An Essential Guide To The Seychelles' Victoria Market

The market in the centre Victoria – known officially as the Sir Selwyn Selwyn Clarke Market, but more widely as the Victoria Market – is truly the heart of the capital. Discover everything there is know about this magnificent market.

Built in 1840 and later renovated in 1999, Victoria Market is a great example of blending the old and new Seychellois way of life. It’s always been great place to buy local fruit, vegetables, spices and fish; a good sign of this is that it’s always busy with Seychellois doing their food shopping.

Today you can expect a large dash of colour thrown into the mix, with a wide range of stalls aimed at tourists with all kinds of souvenirs such as sarongs, flavoured oils as well as some local art work.

The smell of fish is definitely something that can not be denied while walking around the market. It’s pretty impressive to see the huge array of fish on offer in the market. If you’re after fresh fish, this is certainly the place to come to buy it, for the sheer variety alone. If you ask, they will even fillet it for you, to save you a messy job. If fish is not your thing, however, it is certainly still worth a walk around. You can also avoid the fish stalls entirely if you like.

When to go

The market is open between 4am-5pm, Monday to Saturday. Stocks of fish, fruit and vegetables obviously dwindle throughout the day so it’s better to visit earlier if you’re visiting to shop for food. Of course, the earlier the better for the freshness of the fish too. It’s busiest on a Saturday so keep this in mind if you’re looking to avoid crowds. Expect to spend between 20 minutes to an hour and a half here; partly depending on how long you can stomach the smell of fish and how much you stop, talk and learn from the locals.

Getting there

Parking in Victoria can be a bit of a nightmare, the best bet is to leave the car behind and either get a bus or a taxi in. Tour operators and some hotels will also offer trips there. If you have to take the car, the easiest place to park is down by the Chaka Brothers shop where there is a big car park.

Car park near Chaka Brothers, Victoria, Mahe Island, Seychelles

landscape with balloons floating in the air

KEEN TO EXPLORE THE WORLD?

Connect with like-minded people on our premium trips curated by local insiders and with care for the world

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.