The twin markets of Olhão, Portugal are perhaps the best-known hallmark of the city. With their large cylindrical turrets and brick-colored walls, they stand out among the small, white, cube-shaped houses of the city. When here in the city and while going for a morning stroll along the Avenida 5 de Outubro, which runs alongside the Ria Formosa waterfront, you should definitely stop for a look at ‘Mercado de Olhão’.

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Our first day in Olhão had been amazing. Truly just the way we had expected it to be. Almost completely relaxed with lovely walks during the afternoon and evening. With beautiful views of the river, the boats and learning a bit of history of the city. Furthermore the laid back time on the terrace of our accommodation, watching the sun set down. And add to that the lovely lunch and a heartwarming Indian Dinner, well Portugal was touching new chords in our heart everyday. And so did the replica of Caique Bom Sucesso, the pride of Olhão.

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In 1808, Bom Sucesso, a small vessel with a crew of 17 men from Olhão had sailed across the Atlantic to ‘Rio de Janeiro’ to inform the exiled Portuguese King João VI that Napoleon’s invading army had been defeated. As a result the town was rewarded with the grant of a royal charter and developed as a fishing port.

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Memories refreshed

I often go back to my childhood days when growing up in a small town was so much fun. We had a big garden in our house and my father’s passion was to grow vegetables. Therefore we had all the fresh varieties of produce right from the garden to our kitchen.

Imagine a vegetable and it was right there. Potato, Papaya, Brinjal, Tomato, Cucumber, Green chilly, Beans, Ladies Finger, Pumpkin, Bottle Gourd, Wax Gourd. And then during the winter months the Cabbage, Radish, Cauliflower, Capsicum, Onion, Coriander, Fenugreek, Spinach, Carrot, Green Peas, Mustard leaves and more. Those days were so refreshing. It was time to relive the colorful sights again. This time in Olhão.

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Mercado de Olhão – The Twin Vegetable & Fish Markets

As a Bengali of Indian origin, the world refers to us as ‘Bongs’. And a Bong’s passion apart from fish and food, is to visit the market. Hence the Bong in me woke me up early in the morning to visit this brick-colored identical markets. The Twin Vegetable & Fish Markets. Because it was a Saturday, it was the perfect day to be there. Since on this day of the week, the market extends outside the market area and all along the riverfront. And on offer are a variety of household goods and personal use items, in addition to vegetables, fruits, processed foods, milk products, fish and sea animals.

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A bit of history

The Municipal Markets of Olhão, began to be built in 1912 and was inaugurated four years later. Its construction consisted of consolidating the buildings through a process known as pile drivers, with each building supported by 88 piles, connected to each other through brick masonry arches. 

It is a place to visit, for these and many other reasons. Every Saturday is like a celebration day, because that is when the market is in full bloom. With locals from the islands arriving on boats to buy their groceries and fresh fish. While for us it’s time to go around and experience.

The Vegetables & Fruits Market

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The Fish Market

This market is a paradise for all those who love fish in their daily diet. Moreover if you are also a sea animal fan, you’ll get the complete range here. The most widely-eaten fish including salmon, bacalhau, tuna, trout, snapper, mackerel, cod, carp, catfish and sardines are all available for you to choose from. The seafood options include lobsters, crabs, crayfish, prawns and shrimps. Also the oysters, mussels, scallops, periwinkles, squid and octopus all fresh and some even live. In other words, truly a fascinating place to be in, even if you are just a tourist.

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Time for a Coffee

After a refreshing visit to the twin markets it was time to have a coffee. There are many restaurants and coffee shops just outside the market where you can sit out, relax and have your favorite drinks. We chose one of them for ours.

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Mercado de Olhão. The iconic twin Vegetable & Fish Markets of Olhão. When in this fishing town of Algarve, you must not miss out on this opportunity to feel refreshed.

If you loved visiting ‘Mercado de Olhão’, PIN it for later & friends!

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