Victoria Street Market

If your interests run to local foods and goods, head to the pungent ground floor to shop for souvenirs, then hit the upper floor, where colorful crafts, fabrics, and beadwork threaten to overflow their stalls.

Many travelers visit Victoria Street Market independently, but exploring as part of a Durban food tour is a great way to discover the different ingredients and how Indian and African cuisines intersect. Quite a few Durban day tours include a shopping stop at Victoria Street Market.

• Victoria Street Market is an excellent choice for shoppers, people watchers, and anyone who likes to experience a slice of local life.

• Bring cash for your purchases, but not too much: Pickpockets are active in the market, and displaying extensive notes and valuables is unwise.

• Be prepared to bargain for goods, including souvenirs, but avoid purchasing electronics here.

• There is wheelchair access to the market.

Victoria Street Market sits in the heart of Durban CBD, about a 1.5-mile (2.5-kilometer) drive southwest of Durban train station. The Circle Line of the People Mover bus stops at the market, and the City Line stops nearby. The underground parking fills up fast, so taking a taxi or ridesharing with Uber or Bolt is preferable to self-driving.

Victoria Street Market is open seven days a week. Saturday afternoons are the busiest times, with the most stalls open. Be aware that some stalls close at lunchtime on Fridays for Friday prayers.

Indians first arrived in Durban in 1860, a story told at Durban’s 1860 Heritage Museum, and Victoria Street Market traces its roots to 1880s Indian street traders. But to really experience Indian Durban, discover the city’s unique food. Although out of the center, CaneCutters is an excellent spot to experience the fiery but aromatic flavors of a classic Durban curry. It’s won awards for its bunny chow, a hollowed-out loaf overflowing with curry.