as an adult – I will admit – was a Contiki tour, the type of trip with 20 countries in 20 days. I am not denigrating Contiki at all as for many it’s just what they want – you see a lot in a short time, everything is organised and it’s reasonably affordable. It wasn’t for me – I like to get out and explore, see museums and galleries, try different food. But I learnt that from doing this trip.

As single woman traveller, you do have to take into consideration – unfortunately – anywhere you go be it Australia, Europe or India, being in situations where your safety isn’t compromised. After my first trio and knowing it wasn’t for me, I backpacked on my own through Europe, England, Ireland and Scotland and met up with friends in Morocco. I was fortunate in one of my first stops to meet up with two female friends who were travelling together and had already sussed out the backpacking travel scene and gave me invaluable tips, Sandra and Belinda I still remember you lovely people. One thing about staying in hostels was that you did meet a lot of people and ended up travelling with them together some days.

I travelled a fair bit by train – as it was quicker and more convenient – I only travelled during the day and didn’t travel via overnight trains. Another good option is hop on, hop off buses where you can get a pass and travel to various countries across Europe. I did this in England, Ireland and Scotland and it was a good way to travel. There are typically schedules for these buses which does mean you have to look at how many days you can stay in a place, but they are another affordable option.

After backpacking across Europe I wanted to expand my travel experiences and ventured to Vietnam. Vietnam is obviously now a well-travelled destination. I went in 1989 when it was starting to open up as a travel destination. This is when I discovered Intrepid – small group, adventure tours. I travelled with Intrepid 3 more times after my first trip with them – to Nepal and India; Laos, Cambodia and Thailand; and the Middle East – Egypt, Jordan, Syria and Turkey. We have also done many of their Urban Adventures – which are city, based day and shorter tours.

I found Intrepid excellent in that you still travelled by local transport such as bus and train, but had that support of a small group and guide to help you get from A to B; you stay in small, interesting accommodation; and visit places you possibly wouldn’t find or feel able to find as a solo traveler. You also don’t have to go on a particular activity if you don’t want and have free days to do what you would like.

As a single female traveler, I chose to travel with Intrepid as travelling to countries where you don’t know the language, where public transport isn’t as accessible or available, and which is very different to where you live, it just gave some peace of mind and made the travel experience possibly much more enjoyable. I give major props to women who travel on their own in countries a bit off the usual tourist path!! Many of the intrepid trips I have done have had female guides in countries such as India, Laos and Cambodia and through the Middle East.

This is the link to Intrepid Travel – intrepidtravel.com.au
There are other companies that I know of as well such as:
- Peregrine
- G Adventures
- World Expeditions

The main tips I would have as a single female traveler are:

Consider where you are travelling and how you are going to travel around the country or countries and if a small group tour will be better and with a well-known and reputable company.
If you are travelling on your own, look at travel options where you won’t be travelling overnight and again that are known and recommended by other travelers and in guidebooks.
If you are staying at hostels, make sure again that they have full facilities for women. I once booked somewhere that was a hostel for men – the guidebook didn’t actually say this – and had no bathroom facilities for women. I was out of there very quickly!
Stay somewhere central or on local transport options so that you are closer to transport – around and to and from a place. Sometimes places close to central railway stations – as we all know – aren’t always the safest places so as noted, the other option is to make sure you are on a local transport routes so you can get about without too much trouble and affordably.
Don’t be afraid to get out and about! As with where you live every day, you don’t put yourself in a situation as much as possible where you don’t feel safe. Doing day trips like Urban Adventures are a great way to see a place and go out at night or somewhere out of the way but not having to be on your own.

Planning your trip

Guide books – I still think guide books are an essential part of your travel. I am old school and like the hard copy – it is lovely then to have your collection of books sitting on the shelf and reminding you that yes I actually did go there! I am a fan of Lonely Planet – I have always used Lonely Planet and remain loyal to them. All of my trips, Lonely planet has been there with me. I love Lonely Planet because it tells you about the history of country and will often tell you the good with the bad.
When we travel we also use our mobile phones sparingly – at first we didn’t travel with one but now do for emergencies and to make the odd call if needed. Obviously downloading guide books in an option. However you so often see people looking at their mobiles and not at what is around them, which is where the physical guidebook is wonderful to see a map and get to know the physical lay-out of a city or place. Mobiles are obviously good for maps, confirming bookings and making reservations while you are travelling.
Work out where you want to go– plan 6 months to a year in advance. I like to plan in advance – mainly because once I book one trip, I can’t help thinking about the next trip! Planning in advance is good to look at flight and accommodation deals, check if it’s a peak time, start to organise any tickets for sights, shows or restaurants. It is also key to saving for the trip and working out your budget.
Look at what there is do to and how compact a place is before deciding on how many days and nights – including when sights you want to visit are open and closed
Draft an itinerary which sets out dates, flight numbers and times, accommodation addresses and phone numbers, any sites being visited and when.
If you are visiting a popular site or at a popular time, see if you can book tickets ahead of time or even if its required. Many places also require bookings even if it’s a free entry site.
Check the visa requirements and what the timeframes are for applying for visa if it’s required. Sometimes the requirements aren’t always clear so check a couple of sites – Smart Traveler and if there is a country website.

For example, the US has the Visa Waiver Program (VWP) which allows nationals of certain countries, including Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom, to travel to the United States for tourism or business for stays of 90 days or less without obtaining a visa, if certain requirements are met. However, all nationals and citizens of the Visa Waiver Program (VWP) countries, including Australia, are required to obtain a travel authorisation prior to initiating travel to the United States. This is the Electronic System for Travel Authorization which is obtained through the Department of Homeland Security website. This information is now much clearer on the US Consulate website but previously it only had the first set of information about not needing a visa. We were travelling via the US before going to Central America and Cuba and got caught as we didn’t think we needed a Visa. The wonderful staff at Qantas at Canberra airport sorted us out and made us feel better telling us they assisted people with this just about every day. Anyway, it was a lesson for me – who is a seasoned traveller – to double check these requirements.

Purchase insurance the same time you start booking airfares and accommodation.
When booking flights way up cheap flights with how many stop overs there are and the travel time – it might not be worth the cheap price.
If you have to stay overnight at an airport consider staying at an airport hotel if there is one – having a shower and lying down – even if you don’t sleep – for a few hours will help when you arrive at your destination, particularly if it’s a long haul flight. Mid-way destinations like Hong Kong, Singapore, Bangkok and KL have hotels within the airport and you don’t have to go through customs.
Breaking up long haul flights is worth the extra cost – if you can afford it – as it helps you arrive in a better state at your destination and also on your way home. Stopping for a few nights in somewhere like Singapore – for example – eases the shock of coming home from your fabulous trip or again breaks up the long flights. I love Asia and many airlines use these countries as a stop-over point. There other options – which I haven’t tried – such as Abu Dhabi another popular stop-over point.

Accomodation

Once upon a time when I first started travelling it was all about the hostel and if I wanted to really splurge, a B&B (usually with a shared bathroom). Times have changed and it’s now about boutique, interesting hotels and apartments – if staying somewhere for a few days and nights. I try to look for boutique hotels if I can as typically they will be locally run. When we went to Venice we were completely shocked by the numbers of people there – I had read about it but is was another thing to experience it – particularly the massive cruise ships ferrying people around sites during the days and then disappearing back to the ships and not actually spending in local businesses. When we were speaking to a staff member at the lovely little hotel we were staying at we said we felt bad because we were adding to the swarms. However, she said you are doing it the right way – you are staying at a small, locally run hotel, eating out at local restaurants – you’re supporting local business. I try to apply that ethos as much as possible when we travel.

Youth Hostel International and Youth Hostels Australia – These were the main source of information for me about hostels in different countries. At the time when I was staying at hostels there was a guidebook to hostels around the world and in peak times, bookings like for hotels was important. Bookings can be made on the Hostels International website.

Websites such as Trip Adviser and Expedia are good guides for searching for accommodation as you can see tips or reviews from other travelers – always applying the grain of salt. Airline websites are also useful, noting there are likely to be accommodation deals that they have with particular accommodations. One of the best hotels I have stayed at – Hotel Mume in Kyoto, Japan – I found through Trip Adviser and didn’t find it via any other website.

Country and city-based websites are another good option to search for accommodation.
Much like anything on the internet, it’s about searching to see what is available and doing your due diligence to check something is legitimate and trust worthy.

One of my favourite sites is Mr and Mrs Smith. They provide boutique and interesting accommodation options across different price ranges. I have used them many times and I find them extremely reliable in terms of quality and the information provided. Every hotel I have booked through them has been of top quality. They – like other sites – most likely have certain hotels that are promoted, but again the quality available through them I have found absolutely excellent.

Small Luxury Hotels are basically about what their name says, small, luxury hotels. I have found them to have options that are more expensive then available on a website like Mr. and Mr. Smith.

Boutique Hotel Me is another available source of information. Some of the hotels promoted on there I haven’t always found to be ‘boutique’ in that sometimes they have larger, chain hotels. However, I have found hotels on there I haven’t found elsewhere.

Fairbnb.coop – I first read about Fairbnb in an article in the travel magazine for The Age. As it is described on the website, it is a cooperative booking platform that also promotes and funds local initiatives and projects. It started in Venice, Amsterdam and Bologna, and has now expanded across Europe.

Like other platforms they charge a commission, half goes to Fairbnb and the other half goes to funding community projects. You can register as a host, a traveler and projects. As a traveler you register and book your stay, choose a project to donate your fee, a request is sent to the host, and your booking is confirmed or denied by the host.

You need to register an account to be able to search for accommodation options. It doesn’t list what countries are available – you need to find this out by searching for a city or country.

I haven’t used the platform, but if we are travelling to any of the destinations will absolutely give it a go.

Airbnb – I have used Airbnb in the past but apply a degree of caution now given the problems that have happened particularly in European countries. The impact on places such as Venice has been very negative. With anything, use judgment and consider if it’s appropriate depending on where you are going.

Way to Stay – This is another website that provides apartment accommodation options in European cites and some other countries. I used them when we travelled to Paris, Spain and Portugal, and in 2019 for Berlin. The information provided in the apartments will very much be dependent on the owners and manager – this can therefore ne good and not so good. The customer support is also a bit hit and miss. However, the quality of the apartments themselves that I have booked through them has been consistently good.

Plum Guides – I recently came across them. The tag line is ‘stay in the world’s most remarkable homes’ and that there is no time for average. I haven’t used them before but did some research and found a write-up on them and the appear very reliable. The homes available do look great and a range of prices, although slightly on the more pricey end. They are currently in limited locations, but I will check them out in the future.

Tours

Short day and half day tours

Our last few trips I have organized myself. One thing I do like doing is doing day or half day tours that show you sites where you might need a guide, will see parts of a place you may not fund on your own and of course, eat and try food you won’t find as a tourist.

There are a range of tours available. The tour company I have used the most is Urban Adventures which are – basically as the name says – short day, half day or a few hours tours in cities. I have travelled many times with Intrepid itself when I was a woman travelling on my own and have now used Urban Adventures many times. I have found them to be very reliable and good and like the fact they used local based guides. I have only once had a not very positive experience and when I wrote to Urban Adventures about this, they were very responsive and good about it.

The one which has to have a stand-alone category

I first came across Ute Biefang in an article in the travel section of the Sydney Morning Herald where the writer was in Paris and did a city tour with Ute. We were planning a trip to Paris and Spain and got in touch with Ute as one of the big focuses of Ute’s tours was food. Ute is what you would a call a citizen of the world – Ute was born in Germany and had lived in Berlin, Argentina and Paris and had been the producer of the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival.

We booked a day tour with Ute in Paris and also took up the service of having a restaurant booking made. The tour with Ute in Paris was an absolute highlight of our whole trip. Her insights not only about food but about the hidden history and stories of Paris were wonderful. Ute customises tours for each person depending on your interests. I basically said we were interested in seeing different parts of the city and food. Ute took us through the wonderful covered passages, different neighbourhoods and again things you would never find on your own. Two streets back form the Pigalle is a wonderous local street with food – who would have known otherwise!?

Along the way Ute talked to us about a new foodie area of Paris where many refugees and migrants had moved and where the South American influence had seen shops painted in different bright colours. We said that sounded interesting and so we changed trains and headed off to this fabulous area. Ute took us to an outdoor food hall for lunch, to a beautiful chocolate shop and patisserie and recommended places to go afterwards – we returned to a local bistro for a very Parisian bistro dinner.

Ute is where I first found out about the top 50 restaurants. Ute had liked them because they are more about the food then about the décor. Ute booked us for dinner at Le Chateaubriand. It was such a wonderful dining experience where the waiters delivered each meal and lovingly described it to you. There was no menu and it was degustation as the food varied daily depending on what was fresh and seasonal. My only wish was that we had toured with Ute earlier in our trip – a tip I have now done with other trips so you get to know the neighbourhoods and good eating places early. Ute also gave the advice that a smaller menu is a good thing as they will know how to cook those things really well rather than a menu which has 100 dishes from 100 different cuisines.

We went to Berlin in 2019 and I thought I would look up to see what Ute was doing – knowing that she was from Berlin. Wonderfully, Ute was in Berlin and I found the Ute in Berlin website! We spent a wonderful day – our first full day in Berlin – with Ute. Even though it rained most of the day, Ute took us to parts of the city which showed the fascinating history of Berlin, beautiful art deco building now a hotel with a stunning swimming pool, a once Jewish girls school that had been restored and turned into an arts and restaurant complex, Hackesche Hofe an art deco courtyard complex with shops, cafes and theatres, and of course took us to and showed us wonderful cafes and eateries, including Lindner which had seriously delicious take home food, breads and pastries. Ute also booked us two great restaurant experiences including the beautiful Katz Orange.

After we went to Paris I told people they must do a tour with Ute if traveling to Paris and I know many of them did. I will be doing the same now for Berlin! Ute truly is in a category of her own. Her passion for food, architecture and history makes any day with Ute not just a tour but an experience which makes a visit to a city a truly wonderful experience!

Food

Why is the food so special?

A big part of travel is the food, in fact not just a big part! Food is the window to the soul of a country – it tells you so much about the history, influences, lifestyle, and celebrations. Whether it’s a market, street food, or a restaurant it gives you the opportunity to be with locals. Don’t stay in your hotel and eat Italian if you are staying in KL (overheard by someone who was eating at a Malaysian restaurant in Canberra and had just been in Malaysia!!!???).

The experience of eating somewhere different, trying different foods and being somewhere wonderful and with locals is truly a experience that can’t be beaten. An open-air BBQ restaurant in Saigon in a fairy light lit garden; a place that cooks fish on the BBQ where you eat at big communal tables in a courtyard garden in Lisbon surrounded by locals looking out from their balconies; a farm to table café in the middle of the city in Phnom Pehn where chickens scratch around your feet; in a village in Laos somewhere not far from the border of Cambodia by the Mekong River eating a literal interpretation of fish soup – a river fish sitting whole in your broth – accompanied by a cold Beer Laos; a top 50 restaurant in Paris where the waiter explains each dish that comes to your table with great passion and care; a bustling four floor okonomiyaki food hall where each vendor promotes and beckons you to their stall and you pick the one screening the game of the Carp baseball team; picking different items for dinner from stalls at the central food Mercato Centrale in Florence with a glass of Italian wine; eating whole eggplant with tahini and garlic that has been cooked fresh in a big stone oven at a French Lebanese café in Mahane Yahuda. And the list goes on!!

Yes you do need to be careful – our delicate, Western stomachs are used to different water, foods and this can lead to ‘unpleasantness’. I have made the mistake myself in India. I had been travelling there for 3 weeks without any problems, eating local and street food and then I let my guard down and ate noodles with vegetables at a hotel. Sounds innocuous enough but it no doubt would have been sitting there for a long time and being in a hotel you can’t see how it’s cooked. I absolutely knew better – eat the local food and if it’s street food, eat what you can see being cooked. I woke up early the next morning with what looked and sounded like an alien trying to burst out of my stomach – needless to say it was a couple of days I could have done without.

But again, it’s all about research, eating where there are lots of locals, getting recommendations, and eating what people know to cook. Doing a tour is a fantastic way of finding out about great places to eat. Learning from experience I have found that doing such a tour the first day you are in a place then means you can go back and try places that are recommended or look great and it’s also a wonderful way to help orient you to a place. You will also find out about great markets so if you’re on a budget, you can tale food back to your hotel or apartment and cook, have a picnic or have a little feast on the train, but you are still finding out about local ingredients and places to shop.

Don’t be afraid to get out there! Just staying in your hotel or apartment and not experiencing the heart of a place – its food – means you will miss out on so much that is wonderful!!

Food Tours:

Restaurants

Search for place off the tourist trail. When we went to Venice in 2018 I looked to find places which were out of the swarming tourist areas – although at night the place is deserted by the cruise ships and you can walk walking around you encounter small numbers of people. Through some research I found a lovely place called Co Vino which only sat 14 people and where the menu changed daily based on what was seasonal and fresh. Obviously because it featured in overseas articles and can also be found on Trip Adviser it was exactly not touristy, but venturing out of the main areas can bring absolute gems!
Sites such as the New York Times, Time Out, The Age, Gourmet Traveler and similar have great recommendations for places to eat.
Look for a place where there are many locals eating – this also applies wherever you live. – is always an indication that a place is good.
I also apply Ute Biefang’s logic that a place with a smaller menu is going to be a good bet as they know what they are cooking.

The World’s 50 Best Restaurants

The top 50 list is a great guide for restaurants all around the world. It also extends to the 100 best and now has lists for Asia and Latin America. The prices will vary from mid-range to super expensive and exclusive – the invite only concept is one I struggle with – but eating at one of these restaurants is an unforgettable experience.

Whenever we are a travelling somewhere, I will scan the list for restaurants of cities we are visiting. Sometimes they are way out of a spending range – the restaurants on the list in Japan particularly Tokyo are mostly prohibitive – but we have been to a number of them including in Mexico City, Tokyo (I had to get down to about 90 before it was within an reasonable range), Paris and Bangkok. It’s a once off, special occasion experience but as I said, all the top 50 restaurants we have been to have been a wonderful experience.

Markets

One of the best ways to experience a city and its food is to explore markets. This can be markets where you can try things and take home things to eat later, sit down and have a meal or snack, or experience a local markets where locals do their shopping – these are always a colourful and educational experience!

Often people are reluctant to eat at markets but one of the things about them is that you can see what people are making or cooking right there in front of you. The food is always – or mostly – fresh. A way to explore markets is to do a tour with a local guide who can give you advice on what is good to eat.

Great markets

I absolutely love a food market! It is quite literally one of my favourite things to do when visiting towns, cities and countries. We typically end up going back to markets more than once when we are staying somewhere for a few days to eat at different places or get provisions, particularly if we are staying in an apartment. They are a wonderful way to experience a city as you will have many locals there as well along with tourists.

You will see and smell things you may not have seen before, and at an Indian or Vietnamese market see that no part of an animal isn’t worth displaying in the open and no part will get wasted!

These are some of my favourites from different parts of the world.

Torvehallerne, Copenhagen

Torvehallerne was one of the stops on our Foods of Copenhagen tour. The markets are an easy walking distance from Norreport train station. They are busy markers filled with locals and tourist alike. There are two large, floor to ceiling glass enclosed food halls with everything from small artisan shops selling household goods, coffee, bread, cakes, seafood, cheeses – everything you can imagine. Then outside there are markets selling fresh produce – fruits and vegetables. There is a big selection of locally made and other Danish specialties.
On our food tour we tried fantastic cheeses and some Danish cherry liquor from Norliq. After our food tour ended, we headed back to Torvehallerne to pick up some food for dinner back at our apartment. We had seen earlier that day a seafood place that was very busy and popular and looked delicious, so went back there to see what they had. They had a huge selection of hot and cold take home and eat at the markets seafoods including fantastic looking salads. We got tuna sashimi, a crab salad, and a shrimp and mango salad. Along with the beautiful bread we got at a bakery near our apartment, it made for a very delicious and filling dinner.
https://www.visitcopenhagen.com/copenhagen/planning/torvehallerne-gdk545401

Tsukiji Market, Tokyo

On our trip to Japan in 2016 we did a tour of the Tsukiji Fish Market – which wasn’t long before it moved from the site where it had been since 1935. The fish market is now known as Toyosu Market at it’s new site in Toyosu. You can still visit the Tsukiji Outer Market.
View the Japan Guide
We didn’t get there early to see the fish sales, but went later in the day. It wasn’t as bustling as it would have been in the morning, but it was still fascinating to see the massive tuna sides being cut with a sword. One of the market stalls told us – translating through our guide – that the sword they used was very old and due to sharpening over the years, it was now half the length it had been.
One of the pluses with visiting mid-morning, was that we were able to have a sashimi lunch in a tiny restaurant that has fresh seafood available every day. There are a number of small restaurants around the markets – I imagine or hope now at the new site. They would be difficult to find or know where to go without a guide and we would never have found the gem we went to without our guide. It only sat about 8 people – if that – and she told us people book weeks or months in advance. It was a simply stunning lunch with our sushi master – who our guide translated to us has trained chefs and cooked at some of the world’s top restaurants and hotels – at work right in front of us, and it is a form or art. The simplicity of the rice – which was also a specialised technique – with fresh fish was truly sublime. The snapper – which I told the chef was my favourite – was amazing!
While the site now if different, a visit here is a must. Not only for the main fish markets, but also the array of shops and market stalls that surround the fish markets selling household goods, fresh produce – like fresh wasabi – and many, many other things. Again, a great way to see a different slice of life in Tokyo with both locals and tourists.

Machane Yehuda, Jerusalem

Machabe Yehuda – also known as the Shuk – is one of the main food markets in Jerusalem. The covered market is closed on Saturday’s for Shabbat but open all other days – and night. It has an amazing array of food including fresh produce, cheeses, sweets (including many, many versions of baklava and the best halva ever), meat, fish, bread – everything! It’s a must to visit. You can do organised tours but it is also just fabulous to wander yourself and try food from the various stalls – many will offer tastings. It is packed with people – locals and tourists – and has a buzzing atmosphere.
When we visited Jerusalem our apartment was an easy walking distance so we went here many times to get provisions for our apartment and to have lunch and dinner. As well as the many stalls there are fabulous cafes and restaurants located in the market and in the surrounding area.
One of the best restaurants in Jerusalem Machneyuda – which featured in Yotam Ottolenghi’s documentary on Jerusalem is located near the market – we went here for a friend’s dinner on or last night in Jerusalem.
Another memorable restaurant we ate at twice was a French Lebanese restaurant which had an amazing stone oven where they cooked whole eggplants which were then cut and topped with tahini and falafel plus other things – delicious!!

Chatuchak Weekend Market, Bangkok

The world’s largest weekend market – so the website says – is in Bangkok on Saturday and Sunday from 9am-6pm. There are a lot of tourists but a good number of locals too, but you can get everything from a great pad thai to fruit and veg to shoes to tyres to souveneirs. It’s big, packed, hot and sweaty but good fun. It’s fairly easy to get here my Skytrain – a short walk from the nearest stop – and probably the easiest way given the Bangkok traffic. The MRT has a closer stop to the markets also.
I have been to the markets on my two visits (so far!) to Bangkok and have a great time on both occasions. There are lots of good places to eat or have a snack and you are unlikely to leave without buying something. I love the chaos of markets but I know some people don’t so this market is probably a good entrée into the world of SE Asian’s markets for people who are dipping their toe in for the first time.

Other great markets are:

Florence