Port Louis Central Market

The Central Market of Port Louis is the principal covered produce and craft market in Mauritius, on a site used for trading since 1839, formerly the Bassin des Chaloupes. The present structure dates largely from 1844, with cast-iron canopies and Victorian ironwork prefabricated in Scotland and assembled on site. A fire in the late 1990s damaged part of the building and prompted a renovation that added an upper storey. The ground floor holds fish, fruit and vegetable stalls, with cassava, breadfruit and curry leaves alongside more familiar produce; the upper level carries craft and textile vendors, a food court serving local dishes such as dholl puri and gateaux piments, and herbalist stalls selling traditional remedies and tisanes. The market stands at the corner of Queen Street and Farquhar Street in downtown Port Louis, about ten minutes on foot from the Caudan Waterfront and five from the Immigration Square bus terminus. It opens Monday to Saturday from early morning to late afternoon, with a shorter Sunday session; the fish hall finishes by mid-morning. There is no admission charge.