Bursting with exotic colour, heavy with wonderful mid-Atlantic aromas and busy from morning till late afternoon with a procession of shopping locals and curious tourists, Funchal's main market is one of the city's most captivating attractions. Built in 1940 by architect Edmundo Tavares, this art deco structure has retained the majority of its original features, including very high-quality azulejos tiling from the mainland. Far from becoming an ossified tourist attraction, the Mercado still serves as the city’s trading hub.
The market's amazing colour begins right at the entrance where local women in folk costume sell all kinds of exotic flowers, shrubs, bulbs and seeds. Over the winter the Madeiran national flower, the bird of paradise (estrelícia) is in bloom, a wonderfully striking choice if you're looking for cut flowers. Throughout the year a whole array of weird and wonderful triffids is on display, including a selection of the island's famous orchids.
For most visitors the fruit stalls around the open central courtyard are the real highlight. For every fruit you recognise, there'll be one nearby you don't. Those that grow on Madeira include anone (custard apples), banana ananaz (monstera), tomate inglês (tamarillo) and papaya, as well as, of course, the island's famous sweet miniature bananas. Other fruity treasures include ripe mangoes from Brazil, sweet oranges from the mainland and local grapes; prices are mostly comparable with the island's supermarkets.
Pass through the fruit market and up the steps for a grandstand view of Funchal's main fish market. The star of the show here are the scary-looking espada (scabbard fish), black, slippery eel-like creatures with rows of razor-sharp teeth and huge watery eyes. They are the island's staple fish, caught at night deep below the surface of the Atlantic. Huge bloodied slabs of tuna also catch the eye, as does the nonchalant skill of the fishmongers as they fillet and hack their way through the day's catch.
