“If you want to know a city, don’t just see its monuments, walk through its markets.”
To be honest, I’m not much of a shopper, but I like markets, because it’s never a dull moment. I’m more of a window shopper, but that doesn’t stop me from exploring.
Especially street markets, bustling, chaotic, unique and you never know what you’ll find. From shells, to bangles to clothes to bridal wears and even tasty food. In this guide, I’ll take you to markets I’ve been to in India and loved.
Goa is not just about beaches, if you want to explore it truly, The Anjuna Flea Market near Anjuna beach should be on top of your list! Held every Wednesday, it is one of the most unique street markets, where you find clothes, jewelry, hammocks, dream catchers from tiny to enormous sizes, handmade goods, and even sundowner cafes.
As soon as you enter, there’s space for paid parking, from there you can start walking and exploring cute stalls. It has everything sea and beach related plus some more. What should you get-
- Dream catchers: These were my favourite shops, you could get dream catchers as tiny as a keyring or as huge as a dining hall decoration piece. They look stunning and are affordable.
- Sea shells: Not just sea shells but ornaments made from it, be it anklets,necklaces, bracelets, hair pieces or earrings. You can even get sea shell purses and coasters.
- Statement jewellery: You can get earrings in all colours and shapes, but have you heard of silver jewellery at a flea market? Yes! Delicate designs in silver were too pretty not to buy. A little on the pricier side but pretty.
- Clothes: Who doesn’t like colourful breezy beachwears? This is the best flea market in Goa where you can get cotton and linen shorts, beach dresses, shirts, pallazos, wrap dresses, cropped tops and more. These are more beach apt clothes but I bought pajamas and they are still going strong after 1 year. Good quality and you can bargain to get it cheaper.
Honest Tip: Carry cash, as there’s a network issue near the beach, UPI or cards won’t work. Arrive early around 8-9am to beat the tourist rush. Wear comfy clothes.
There’s a long stretch of road and stalls and shops on both sides of it. This one is unlike any traditional street markets, it more of has a modern touch. Filled with young couples, you might get FOMO if you are single! Things to do-
- Caricatures: There are lots of caricature artists there who will whip up a funny sketch in a few minutes. Fun activity, but a bit pricey, Rs 400-500 for 1 person sketch. Worth the laughs though!
- Shops: This market has high end restaurants and shops snuggled in between roadside stalls. There’s a comic store where you can find all merchandise from anime to marvel to cartoons and more. Don’t miss the Blossoms Book House too, its a 3-storey paradise for book lovers
- Food: I was amazed to see chocolate covered strawberries in the middle of the street, and got a cup for myself, delectable and just Rs 100! There are high end restaurants also, and you can’t miss this amazing Neapolitan style pizza restaurant- Brik Oven. Once inside, you will forget you are in a busy street market in India, the taste will transport you to Italy if I say so myself. Authentic pizzas made in a wood-fired oven right in front of your eyes. Affordable and yum!
- Photobooth: These are pretty new additions to this modern market, stroll and try to find it out, one is a normal photobooth and there’s another retro newspaper photobooth, recently launched. You can get black and white strips of fun photos in the first and retro newspaper style photos in second.
- Cute stalls: I personally liked the stickers, and oh my God, the amount and variety of stickers was mind blowing! Rs 50 for 1, and you can get just about any sticker from pop culture. Another cute item that caught my eyes was tote bags. Rs 500 for 1, tote bags with pretty prints, I bought one with sunflower print on it. It’s pretty durable plus so so cute!
Honest Tip: Visit in the evening to enjoy the vibe of these street markets (yes, all markets at night look best!), and lights. Getting a cab is difficult there, just walk up a bit to find crossroads and get a bus.
Located near Gateway of India, this street is lined with antiques, jewelleries, trendy clothes, handicrafts, brass items and more! Things to buy:
- Tshirts: For nightwear, pajamas sort of. Extremely cheap deals for good quality sets. You can even get pop culture printed ones with anime, marvel, superheroes, series merchandise.
- Stunning jewellery: I know I know every market is selling jewelleries, but please believe me when I say it, the jewelleries here are one of a kind statement pieces. Indian and modern, from jhumkas to high fashion stylish ones.
- Sunglasses, watches and belts: If you are a fashion influencer, who does videos for a living, or maybe you are a stylish sunglass hoarder, this is THE place for you. You can get sunglasses, watches, belts etc in a variety of shapes, shades and types. Blingy? Yes. Stylish? Yes. High fashion? Yes! Can I get it in pink? Yes, in 1000s of designs!
- Antiques: Variety of aesthetic home decor items, like lamps, side table, vases, temple items, idols, brass made items.
Honest Tip: Always bargain here, quote 30-40% less, but if you are an introvert, let it be (crying emoji)
This street market was built by Shah Jahan himself, it’s that old, with narrow streets and jumbled electric wires, you will be transported to the past. Things to do-
- Paranthe Wali Gali: It is the main character here. Let me tell you, these are actually not paranthas but fried ghee goodness. Small space and a big kadhai in the front frying endless paranthe. There’s space to sit inside, which clears up pretty fast. After 10 minutes we got our seats, and we ordered mixed veg paratha, paneer paratha and the star of the show- rabdi paratha, yes you heard that right, rabdi (milk sweet) stuffed inside the paratha and fried. It came with pickles and a homely potato gravy. We ordered lassi too, which came in earthen cups, not a fan, very okayish lassi.
- Old Famous Jalebi Wala: After this heavy meal, we craved sweets, I really don’t know how. We then went to Old Famous Jalebi Wala, and got ourselves crispy, golden Jalebis with Rabdi, and it tasted heavenly!
- Shops: After eating like 5000 calories we needed cardio, so we decided to shop. This place is filled with bridal items, be it lehenga, jewelleries or sarees, you can find it all in an affordable range. We bought pretty Jhumkas and embroidered dupattas
Honest Tip: Go early in the morning to avoid rush, some food shops open only after 10 AM. Wear comfortable shoes because you will be walking a lot, and keep your bags secure.
Johari aka jewellery bazar is one of the most unique jewellery markets in India, famous for its gemstones, meenakari, polki, kundan jewellery and more. It’s called johari, but there’s more to it. What to buy-
- Oxidized jewellery- You can get everything from bangles to neck pieces to rings to bracelets! Intricate designs on varying degrees of oxidized jewellery which will go really well on your bandhani chaniya choli! Starting from just Rs. 50, and honestly you will want to buy the whole shop
- Long skirts, kaftans, kurti- Major influence of bandhani and mirror work, you can get comfortable long skirts, kurtis and kaftans in all colours and styles. Majorly in cotton but in case you are looking for something festive, embroidery and zari work can be found too.
- Bridal wear and accessories- Heaven for wedding shoppers, lehengas and saree start from as less as Rs 1000. Unique stone and mirror work, hand embroidered lehengas at affordable prices. You can also get potli purses with mirror work and mojari footwear to complement your lehenga.
- Gems- Went to johari bazar and didn’t talk about johari? Not possible. You can get all types of precious and semi-precious stones, gemstones like rubies, emerald, mainly polki, kundan and meenakari work, apt for functions and weddings.
Honest Tip: If you are buying precious stones or jewelleries, go for government certified shops only to avoid fakes
So there you have it, 5 must visit street markets in India and how to reach them. Traveling is not only about adventures, if you want to deeply indulge in a city’s culture, try their markets. There you meet locals, you buy what they wear, you eat what they eat, and that’s how you become one with the city.
Remember this checklist if you are going to any of these markets-
- Carry a cloth tote bag to carry your cute finds
- Water bottle, because hydration is important duh!
- Cash, sometimes network won’t work
- Comfortable clothes and footwear, no heels allowed!!
- Patience and bargaining skills!!
Did you know there are some lesser known hidden markets in India too? Don’t miss out, read our blog to find out!
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