The city of Durban (eThekwini) is home to one of the largest populations of Indians outside of India, and the Victoria Street Market is a reflection of the city’s historical ties with India.
While the current Victoria Street Market was built at the beginning of the 1980s, it replaced the famous Indian Market which dated back to 1910, but was destroyed by fire in 1973.
The new, modern building has two storeys featuring underground parking and purple Indian minarets that make the market resemble a Maharajah’s palace.
A Julia nos leva para conhecer um mercado tradicional de Durban, na África do Sul: o Victoria Street Market, onde você pode encontrar desde roupas, artesanato, especiarias e comidas típicas, até ervas e animais que as curandeiras zulus usam para feitiçarias!
The Victoria Street Market is known as the Vic to its vendors.
Browse over 170 stalls and you will find a uniquely South African eclectic mix of African and Indian products. The ground floor has a fish and seafood market, fresh meat, fruit, vegetables and spices.
The top floor is popular with international visitors, offering more conventional shopping for souvenirs, crafts, jewellery and fabrics. And if bargaining is your thing, at the Victoria Street Market not only is it fun, it is expected.
For lunch our most fun excursion was to Little Gujarat which serves maybe not the best Indian food in Durban but it was fantastic to sit among locals as we shared a thali and fried banana leaf between rotis. They also serve bunnychows which is the most famous food to come of Durban. It’s a hollowed out loaf of white bread stuffed with your choice of curry and whilst I have yet to try it I will say that it looks delicious.
The Victoria Street Market is a busy place and you have to seek and deal for what you wish. Very kind and lovely Indian sellers explain to you how to use spices. Explore traditional handcrafts of the Zulu culture as well as from the greater Africa in general. You have to deal the price and it can be funny for most, but annoying for others who are not used to that. Take a cab to go there. We spent 1.30 hour.
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