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Visitors to Funchal usually hear about the market before they find it, and then arrive on a Sunday to find it shut. The Madeira food market is the Mercado dos Lavradores, the farmers' market, at the western edge of the old town: a building of 1940 with tiled halls where the island's fish, fruit, vegetables and flowers are sold.
It opens from 07:00 to 19:00 on weekdays and from 07:00 to 14:00 on Saturdays, and it is closed on Sundays and public holidays. Come on a weekday morning.
Two food tours in Funchal that include the market.
Most reviewedTaste Funchal: food, wine and cultural tour
The market, tastings and the city's food
Top ratedMadeira: Food and Wine Walking Tour in Funchal
Food and wine on foot, the market included
The building and its halls
The common mistake is to walk straight to the fruit and miss the building. The tiles are half the visit.
The Mercado dos Lavradores opened on 24 November 1940, designed by the architect Edmundo Tavares, who lived from 1892 to 1983. Its facade, main entrance and fish hall are decorated with large tile panels of 1940 from the Fábrica de Faiança Battistini of Maria de Portugal, painted with regional scenes by João Rodrigues. Look at the panels at the entrance before you go in.
Inside, the stalls are set out in small squares and lanes, with produce of every kind: fruit, vegetables and flowers, and the fish hall under its tiled walls.
Ask the price by the kilo before you buy fruit, and look around the whole market before choosing a stall.
Funchal's food walking tours include the market in their route, with tastings on the way; a walking tour of food and wine of about 3 hours 30 minutes covers the market and the city's food and wine with a guide.
- Opened
- 24 November 1940
- Weekdays
- 07:00-19:00
- Saturday
- 07:00-14:00
- Closed
- Sundays and public holidays
- Where
- Rua Brigadeiro Oudinot, western edge of the old town
Days, holidays and the Christmas night
People often plan the market for a Saturday afternoon. By then it has closed.
On Saturdays the market closes at 14:00, and on Sundays and public holidays it does not open; in 2026 it closed on the 4 June and 15 August holidays. The best time is a weekday before midday.
Once a year it opens at night: the Noite do Mercado, the market night, on 23 December, when the market fills for the evening before Christmas and carols are sung in the fish hall around 23:00. The Christmas guide covers the rest of the season.
The market sits at the western edge of the Zona Velha, a short walk from Rua de Santa Maria, the cable car to Monte and the seafront. Visit Funchal has the current hours, and the old town guide covers the streets around it.
The market opens at night on 23 December for the Noite do Mercado.Common questions
When is the Funchal market open?
Monday to Friday from 07:00 to 19:00 and Saturday from 07:00 to 14:00. It is closed on Sundays and public holidays.
Is the Mercado dos Lavradores open on Sunday?
No, and it closes at 14:00 on Saturdays. Go on a weekday morning.
What is the market night?
The Noite do Mercado on 23 December, when the market opens for the evening and carols are sung in the fish hall around 23:00.
Who designed the market?
The architect Edmundo Tavares; it opened on 24 November 1940, with tile panels painted by João Rodrigues.