You can buy anything or everything at Les Abattoirs et Marchés d'Anderlecht…read more As a tourist, it is a good place to see where the locals shops for their staples. Seriously, it is like a flea market, antique market, farmer's market and much much more. Everyone here with their shopper carts on wheels shopping like there is no tomorrow! There is also live stock: rabbits, ducks, chickens, pigeons (And I keep wondering do they sell them as pets or as food?) The experience can be quite overwhelming but it was worth going there and checking it out if you have time. A Carousel with Real Donkeys?!

After my friend did a little bit of lagging from the overseas long haul. We headed off to a local…read moreMarchés on Sunday, one of our farthest point-of-interest from city centrale. Who doesn't love visiting a foreign Meat Market, right? But from the massive scale of this Market, we got side-tracked and detoured away from Vleesmarkt - Marche aux viandes. What I did see was a never-ending sea of locals, mostly ethnic origins in a frenzy packed like sardines moving forward at a frantic pace through the non-existent openings of walkway blocked by people after people, merchant after merchant. Imagine New York City density, market the size of a small airfield, the products for sale of a bargain flea market. - Fruits: Occupies a quarter of the space, but why every stall is repetitive? - Goods: Low quality clothing, toys, antiques, old machinery, furniture - Spices: A few stalls of selling Middle eastern spices and dried fruits - Prepared Food: Meat and charcuterie where most people eat a type of hotdog - Animals/Pets: Affordable animals, a popular stall for children and tourist alike It was a cultural experience more than a shopping experience in my opinion. My friend kept wondering why all the food stalls were lined with Men-only purchasing food but it turns out this is an African area district. I can see why it was so popular amongst the locals in the area and the cars align the outer streets even risking traffic tickets. Along my trip strolling through centrale Brussels, I did notice smaller local convenient shops displaying fruits and vegetables outside their shop doors and now I know where some of them get their produce. Is it worth your weekend to possibly get trampled and pushed around to purchase directly from the Market itself rather than your local shop depends on how adventurous you really are. If you're looking for a touristy market like Jatujak in Bangkok, you're in the wrong place but if you're looking to be part of a local flavor and excitement in a market where the ground is littered with smashed fruits giving off that orangey scent, this is for you! Previous: Hotel Ibis Brussels http://www.yelp.ca/biz/hotel-ibis-brussels-bruxelles-2#hrid:9mgfrKPJgSQ0_rCF-nB7Og Next: Friterie Tabora http://www.yelp.ca/biz/friterie-tabora-bruxelles#hrid:rw7rFXejF0gkjNfYEi96YA

Awesome market to wonder around on a Saturday, time is open from 9-4. The Vogelmarkt is a wonderful…read moremarket to visit, preference is Saturday market in comparison to Sunday Market. I did not consider the Sunday market so flattering, but adored every bit of the Saturday market. Make sure to try the Turkish or Greek wraps, Dutchman thought they were amazing.

Antwerp has a killer Market on Saturday about 10 minutes from the train station - do not miss this…read more So many stands where you will find dried fruits, fresh everything, seafood, butchers, sausages, and even the occasional non-food item. You can browse for hours - just bring cash. You must find the Moroccan stand near the theater building - look for the with two guys making mezze wraps and the long line. They start with handmade roti made minutes before serving and add fresh soft cheese and honey. If you have the palette of a child - you can stop there. The advanced level adds touches of dried figs, marinated artichokes, sundried tomatoes, roasted peppers and spicy olives. Yes, still with honey drizzled on. Add the Moroccan tea and for EUR 4,50 you have an incredible smattering of flavor where each bite is different.

This is everything a flea market should be. It's rowdy and absolutely chaotic. There are old…read moretimey photos of completely random people, letters, post cards, dishes stamps, terrifying old doll heads, and furs. I saw a scarf that was literally two dead ferrets sewn together (sewn together at their faces, in case you're wondering). There are a bunch of people selling both religious art and paintings of naked ladies at the same stall. This is an experience just to go and walk around, but if you're willing to put in some time, there's a lot of good stuff to be found. Haggling is encouraged.

This place isn't your normal touristy place - is it even a touristy place?? It's a legit flea…read moremarket where locals set up shop on blankets and/or put boxes of random items in their 'territory' for potential customers to go through. I visited about an hour before closing but there were still a lot of people there.. mainly locals. I had just arrived in Brussels an hour before so I had my backpack, camera bag, and my camera hanging around my neck. I was your typical tourist, but no one tried to flag me down or sell me things. That is a major bonus point! There are truly random things that ranged from teacup sets to silverware, old paintings and photographs/postcards, used toys, and handmade goods and masks from Africa. Some of them looked like they were really worn ("trash" my hubby called some, but what is one person's 'trash' is another's 'treasure'!) while others could have been new. My eyes were caught by some African masks at a "stand" that was made up of items laid on a large blanket and the owner saw; he handed me one. One thing lead to the next and due to luggage space, we ended up getting a small bronze sculpture of an African woman. We bargained a bit - he knew rudimentary English - and off we went. A fun experience! If I lived in Brussels, I might make more frequent visits. As it was, I enjoyed myself while there. I imagine one could get lost with all the items there for a while...

This flea market is ALWAYS there, rain or shine - but with less activity in the bad weather. You…read morecan buy just about anything here; they have quasi-professional sellers to those who seem to have just cleaned out their basements and attics and want to make a bit of money. Because of this, there are often very good deals to be made, so don't be afraid to haggle a bit. It starts up early in the morning, I think around 7am, and starts breaking down just after noon to 1pm. I usually spend a couple of hours looking around and after a half hour stop for a burger and a coffee at one of the two wagons that sell burgers, hot dogs, coffee, hot chocolate and even some breakfast stuff like croissants and pain au chocolat. If the weather is bad or too cold, you can always just go into the McDonalds that is right there as well. This is a great Sunday morning activity and you may even find a little treasure!

Now we're talking raspberries! The raspberry-coconut pie of Raspberry Maxx has a thick coating of…read moresweet-sour raspberry jam sprinkled with grated coconut. Underneath you'll find a paste of pure coconut and a bottom of chocolate tart. No wonder, this is the bestseller of this organic raspberry nursery that can do miracles with raspberries. Raspberries are grown from June till October, but a passionate team makes pink creations the whole year around. Raspberry dressings, raspberry mustard, raspberry granola, raspberry cheesecake. Just name it! You can buy these products in the store in Meijel (a village between Eindhoven and Venlo), online or on food markets all over The Netherlands. Every Saturday Raspberry Maxx has a stall on the organic farmers market at the Nieuwmarkt, in the middle of The Red Light District and Chinatown. A small but lively market selling cheeses, mushrooms, bread and flowers. Have a stroll and start your weekend peacefully.

The weekend market on Place Flagey was a highlight of Brussels life for me. There's something great…read moreabout waking up, walking down the street with a bag, and filling it up with fresh fruits and vegetables, choice cuts of meat, fresh-cut flowers, and so much more. If you're a tourist in Brussels the market is still a great stop because they have vendors serving up hot coffee, delicious croissants and baked goods, and even rotisserie chickens rotating before your eyes. You can also stock up on baguettes, cheese, meats, and fruit and make a nice park lunch later in the day. After the market, order a drink at Café Belga right across the place or grab a bench by the Ixelles Ponds and enjoy a lazy morning. The tram lines 81 and 71 also pass right through Flagey, so it's a nice jumping-off point to other parts of Brussels.

I live in the neighborhood and get my vegetables here every weekend. As often as possible me and my…read morepartner eat here on sunday. When you come on a sunday late morning or noon there are a variety of food trucks to choose from. You can sit down, drink a glass of wine and have a nice meal. A great way to skip the expensive sunday brunch. When it is sunny out this is the place to be! Oh, and special mention to Pim who has a coffee truck. Always in a good mood however busy it gets!

This is like the snooty rich cousin of the Marolles flea market. There are stalls set up, and…read moreeverything is quite expensive and has more of a sterile feel it it. Granted, everything is of much, much better quality. It's definitely worth stopping by if you have a large budget, but for me, it was a little boring, and there wasn't much in my price range.

What's there not to love about overcast days and beautiful antique markets. My mother's friend…read moredecided to show us around Grand Sablon and we accidentally found this antique market. Only open on weekends and full of amazing treasures. It was rather spur of the moment so we opted to just look around, and sadly did not purchase anything despite being very tempted. A number of old books and objects-- silverware and oddities. Had hoped to find something striking amongst the booths/vendors but eventually declined the idea. However, it is a lovely antique pop-up and well worth a look if wandering through the area. There are also plenty of shops and eateries in vicinity.