Tourists say Mercado dos Lavradores is the “most expensive in the world”

Tobi Hughes·
Madeira News

A couple of tourists visited Madeira and stopped by Mercado dos Lavadores, a well-known space in Funchal where they were surprised by the price of fruit, so much so that they even say it is “the most expensive fruit market in the world”.

The video was published on YouTube and after 22 hours it already has more than 6 thousand views.

This is not the first time that the prices charged at Mercado dos Lavradores have been criticized by tourists.

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Tobi Hughes

27 Responses

  1. There are many, many online complaints and videos about this place and the scams/price gouging that is allowed to continue there. We didn’t even bother visiting this tourist attraction when we came for a 3-week visit back in May. I’m sure I would have enjoyed a visit but no one enjoys being taken advantage of and so we stayed away. Since it’s advertised as a major tourist attraction in Funchal you would think there would be some effort made to resolve the problem.

    1. I also hesitated for a long time and didn’t want to visit the market at first. But at some point I gave in and went anyway. I can only recommend a visit to everyone.
      The prices (especially on the ground floor) are sometimes far from good and evil. However, they are clearly marked and everyone can decide for themselves whether these prices are acceptable. You can also just enjoy the market and shop at another place later.

    2. Yes you need to keep your eyes open and don’t bother to visit this mercado market, they will cheat you on the prices and on the change

  2. It’s always important to check information sources. But, this reporting and other comments , establish a negative reputation of a tourist landmark. Municipal council must intervene and checkout.

    1. Have you tried to book a ✈ for Christmas and New year to madeira = what a joke £££ = it’s a robbery, taxi drivers abusive, mercado dos lavradores abusive and day light robers, airport food places disgraceful prices

  3. Madeira needs to prevent such negative publicity, otherwise it will come back to haunt the island big time.

  4. Honestly, the government should take back the merchant licenses (or pay them out a few months of their extortions) and sell fruit and veg at around cost or some modest cost plus, while continuing to pay all the workers reasonable wages anyway. the place is literally a living breathing negative experience machine for tens of thousands of unsuspecting tourists who suddenly find themselves the patsy and then feel badly. For such a smart government on business issues, why are they so blind to this? There surely is not enough actual money involved here to warrant actual corruption is there?

    1. GO GO GO !! But use your common sense, you’ll see locals buying vegetables, plants and flowers but never accepting “free” samples of fruit.

      1. I am Portuguese resident in UK I visit madeira every year, be alert with this people selling mostly fruits there prices are a rip off and they will cheat you, best thing is not to go there at all, and the local council does nothing about it, if you want to buy any shopping allways go to the big supermarket,

  6. How unfortunate…This has to be regulated otherwise it will cost tourism dearly

  7. Sadly we were overcharged for fruit when we visited. Didn’t realise till now its a common problem that the council and GNR are aware of, yet it is allowed to continue. Very sad.

  8. I’m from Madeira and I’ve been there couple months ago and it is a rip off. They should stop this market and stealing tourists money , it’s not good for the credibility of the island.

  9. My wife and I have visited the market many times and enjoy the spectacle.
    We very seldom buy anything as the prices are far too high.
    The market is not alone in over charging tourists, other fruit shops in the tourist areas do the same.
    The supermarket, Pingo Doce is a better alternative.
    While the market is portrayed as a major tourist attractions it is unlikely that things will change.
    If you want value for money in Funchal, seek out bar Maltez in the old town and say hello to the parrot.

  10. I agree. I was charged €30 for a bag of nuts. Of course it was a scam but I was too slow to react. I simply didn’t expect that to happen in a licensed market that’s supposed to be a top tourist attraction. He didn’t display prices so the moral is check carefully and be on your guard.
    The ice cream near the entrance was amazing though!

  11. In my Personal opinion, visitig a famous tourist Attraction and going for grocery shopping are two very separate things. Being both a foreigner and a resident, i enjoy visiting the mercado very much and keep guiding my friends there for watching and buying SMALL amounts of spices or exotic plants. But if we want significant amounts of food, we just switch to the other side of the road, i.e. Anadia Shopping and Pingo Doce. The Livradores traders probably obey the usual rules of economy, and seem to generate sufficient profit with their elaborated prices, or else they would reduce their pricetags. Even if there are Frequent complaints, at least there is continuous attention, i.e. marketing for this location in the networks.

    1. Maybe you have money to waste or enjoyed paying an exorbitant price for things you can find elsewhere, many others don’t. Not all of us have money to throw around.

  12. What is with all the complaining ? I have been to Madeira six times and will again next year, I visited the market but didn’t buy anything, if everyone does this they will have to lower their prices.
    Russ

  13. I don’t buy fruit, I don’t need veg but I do buy plants. The tender varieties, orchids, some of the ferns, agapanthus are reasonable and most have prices clearly shown. What I can’t understand is why their petunias and pansies are twice as much as those in the UK.

  14. Well their is another markets in another countrires more expensives than this one . And like many people said no one is oblige to buy anything and usualy the prices are visibel . In the end of the day this people only did want call atention to their site travels .

    1. Not really the market area of the usual fruit traders there are a total rip off, lacing the fruits with sugar to let tourists taste and then selling crap fruit, and triple prices that are all dried up inside or just not good.

  15. Madeira is an island. Many products have to be shipped there. So things have higher prices.

  16. No one needs to Overreact on this. If you want the Municipal to intervene in this pricing then they should also intervene with Exorbitant Rents being charged for Apartments. People have a right to put their price and consumers have a right to not buy them. That’s how all Retail markets work. If you worry about Negative Publicity then its better the Govt buys the things from Farmers and sells them in the Market for reasonable prices.

  17. This market traders get away with this high prices , as some of the young peole turists and elderly are naive and dont know and are not aware, basically it’s best not to go anywhere near that mercado I saw them selling casted apples = anonas at €18 per kilo and elsewhere like the big supermarkets the prices was around €2 per kilo absulutly a day light robbery

  18. Mercado dos lavradores those were the days, not anymore, you can visit but do not buy or touch anything, its day light robbery, but there is a much worst robbery to watch out for= the hyenas lurking around ( selling) and grabing the vulnerable elderly pensions
    ( time shares ) its discussing,

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