The Mercado dos Lavradores ("farmers' market") is Funchal's main municipal market, on Rua Brigadeiro Oudinot in the parish of Santa Maria Maior. Opened on 24 November 1940 in a modernist building by architect Edmundo Tavares, it sells fruit, vegetables, flowers, fish, regional sweets and handicrafts. It is open Monday to Friday 07:00–19:00 and Saturday 07:00–14:00, and closed on Sundays and public holidays.
When is the market open?
Official hours published by the Câmara Municipal do Funchal (checked October 2026):
| Day | Hours |
|---|---|
| Monday – Friday | 07:00 – 19:00 |
| Saturday | 07:00 – 14:00 |
| Sunday and public holidays | closed |
Address: Rua Brigadeiro Oudinot, 9060-158 Funchal. Phone +351 291 214 080.
What is sold there?
The municipality lists regional products across the market's 122 sales spaces: fresh fruit and vegetables, fish, confectionery and handicrafts. Wikipedia also lists flowers among the goods on sale, and the fish market occupies its own section of the building, decorated with azulejo panels.
For what to try once you have bought it, see what to eat in Madeira.
Why does the building matter?
According to the municipality's history page:
- The city council decided on 17 June 1937 to build new markets; construction was authorised by a Portaria on 5 April 1938.
- It replaced the Mercado de D. Pedro V (fruit and vegetables) and the Praça de São Pedro, where most of the city's fish had been sold.
- The design is by Edmundo Tavares (1892–1983) and the builder was Manuel Alberto Gomes. The covered area is about 9,600 m².
- At its opening it was considered the most modern market in the country. Its style belongs to the rationalist phase of modernism associated with Estado Novo public architecture; Wikipedia describes it as Art Déco.
- It was named Mercado dos Lavradores on 30 October 1940 and inaugurated on 24 November 1940.
- In 1993 the regional government classified it as a building of local cultural value.
The azulejo panels
The tile panels on the façade, at the main entrance and in the fish market were painted by João Rodrigues and made by the Sacavém factory, with regional motifs of flowers, leaves and fruit. One of the façade panels depicts a market scene. They are worth a look even if you are not shopping.
The Noite do Mercado
On the night of 23 December, the "Noite do Mercado" (Night of the Market), locals gather in the market and the surrounding streets to sing Christmas songs and dance, with bars open through the night serving traditional drinks and carne de vinha d'alhos sandwiches (Wikipedia). The municipality lists it among the market's events.
Tips for visiting
- On Saturday the market closes at 14:00, so plan a morning visit; on Sundays and public holidays it is shut.
- Ask the price before buying from a stall, as you would at any market.
- Combine it with a ride on the Funchal cable car up to Monte and the Monte toboggan.
- More on Funchal, or follow the 3-day essentials itinerary.
