Travelore Tips The Top 10 Things To Do In Ottawa

Ottawa is Canada’s capital. Not Toronto. Not Montreal. It’s Ottawa, a city of just over 800,000 people, sprawled along the Ottawa River with Gatineau, Quebec, across the waterway. Oui, c’est vrai!

Ottawa buzzes with politicians politicking, senators spending way too much money, and journalists informing the nation of all the shenanigans “on the hill.” And everywhere, flags bearing the red maple leaf hang from buildings filled with government employees, running government business, and keeping the country moving forward. Well, at least that’s what we hope they’re doing.

Yes, Ottawa is Canada’s political hub, but there’s so much more to the city, as I discovered recently during my 72-hour sojourn. It simply wasn't enough time. There's so much to see and do in a city filled with museums, art galleries, historical sites, upscale restaurants. The list goes on. With spring in the air and summer just around the corner, it's time to start planning. Here then is my list of the top 10 things to do in Ottawa:

10. Visit the Peace Tower

Peace Tower

The Peace Tower is the bell and clock tower located in the center of the Parliament buildings. You need to line-up and go through security (similar to that of an airport), but this is a minor inconvenience considering the halls you’ll be wandering through.

An elevator ride will land you right in the tower. As the elevator whisks you up, look for the large bells that chime at noon. Once you’re off the elevator, a 360-degree view of Ottawa and Gatineau await you. Look carefully upwards through the glass-panes and you’ll actually see the tower clock’s face. Atop the tower, the Canadian flag flaps in the wind and is changed every day, Monday to Friday.

9. Enjoy Dinner at Le Cordon Bleu Signatures Restaurant

image via ottawatourism.ca

Canada’s only Le Cordon Bleu campus is located in Ottawa providing courses in cuisine, pastry and boulangerie to students from all over the world. Located in the culinary institute is, Signatures restaurant. Dinner here is an experience not to be missed. Set in an elegant mansion, with winding staircases and crystal chandeliers, one can’t help but feel grand.

Under executive chef, Yannick Anton, the menu is unique and creative using local, seasonal ingredients. It features choices like, seared deer medallion with pine nut and fir jelly crust, millie feuilles of celery root and artichoke, deer osso-bucco ravioli and roasted figs in Saskatoon berry. For dessert try, royal gala apple, poached in duminot ice-wine, ginger sponge, praline ice-cream, pine nut granola, ginger cremeux, hot apple cider anglaise, praline crisp, apple chips.

Your dining experience will begin with an amuse-bouche. And from then on, just sit back, relax and wait for your meal to make its grand entrance into the dining room and onto your table.

8. Check Out the Shops of Sussex Drive

image via ottawatourism.ca

Sussex Drive is where you’ll find Ottawa’s high-end shopping area. Here are shops like, MaiYa Pearls, where you can work with a designer to create your own unique piece of jewelry. Or drop into Kaliyana boutique, which offers innovative pieces for women by Canadian designer, Jana Kalous.

Located within an easy walk of all major downtown hotels, you can shop.

Rest.

Repeat.

7. Shop and Eat in ByWard Market

Top 10 things to do in Ottawa

From Sussex Drive, meander on over to ByWard Market, one of Canada’s oldest and largest public markets. Don't be in a hurry to leave. There is so much to see and do here. Within the market area, you’ll find museums, cafés, specialty food shops, boutiques, galleries, restaurants, pubs, and so much more. It’s both an indoor and outdoor market, with vendors selling items like fresh flowers, fruits and vegetables and all things maple syrup (pick-up the maple butter).

6. Eat a BeaverTail

Top 10 things to do in Ottawa

You’re in Ottawa! Of course, you must have a beavertail, those delicious deep-fried pillows of dough served warm and sweet with a dusting of sugar or a spread of Nutella. Their latest offering features maple syrup and bacon. I couldn't resist. Each bite is filled with sweet and savoury deliciousness.

You’ll find a year-round kiosk in Byward Market. Pick up a beavertail, grab a cup of coffee, sit yourself down and watch the world go by.

5. Pamper Yourself at a Luxurious Spa

Top 10 things to do in Ottawa

Ottawa offers plenty of options for a day of pampering.

Holtz, one of the most luxurious spas, is located right downtown. It offers holistic treatments, medispa services and anti-aging therapies to balance body, mind and spirit. Award-winning Santé Restaurant is also on site.

A little farther afield, ten minutes from downtown Ottawa, by Gatineau Park, is Nordik Spa-Nature. It’s the largest spa in North America with seven outdoor baths, eight unique saunas, an infinity pool, a restaurant and lounge.

4. Stop and Smell the Tulips

Top 10 things to do in Ottawa

The 2015 Canadian Tulip Festival runs May 8-18. It’s the largest festival of its kind in the world and celebrates the friendship between Netherlands and Canada. In 1945, Princess Juliana of the Netherlands, presented Ottawa with 100,000 tulip bulbs, in appreciation of the safe haven that members of Holland’s exiled royal family received during World War II in Ottawa, and in recognition of the role which Canadian troops played in the liberation of the Netherlands.

Today, with over a million tulips in fifty varieties blooming in public spaces across the National Capital Region, the highest concentration of tulips can be viewed in the flower beds of Commissioners Park, on the banks of Dow’s Lake, where 300,000 flowers bloom.

3. Have an Adventure on the Ottawa River

Top 10 things to do in Ottawa

With the Ottawa River as its backyard, there’s no better place to have a whitewater adventure. Canada’s beautiful urban capital is home to three whitewater rafting companies: Wilderness Tours, RiverRun Rafting and OWL Rafting on the Ottawa River. All three rafting companies were awarded the prestigious, “Ontario Signature Experience” designation in 2014.

2. Enjoy Afternoon Tea at Fairmont Chateau Laurier

Top 10 things to do in Ottawa

Is there anything more civilized than afternoon tea? (No!) Afternoon tea is simply one of those pleasures that must be indulged in. Zoe’s, in the Fairmont Chateau Laurier, with its chic decor, glowing chandeliers, and a beautiful glass adorned atrium, makes you feel quite regal.

A server wheels the large cart filled with teas from around the world to your table. Choose your preferred blend and watch it be prepared for you, tableside. A three-tiered platter filled with freshly made scones, egg and salmon sandwiches is presented. Tiny pastries line the upper tier. For the next two hours, sip, munch and simply enjoy this most British of traditions.

1. Learn About Espionage at the Diefenbunker

Top 10 things to do in Ottawa

Twenty minutes outside Ottawa, in a town few have heard of, Carp, is an underground cavern where time stands still. The Diefenbunker Museum, named after then Prime Minister, John Diefenbaker, is an underground 4-story bunker designed to withstand a nuclear blast. Its construction was authorized by Diefenbaker, in 1958, at the height of the cold was. Built into it is an operating room and a dental office. A large vault designed to hold the Bank of Canada’s gold reserves is located on the lower level. Large storage areas were built for food, water and other essential supplies.

The bunker was built to accommodate 565 people for up to one month without receiving additional supplies from the outside. As you make your way through the facility, you’ll learn about spies of the time and consequences of such activities.

The Diefenbunker is an awe-inspiring piece of Canadian history not to be missed. You’ll go home anxious to conduct further research on an era that was filled with tension and intrigue.

Read more by this author by clicking here.

Ottawa Emerging As Leading Spa And Wellness Tourism Destination

The city of Ottawa is emerging as a leading destination for spa and wellness tourism thanks to an ever-growing wealth of product, high-end facilities and great value packages.

For starters, Canada’s capital is home to the largest spa in North America. The Scandinavian-inspired Nordik Nature Spa, located near the entrance to beautiful Gatineau Park, is just a 15-minute drive north of downtown Ottawa. It is one of only two places in the world where you can receive a relaxing Källa treatment, floating in its saltwater pool.

This summer saw Nordik launch its Massana Nature outdoor massage rooms (summertime only). Other standout facilities include seven outdoor pools; cascades; infinity pool; and eight saunas, backed by an excellent restaurant and cosy group accommodation in rustic lodges amid forested surroundings. Don’t miss the signature Aufguss ritual, an aromatherapy experience in a sauna which uses water enriched with essential oils.

At Holtz Spa, a day spa in downtown Ottawa, programs range from Algo Slim and a 30-Day Detox to the signature Shankara Signature Ayurvedic Body Samahdi featuring various tailored treatments including a nourishing herbal wrap and a Tibetan Foot Balancing treatment. There is even an award-winning restaurant on site called Santé.

Men are also spoilt for choice. Aside from the male-only Bodé Spa, which offers everything from massage treatments to male grooming, many of the local spas offer comprehensive male treatment menus.

Thanks to Ottawa Tourism’s Sip, Savour & Spa promotion* wellness fans can also make some big savings when booking treatments in the city’s spas combined with accommodation and activities ranging from romantic dinners to gourmet walking tours in the buzzing ByWard Market district.

Jantine Van Kregten, Director of Communications at Ottawa Tourism, says, “Ottawans have always been a health-conscious bunch but in recent years the city’s wellness offering has been taken to a whole new level.

“The variety of options on offer in the capital region nowadays is staggering. Aside from visitors having the rare opportunity to experience Källa treatments at Nordik, and the top-notch facilities at hotel spas like Au Naturel, another thing that sets Ottawa’s offering apart is fusion of traditional approaches with local touches. One great example is the body lotions that Holtz Spa uses in some of its treatments ─ they’ve been infused with maple syrup from Fulton’s, a local farm. Let me tell you, those lotions smell incredible!”

Many of the finest offerings can be found in the city’s top hotels such as Hotel Indigo and the Brookstreet hotel, whose Au Naturel spa offers treatments for men, women, couples and brides.

The Health Club at the iconic Fairmont Château Laurier hotel offers everything from personal training and health assessments to massage therapy, not to mention a unique indoor art-deco swimming pool, while the Westin Ottawa’s facilities include an indoor heated saltwater swimming pool and therapeutic whirlpool. Guests at the Ottawa Marriott are also well looked after with its recently refurbished Vivianna Day Spa, located in the Kent Club on the 4th floor, catering to individuals, groups or parties.

Can’t be bothered to leave your hotel room? Mobile spa services such as Spa Smart Ottawa will come to your hotel room or other location or event. They even feature spa menus for children and a special spa party menu that includes mini-treatments for groups of five or more guests. Meanwhile, ARC the.hotel, the first hotel in North America to feature THANN all-natural spa amenities in its guest rooms, offers in-room treatments such as jetlag-combatting massages and pedicures using therapists from Bodé Spa.

Van Kregten adds: “It’s not all about the spas and their treatments, of course. Activities such as hiking in Gatineau Park or paddling the Rideau Canal, or (in winter) snowshoeing in the Greenbelt that surrounds Ottawa and cross-country skiing in Gatineau Park, can also be very ‘zen’ and relaxing.”

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Travelore Tips: Recommended World-Wide Events In February 2014

The Carnival of Venice dates back to the 13th century. (Photograph by Massimo Telò, Wikimedia Commons)

There are some amazing events on tap all over the world, all the time. Here’s a taste of what you can see and do in February:

• Carnival season is upon us, so why not take part in an event that inspired many other pre-Lenten celebrations around the world? Head to the ”City of Masks” for the Venetian Carnevale (February 15-March 4) to join in the flamboyant revelry, including live music, jousts, theatrical performances, and the highly anticipated masked ball, the Gran Ballo delle Maschere. 
• Celebrate Africa’s musical diversity at the 10th-ever Festival sur le Niger (February 5-9) in Ségou, Mali. The annual cultural extravaganza, which was downsized due to political strife in 2013, makes a triumphant return this year with an impressive line up of performers and art exhibits–and a strong message of peace. 
• Each year millions converge on Sapporo for one of the largest winter events in Japan, the Sapporo Snow Festival (February 5-11). For seven days, the city is transformed into a veritable wonderland, complete with ice slides, a snow maze, and hundreds of sculptures crafted from ice and snow.
  

  Members of the U.S. 7th Fleet Band perform during the Sapporo Snow Festival in 2008 (Photograph by U.S. Navy Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Ben Farone, Wikimedia Commons)
• Get a taste of “Sea Island Creole” and honor a distinctive cultural heritage in the American South at the Gullah Celebration (January 31-February 23) in Hilton Head, South Carolina. The fete features a traditional Gullah concert, an art exhibit and sale, and a craft and food expo.
• With hundreds of events spread over nine days, the Kala Ghoda Arts Festival (February 1-9) in Mumbai is an experience you don’t want to miss. Every year, thousands of revelers take in a vibrant olio of art, music, food, and film at an incredible cost: free.
• Want to bulk up this winter? Add some padding to your belly during Maslenitsa (February 24-March 2) in Moscow. In addition to serving up a heaping helping of blini–warm, golden pancakes–in the lead-up to Lent, sledding, snow sculptures, snowball fights, and sleigh rides round out this mouthwatering event.
• Hoping to add some color and style to your home, but don’t want to break the bank? Head to Brussels for the Affordable Art Fair (February 7-10), which hosts a wealth of original paintings, prints, sculptures, and photography guaranteed to suit any budget.
  

  Contemporary art for everyone: The Affordable Art Fair (Photograph by centralasian, Flickr)
• Support homegrown arts and entertainment at the annual New Zealand Fringe Festival(February 7-March 2) in Wellington. This grassroots event serves as a launch pad for new talent by accepting anyone who has the audacity to perform in front of an audience. Take the plunge yourself, if you dare, or simply discover the next big thing.
• Shake off those cold-weather blues at the 36th annual Winterlude (January 31-February 17) in Ottawa and Gatineau, Canada. From hockey tournaments to ice sculptures, local cuisine to the world’s largest skating rink, this fun-filled (and family-friendly) event will turn that frown upside down.
• In search of some warmer weather? Head to Puno, Peru–the “Folk Capital of the Americas”–to honor the city’s patron saint at the dynamic Fiesta de la Virgen de la Candelaria (February 1-14). The colorful event–a blending of indigenous and Catholic cultures–features an extravagant procession and days filled with music and dance on the shores of Lake Titicaca.

Contributed by Intelligent Travel

10 Quirky Things To Do In Ottawa, Canada’s Capital City

• Contributed by Carolyn B Heller
• Lonely Planet
•  

If you think that Ottawa is all beige government buildings and staid traditional restaurants, think again. From ‘Cold War Movie Night’ in a vintage 1960s bunker, to a drag queen-hosted karaoke fest in Chinatown, Canada‘s capital city is full of fun.

‘Blast Tunnel’ by Iouri Goussev. Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike  licence

Feel the chill of the Cold War

At the Diefenbunker, Canada’s Cold War Museum, an underground bunker built to house Canadian government officials in the event of a nuclear attack, you can tour the war room, the emergency broadcasting studio, and the prime minister’s secret hideout, all painstakingly preserved from the 1960s. But for the full Dr. Strangelove experience, visit on the third Tuesday of the month for the ‘Cold War Cinema’ to watch a Cold War-themed film inside the bunker.

Salute the sun on Parliament Hill

Join hundreds of fellow downward-doggers for a free one-hour yoga class on the lush green lawn in front of the Parliament buildings. Classes run weekly in summer; get the current schedule from the local Lululemon store (www.lululemon.com/ottawa/rideaucentre).

‘Parliament Hill’ by tsaiproject. Creative Commons Attribution licence

Go home to art

Artist Brenda Gale Warner operates one of Ottawa’s most unusual gallery spaces – in her living room. Her 1870s woodframe home (once was a Catholic convent) houses Galerie 240 (www.galerie240.com), a first-floor art space where Warner shows her paintings and photographs alongside works by local, Canadian, and international contemporary artists.

Laugh at a lawyer, jeer at a justice

Supreme Court justices, members of Parliament, and local lawyers take the stage during the annual Lawyer Play, a fundraiser for the Great Canadian Theatre Company (GCTC) (www.gctc.ca), in which members of Ottawa’s legal community play small roles in a GCTC production. The GCTC also stages a full season of creative, contemporary Canadian theatre from September through June.

Croon with a queen

A long-standing, family-run Chinatown eatery, the Shanghai Restaurant (www.shanghaiottawa.com) morphs into a quirky club on Saturday nights, when drag queen China Doll hosts a popular no-cover karaoke night. The crooning kicks off at 9pm.

‘Chinatown Gate II’ by Marcel Regimbald. Creative Commons Attribution licence

Veg out in Chinatown

Chef Caroline Ishii serves grilled seitan cutlets with fondant potatoes and horseradish crème fraiche and dresses hand-cut tofu-filled ravioli in a smoky tomato purée, at her innovative Zen Kitchen (www.zenkitchen.ca), an all-vegan fine-dining spot that takes vegetarian fare far from its crunchy-granola roots. Save room for the delicious, dairy-free Mexican chocolate cake with warm chocolate-chili sauce.

Indulge your inner fashionista

Here’s a crafty sightseeing break: Workshop Studio & Boutique (www.workshopboutique.ca) and its sister Flock Boutique (flockboutique.ca), which stock eclectic styles by independent Canadian designers, also offer short workshops in knitting, sewing, or crocheting – perfect for do-it-yourself fashion fans.

Take a quest

Channel Sherlock Holmes on an Urban Quest (www.urbanquest.com), as you follow a series of clues to explore Ottawa and its history. When you solve them all, the trail leads to a meal in a mystery restaurant.

Pig-themed decor on Murray Street. ‘Metal Pig Bust’ by daryl_mitchell. Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike licence

Stuff your face with a whole pig’s head

Love pork? Recruit eight or nine porcine-passionate pals and head for Murray Street (murraystreet.ca), a nose-to-tail bistro and charcuterie bar that will smoke and roast a whole pig’s head (when you order 48 hours in advance). It’ll be far tastier than a tour of Parliament.

Go directly to jail

In Ottawa, you don’t have to get arrested to spend the night in jail. At the HI-Ottawa Hostel, you can sleep behind bars in the former Carleton County Gaol. And if you don’t want to snooze in a cell, take a Haunted Walk (www.hauntedwalk.com) tour of the 19th-century building and learn why Ottawa was once considered North America’s most dangerous town.

Read more: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/canada/travel-tips-and-articles/77471#ixzz2WxkQy8vU

Top 10 International Street Food Cities

Contributed by Melisse Hinkle 

 and chock full of flavor, street food gives hungry passers-by a lot to love in locales around the world. But local open-air fare is also a key ingredient of any city’s culture. While the offerings can sometimes seem tailor-made for adventurous epicureans (chicken feet, anyone?), the options in any street-food-friendly city are virtually endless. From award-winning food stalls to gourmet food trucks and hot dog carts to noodle shops, it’s easy to see how street food has staked its claim on cities across the globe. Here are our picks for the world’s top 10 street food cities.

Hong Kong, China

With a bustling international food scene, Hong Kong offers up everything from sweet tofu soup to dumplings all from street-side stalls. Long under British rule but now part of China, the city is famous for everything from snake soup to egg tarts, and serves up an interesting mix of Cantonese delicacies and Western favorites. Markets like those on Temple Street in Yau Ma Tei, the Ladies Market on Tung Choi Street and Kowloon City are popular places to peruse Hong Kong’s street food scene and taste test items like hot pots, curried fish balls and skewers of stinky tofu (your nose will guide you to that one). The city’s dai pai dongs – open-air street food vendors – have been dwindling since the 1980s when regulations tightened, but places like noodle shops and markets still thrive. Some of Hong Kong’s food stalls like dim sum canteen Tim Ho Wan on Sham Shui Po even made the most recent Michelin Guide – a significant honor from a guide that’s notoriously stingy with its stars, reserving them mainly for high-end brick-and-mortar restaurants. Internationally praised barbeque pork buns for $5? We’ll take it.

A street food vendor in Hong Kong (Image: Tracy Hunter)

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Food stands are a staple in Rio de Janeiro. Vendors offer everything from cod fritters to feijoada (rice, beans and pork) and salgadinhos (salty aperitifs). The scene has stretched to the city’s waterfront and its suburbs. Beverages are popular street-side buys here, especially drinks like fruit smoothies and suco de acai (acai juice). Sweet treats like tapiocas (crepes) and churros filled with chocolate or caramel are also popular. Stroll the boardwalk of Copacabana and Ipanema beaches to find 24-hour food stands. Street meat called churrasquinhos, hot dogs known as cachorro quente and cheese bread (pao de queijo) are all common street food fare in Old Rio. An added bonus? Vendors in this Brazilian city are known for being friendly and good natured.

Food stands typically line beaches like Ipanema Beach (pictured here) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (Image: over_kind_man)

Paris, France

Paris may be famous for decadent sit-down mid-day meals, but its street food offerings are extensive. After all, who can resist that wall of Nutella jars practically calling your name from every Parisian crêperie? The city’s iconic street food specialty is the heavenly crêpe. The thin pancakes are typically made to order and filled with your choice of ingredients, which could be anything from a savory combination like ham and cheese, or a sweet specialty like that heavenly chocolate-hazelnut spread paired with slices of banana. But the French city’s street food scene goes beyond its network of street-corner crêperies. Sandwiches from bakeries, falafel in the Marais district and Indian specialties like samosas are all served street side. A surprising amount of food trucks – many of them dishing out traditional American favorites like burgers – are also popping up around Paris. Just be a little discerning with your selections in popular tourist locales, such as the areas around the Eiffel Tower and Montmartre.

Crêperie in Paris (Image: mekanoide)

Boston, Mass., United States

Humble hot dog carts, step aside. Gourmet mobile meals are all the rage in several U.S. cities, including Boston where more than 50 food trucks (up from 15 in 2011) roam the city, planting themselves – on any given day – in one of 30 locations. The trucks also converge on various neighborhood markets in the spring, summer and fall. Each truck has cornered its piece of the foodie market, and cuisine ranges from local specialties like lobster rolls (from the Lobsta Love truck) to Vietnamese favorites (from the Bon Me truck). The buzz around the treat-dispensing trucks is also a reflection of a growing food scene in this New England city. Truck chefs host food festivals and cooking contests, and, on occasion, even end up launching wheel-less meals from restaurants inspired by their food trucks. On the flip side, some brick-and-mortar restaurants are now sending their meals on the road.

Mei Mei Street Kitchen serves a customer from its food truck in Boston. (Image: weeklydig | Emily Zendt)

Istanbul, Turkey

Food stalls and street-side snack shops are ubiquitous in this Turkish city. Specialties include kebap (little pieces of broiled or roasted cow, sheep or chicken meat), döner (meat roasted on a vertical spit), lahmacun (Turkish pizza), sokak simit (a large, crispy bagel-like bread roll with sesame seeds) and an array of flaky pastries. Neighborhoods like Karakoy, Ortakoy and Taksim feature plenty of street food vendors, and the city’s Grand Bazaar is another hot spot for street food. Down at the waterfront, vendors stand aboard boats and offer up fish sandwiches that will only set you back about three Turkish lire. Seasonal favorites like corn on the cob in the summer and roasted chestnuts in the winter are also popular inIstanbul.

Lahmacun in Istanbul, Turkey (Image: Augapfel)

Mexico City, Mexico

Affordable and authentic are two frequently used adjectives for street food inMexico City. Thousands of food stalls and taquerias line city streets dishing up Mexican favorites like tostados, carnitas, tamales and quesadillas. But the key street dish in this city is tacos al pastor – thinly sliced pork that has been spit-roasted and bathed in chili sauce, paired with chopped onion and coriander, then rolled into a small tortilla. Try the carts in the city’s main square, Centro Historico’s Zocalo, or the Colonia Roma neighborhood. For a treat, head to the cart on the corner of Delicias and Aranda streets, which offers blue-corn tlacoyos – grilled corn patties with beans, cheese, cactus, cilantro and salsa.

Chicken quesadilla from a street food vendor in Mexico City. (Image: goodiesfirst)

Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Often over-shadowed by Vancouver and Toronto in the street food arena, Ottawaboasts a growing mobile meal scene, with 44 food trucks and carts already hawking their yummy goods and about 20 inventive newcomers ready to hit the streets in May. New trucks include the Urban Cowboy, which will dish out self-proclaimed “innovative Texan street food” and  the Ottawa “Streat” Gourmet set to feature local, seasonal eats. New specialty carts will serve everything from frozen yogurt to churros and baked potatoes with toppings. These additions will join the city’s perennial street food favorites like hot dog and sausage carts, BeaverTails (fried pastries with your choice of sweet or savory toppings) and poutine (french fries topped with gravy and cheese curds).

Poutine is a Canadian favorite, often served by food trucks or via street-side windows. (Image:blue.tofu)

Marrakech, Morocco

The heart of Marrakech‘s street food culture is Djemaa el-Fna, which daylights as the city’s main square, but moonlights as an impressive spread of about 100 open-air food stalls. Adventurous foodies can sample the traditional sheep’s head, while those with more reserved tastes can bite into offerings like fried eggplant or couscous-based dishes. If the food isn’t enough of a draw, the market also features performers, snake charmers and tarot card readers. Overflowing bowls of olives and barrels of spices are mainstays in the city’s souks, or markets. Rue El Kassabin is another key spot to savor street food in this city. Known for its slow-roasted lamb called mechoui, the area serves up a variety of other street food fare including bean soup, escargot, sausage sandwiches and Moroccan-style macarons.

Food stalls in Djemaa el-Fna – the main city square in Marrakech, Morocco (Image:scott.presly)

Berlin, Germany

There are plenty of international favorites served street side in Berlin, but two dishes are the main players: currywurst and the döner kebab. Currywurst is essentially a deep-fried pork sausage covered in ketchup and dusted with curry powder. Curry 36 in the Kreuzberg district is the go-to local food stand for many lovers of this dish. You can order it with or without the skin. Devout currywurst fans typically pair the sausage with fries topped with ketchup and mayonnaise.  Stands selling döner kebabs – gyro-like Turkish sandwiches – also pepper the city. Berlin’s markets serve up a mix of international street food, including items like pickled herring on bread, falafel sandwiches and Turkish pastries. The city also just launched “Street Food Thursdays” at the Markthalle in Kreuzberg. The weekly event will feature a line-up of street food favorites for several hours every Thursday.

Curry wurst in Berlin (Image: og2t // ou gee tew tee)

Fukuoka, Japan

Other Japanese cities may be more famous, but Fukuoka is famous for its street food. Located on the northern shore of Kyushu, the city boasts more than 150 transportable food stalls known as yatai that open around dusk, then pack up and vanish at the end of each night. The stands dot the city, but large groups of them are located near Tenjin Station and on the southern end of Nakasu Island. Specialties include tonkotsu ramen (a noodle dish featuring broth made using pork bones and fat), mentaiko (spicy pollack roe), hakata gyoza (pan-fried dumplings filled with cabbage and pork), iwashi mentaiko (Japanese sardines stuffed with mentaiko) and tempura (seafood and vegetables fried in a light tempura batter). The perfect pairing for many of these dishes? A glass of sake.

Ramen shop in Fukuoka, Japan (Image: witpim)

(Main image: spaztacular)