Part of our complete guide: Funchal
When to go
Early. The market is a working market for the city, and it is that in the morning. Arrive around midday and you mostly see stalls set up for visitors — same hall, different crowd, different prices.
Saturday morning is the busiest and also the most rewarding: that is when growers from the surrounding parishes come in.
What is here that is not elsewhere
Anona, the cherimoya, is the fruit that identifies Madeira: green scaled skin, white flesh, black seeds, in season in winter. Alongside it are four different passion-fruit varieties with little in common — the banana passion fruit tastes nothing like the one you know as passion fruit.
The fish market is on the lower floor. The espada, the black scabbardfish, is laid out whole here: a deep black, eel-like animal with large eyes, caught several hundred metres down.
On the tastings
Pieces offered to you are rarely free. That is not a scam but a selling practice — it is simply worth knowing in advance. Ask the price before you take one and there is no problem.
