Kermel smells of mango and the morning's fish, Sandaga overflows with fabric and car horns, Soumbédioune lines up its pirogues and ebony figurines facing the ocean. Dakar's three landmark markets are nothing alike and are not visited in the same way. Here is what you find in each one, when to drop by, how to haggle and how to string them together in a single morning.
Kermel, Sandaga, Soumbédioune: which one for what
These three markets cover different needs. Kermel, a covered hall in the Plateau, is about fresh produce, flowers and a few quality souvenirs in a heritage setting. Sandaga, a few streets away, is the capital's big working-class bazaar: textiles, ready-to-wear, electronics, cosmetics, everything is there as long as you accept the crowd. Soumbédioune, on the Corniche Ouest, combines a craft village aimed at visitors with a fishing quay that comes alive at the end of the day. To place this outing within a longer stay, our guide to visiting Dakar sets the scene neighbourhood by neighbourhood, and our Dakar in 48h or 72h itinerary shows where to slot in a shopping morning.
Fresh produce and carefully chosen souvenirs
Head for Kermel: fruit, vegetables, fish, spices, cut flowers and, on the upper level, baskets, jewellery and wooden objects. A calm atmosphere, ideal for a first approach.
Fabric, fashion and small electronics
Sandaga and its streets: wax, bazin, boubous, shoes, suitcases, phones. Prices are low, haggling is compulsory, and so is staying alert.
Art crafts and the catch of the day
Soumbédioune: sculptures, masks, leather, batiks all day long, then the return of the pirogues and the fish auction around 5 pm, at the water's edge.
Kermel market: the Plateau's gourmet hall
Kermel occupies a circular hall right in the Plateau, a stone's throw from Place de l'Indépendance. The covered building, put up in the early 20th century, burned down in 1993 before being rebuilt identically in 1997: its metal frame and its dome make it one of the few markets in Dakar that you also visit for the architecture. Around the rotunda, the cut-flower stalls set the tone; inside, order reigns and the aisles stay walkable even in the middle of the morning.
What you find there
The ground floor is a food market: mangoes, papayas, soursops depending on the season, vegetables, meat, and above all the fish landed that very morning, laid out on ice. The flower sellers, set up under the outer gallery, supply the city with bouquets. On the upper level and around the perimeter, a few stalls sell woven baskets, pagne tablecloths, basketwork, silver jewellery and masks: it is the most approachable souvenir section in Dakar, without the sales pressure you meet elsewhere.
When to drop by
Kermel opens early, around 7 am, and closes in the late afternoon, around 7 pm, with a dead Sunday afternoon. The best window for a visitor is between 9 am and noon: the fish is still fresh, the light streams through the dome and the crowd stays reasonable. Photos are tolerated if you ask the traders with a glance; a purchase, however modest, always opens doors.
Sandaga: the trading maze of the centre
Sandaga is Dakar's best-known market, and also the most disorienting one today. Its historic hall, built in the 1930s and listed on the national heritage register since 2006, had survived a fire in 2013 before being demolished in August 2021 as part of a modernisation project. Reconstruction has begun, but it is moving slowly and stirs debate among the architects who defend the memory of the place. In practice, the market has not disappeared: it has spread into the surrounding streets, along Avenue Lamine Guèye and the neighbouring arteries, where hundreds of vendors take over the pavements and shopfronts.
People come here for fabric above all: rolls of wax, rich bazin, lace, but also ready-to-wear, fake branded goods, leather goods, suitcases, cosmetics, glasses and phones. The street money changers offer rates that are sometimes better than a bureau's, to be handled with caution. Opening prices are inflated for foreign visitors, often double or triple: counting, comparing and walking away are part of the game. A French-speaking guide in Dakar knows the aisles, spots the good boubou makers and usually cuts the first price in half. Drop-off points and useful bus lines are listed in our article about getting to the Sandaga and Kermel markets.
- ▸Pickpockets in the crush: closed bag worn in front of you, phone put away, no flashy jewellery.
- ▸Pushy touts (“my friend, just for a look”): a polite, firm refusal is enough, no need to follow along.
- ▸Electronics and watches: check everything before paying, no warranty, no returns possible.
- ▸The “special price for you” is always the tourist price: state your counter-offer without hesitation.
Soumbédioune: art crafts and pirogues on the Corniche
Soumbédioune sits on the Corniche Ouest, between the Plateau and the Pointe des Mamelles, about ten minutes by taxi from the centre. The site has two faces. On the street side, the craft village lines up workshops and shops: carvings in ebony and vène wood, masks, figurines, jewellery, leather bags and belts, batiks, paintings under glass, djembés and koras. The objects look alike from one stall to the next and the opening prices aim at tourists' wallets, but there is plenty of room to negotiate and the quality is decent for anyone who takes the time to dig around.
On the sea side, the fishing quay comes alive in the late afternoon, when the colourful pirogues come back loaded. The unloading, the sorting of the fish and the improvised auction on the sand make a photogenic scene, especially at sunset. You can buy ultra-fresh fish straight from the fishermen, as long as you haggle by the kilo the way the people of Dakar do. Stay clear of the nets being hauled in and keep your things close: the place is popular and very busy.
Haggling and getting around without a misstep
Haggling is done everywhere, except on food at Kermel, where prices are fixed. The method that works: first do a full loop without buying anything to gauge price levels, ask the rate from two or three different sellers, then announce a counter-offer at around 40 to 50% of the first price. Keep a smiling tone, never aggressive, and be ready to leave: it is often as you turn on your heel that the real price drops. Pay in small CFA franc notes; nobody gives change on a big bill. To place these purchases within a whole stay, our article on the budget for a trip to Dakar gives the ballpark figures item by item.
- ▸Cash only: no market takes cards, bring change.
- ▸Closed shoes, water bottle, hat: the aisles are tight and it is hot.
- ▸One bag per person, worn in front, rather than an open backpack on your back.
- ▸Set yourself a budget and a number of items before you go in: Sandaga makes you lose track fast.
Kermel and Sandaga are about 700 metres apart, five to ten minutes on foot: you do them one after the other in the morning. Kermel is also a few minutes from the Gorée landing stage, which lets you combine the market and then the ferry, as explained in our guide to the Gorée ferry. Soumbédioune, about 3 kilometres away, is best kept for the late afternoon. Parking around Sandaga is a feat: favour the yellow-and-black taxi, price negotiated before getting in, or a car with driver in Dakar that drops you in front of the market and circles while you shop. Sandaga and Kermel belong to the Plateau, while the Tilène market beats to the rhythm of the Médina: a contrast detailed in our guide to Dakar's neighbourhoods. Every option, with or without a driver, is gathered on our car rental in Dakar page.
| Market | Location | Speciality | Recommended window | Haggling |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kermel | Plateau, near Place de l'Indépendance | Fruit, fish, flowers, quality souvenirs | 9 am to noon (closed Sunday afternoon) | No on food, yes on souvenirs |
| Sandaga | Plateau, Avenue Lamine Guèye and nearby streets | Fabric, fashion, electronics, cosmetics | Morning, before the big heat | Systematic, aim for 40 to 50% of the first price |
| Soumbédioune | Corniche Ouest, between Plateau and Mamelles | Art crafts by day, fish in the late afternoon | Crafts during the day, pirogues around 5 pm to 7 pm | Systematic, wide margin on crafts |
Frequently asked questions
Yes. The historic hall was demolished in August 2021 and its reconstruction is still under way, but trading carries on in the surrounding streets, in particular along Avenue Lamine Guèye. You can still buy fabric, clothes and electronics there, simply in the open air rather than under the hall.
Easily. The two markets are about 700 metres apart in the Plateau, that is five to ten minutes on foot. The ideal is to start with Kermel in the late morning for the calm and the cool, then head to Sandaga for the textiles and the bazaar atmosphere.
Not on food products, whose prices are fixed and shown by weight. The flowers, baskets, jewellery and craft objects on the upper level, on the other hand, are haggled as normal; count on a discount of 20 to 40% off the first price announced.
In the late afternoon, roughly between 4 pm and 7 pm, when the fishing comes back. That is when the quay comes alive, the fish is sold on the sand and the light is at its best for photos. The craft village, for its part, is open all day.
Yes, with the usual precautions of a big city. The main risk is pickpocketing in the Sandaga crowd: bag worn in front, phone put away, no visible valuables. Our article on safety in Dakar details the reflexes to adopt.
In brief
Three markets, three experiences: Kermel for fresh produce and souvenirs in a heritage hall, Sandaga for fabric and fashion at bazaar prices, Soumbédioune for crafts and the spectacle of the pirogues on the Corniche. Start with Kermel in the calm, then dive into Sandaga keeping your things close, and save Soumbédioune for the end of the day. With cash in small notes, a budget set in advance and a smile, you will come away loaded without having been had.
Do your Dakar shopping without parking worries
A car with or without a driver to link Kermel, Sandaga and Soumbédioune at your own pace, and then range out towards Lac Rose or the Petite Côte.
See the cars available in Dakar →