Top travel trends of 2010

Courtesy of Mercado de San Miguel

After recent makeovers, three historic markets have become go-to spots for sampling regional cuisine.

Madrid: Madrileños have been packing into the glass-and-iron Mercado de San Miguel (mercadodesanmiguel.es) since its ultramodern update.

Best Find: La Fromagerie, owned by a Frenchman who devotes his life to the pursuit of rare Spanish cheeses.

Washington, D.C.: Capitol Hill’s Eastern Market (easternmarketdc.com) recently reopened in a refurbished 19th-century brick building. On weekends, more than 100 vendors and farmers sell everything from gourmet meats to seasonal fruits.

Best Finds: Imported sopressata at Canales Delicatessen and buttery cupcakes at Fine Sweet Shop.

Singapore: Built to resemble traditional Malay timber houses, the just-revamped Geylang Serai Market, in Singapore’s Malay enclave, now has so many options that you could eat there for a month without sampling the same dish twice.

Best Find: A breakfast-time bowl of mee soto—chile-laced chicken soup with rice vermicelli—at Warong Solo.