It is often reported that Walthamstow Market, stretching for one kilometre, is the longest market in Europe. Having personally walked through it, I can confirm that it’s about a kilometre long. But not having visited every other market in Europe, I can’t verify that it is indeed the longest. (I remember walking through one in Sofia which was pretty long.) Does anyone have a list (preferably sourced) of the longest markets in Europe, or the world? How about the largest markets? I tried some Google searches but all I get are lists of markets in the sense of national economies–I want to know about local street markets, souks, bazaars, market houses, etc. I’m not really interested in shopping malls, though I realize the distinction between them and markets may not always be clear.
I have been to the Canton Flea Market in Canton, TX. It is one of the biggest if not the biggest in the U.S. and regularly scheduled. It is made up of over 100 acres and 28 miles of shopping paths.
When I went to the Leicester Market in 2006, it had a sign commemorating its 700th anniversary, and claiming to be “Europe’s largest covered market”. (Of course, my picture of it is of only a part of the market.)
The Rungis market near Paris is the largest wholesale food market in the world (according to Wiki). It’s 232-hectares (573 acres).
Tours are at 5 am.
The largest covered market in the world is the bazaar in Tabriz, Iran. I forget the exact size, but it is huge, labyrinthine, and very impressive - several kilometers of hallways. The Unesco World Heritage website says the area is 29 ha, and the “buffer zone” 75 ha..
The Cherkizovsky market in Moscow was Europe’s largest until it was closed in 2009. It employed an estimated 100.000 workers. That was a great place - I didn’t even know it was closed until I found the wiki link 