The Mercado is a burst of colour and noise. The whole place was packed with people when I went on a Friday morning, although the fish hall at the back was quieter probably because most fish-buyers had been and gone very early. Still plenty of fish being gutted before your eyes though...if you like that sort of thing! Besides the... more

I agree with most of the other reviews. It's a great place to visit with all of the flowers and fruits, but the fruit sellers are very pushy. After trying some fruits, I felt compelled to buy. The fruit I bought was very expensive, not ripe and tasted terrible when I cut it up to share with friends. What a... more

Beware! This is an interesting place very colorful. So much to see, the fish market is very interesting. But beware of the fruit sellers - not only do they charge five times the normal price - they sneak cheaper fruits(plums instead of passion fruit)) in the bags to make more weight. Just walk away and don't worry about the women... more

Yes, the market is a must when visiting Funchal. However, to re-iterate what has been said before. Beware of the fruit sellers. We tried some samples and felt obliged to buy some fruit..it seemed only fair. When they asked for nearly Euro20 for a small bag of fruits we just walked away. more

A must, especially on Friday with all the fruit, flowers and fish (early on) - very colourfull. The stall holders are keen to get you to try all the exotic fruits - do it. more

Very entertaining in the fish market watching them preparing black scabbard for the restaurants. Rest of the market is colourful but a bit samey after a while. Fruit sellers are quite pushy, offering samples then getting stroppy if you didn't buy. Architecture is quite interesting. Art Deco. more

We stayed in a hotel with a kitchen, and loved going to this market to get fruits, vegetables and meats to cook. The market itself is beautiful and so colorful, crammed full of all kinds of exotic things, including the beautiful local flowers. Beware of the ladies who offer you samples and then nearly force you to buy their products.... more