- Business Insider Africa presents the 10 best marketplaces in Africa.
- This list is courtesy of the UK-based platform Merchant Machine
- South African markets dominate the list.
When in a foreign country, marketplaces allow for encounters with locals that let you gain insights into the ideals the locals share, give you a semblance of their history, and show you their cultures via locally made products such as clothing, paraphernalia, and of course foods.
This fact begs the question of which marketplaces on the continent could simply be referred to as the finest.
To determine the finest marketplaces for visitors in Africa, Merchant Machine, a UK-based payment guide, evaluated Tripadvisor reviews for listings classified "farmers market" or "street/flea market" and rated them by the percentage of five-star ratings.
Merchant Machine in the process noted that Africa which is home to some of man’s earliest bazaars also houses some of the world's top-rated markets. South African markets dominated the list.
“Outside of South Africa, Cairo’s Street of the Tentmakers (Sharia Khayamiya) is the top-rated market in Africa. Some 86.2% of visitors give it five stars. It is also one of the most unique in our study, populated by artisans who make colorful fabrics for the ceremonial tents used at wakes, weddings, and other celebrations. These fabrics are affordable and high quality. You can buy them in various forms, including bed linens and tapestries,” Merchant Machine stated in its report.
12 of the top 20 marketplaces in Africa are found in South Africa.
Victoria Yards in Johannesburg came in as Africa's finest marketplace and the 8th globally, with 91.9% five-star reviews. Pretoria's Market @ the Sheds, and Cairo's Street for Tent Makers, came in at second and third respectively.
With that said, here are the top 10 of the best African marketplaces in 2024
| Rank | Marketplace | Region | % of 5 star reviews |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Victoria Yards | Johannesburg, South Africa | 91.9% |
| 2. | Market @ The Sheds | Pretoria, South Africa | 87.0% |
| 3. | Street of Tent Makers | Cairo, Egypt | 86.2% |
| 4. | The Playground | Johannesburg, South Africa | 62.5% |
| 5. | Pretoria Farmers Market | Pretoria, South Africa | 61.4% |
| 6. | Hermanus Country Market | Hermanus, South Africa | 59.5% |
| 7. | The Old Biscuit Mill | Cape Town, South Africa | 59.0% |
| 8. | Rue Bab Doukkala Market | Marrakesh, Morocco | 55.9% |
| 9. | Hazel Food Market | Pretoria, South Africa | 55.3% |
| 10. | Mojo Market | Cape Town, South Africa | 53.4% |
Methodology
Merchant Machine examined Tripadvisor review data to identify the top-rated travel market in each nation. Markets with identical rankings for the proportion of 5-star visitor ratings were divided based on the market with more reviews. Markets were limited to those having a minimum of 25 reviews. The data was compiled last year in December.