Addis Mercato : Merkato Market in Addis Ababa
Exploring Mercato Market: Your Guide to Africa’s Grandest Marketplace
What to do at Mercato in Addis Ababa and the specific places in Merkato to walk around
How to experience tour of Mercato best by walking
Post by Muluken Girma Tamirat
Founder, tour operator and guide @Merit Ethiopian Experience Tours
Published and last updated on Aug 12, 2024
Welcome to Merit Ethiopian Experience Tours post on Ethiopia’s Mercato Market in Addis Ababa! Here, find interesting facts, helpful tips, and advices by tourism professional about Mercato.
If interested on other topics, please go to our Articles on Ethiopia.
Let’s dive in to Mercato.
Click the links below to go to the specific part
MERCATO - BRIEF HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
HOW TO GET TO MERKATO MARKET IN ADDIS ABABA
UNIQUE AND INTERESTING PARTS OF MERKATO
PRACTICAL TIPS FOR VISITORS TO MERCATO MARKET
TOUR OF MERKATO WITH MERIT ETHIOPIAN EXPERIENCE TOURS
Introduction
Google refers to Mercato (Merkato) Market as “Merkato”. The attractions part of TripAdvisor use the name "Mercato Market". For this post, I used both the common terms for the market – Mercato and Merkato.
No one denies that Merkato is a huge trading area. I did my own research online to measure the area of Merkato Market (መርካቶ) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
I used Google Earth to measure the area of this shopping place. I considered using four aggregable coordinates. I found out that it covers at least a total area: of 4.85 km² (1.87 mi²)
Mercato is one of the top ranking Things to Do in Addis Ababa. More than 20,000 people shop at this market daily, except Sundays.
As a tour guide, I frequently lead walking tours through Merkato. I find the following aspects particularly fascinating:
- The variety of items available for sale
- The diversity of peoples background I encounter
- The surprising order within the market's chaotic and complex environment
- The dire situations some people live under
Please keep reading. I share insightful information and tips about Mercato. I gained first-hand information working as a tour guide for about two decades.
For quick support on planning your tour, contact me on WhatsApp
“PICK THIS TOUR! Fantastic cultural experience and a great way to see the highlights of Addis!!”
Biruk made sure I was safe during our visit to the Mercato market and helped me negotiate a good price for the basket I bought there.
Review on TripAdvisor by Twiggy_YOW on Jul 26, 2024 about Full-Day Private City Tour of Addis Ababa
Brief historical background
Initially, Merkato was a small marketplace serving local population of Addis Ababa. Merkato means "market" in Italian. It gained popularity when Addis Ababa was under the Italian Occupation (1936 – 1941).
During the Italian occupation of Addis Ababa, Merkato was where locals shop and trade. While the more developed part, Piazza (Piassa) was the market places for Italians.
Today, Merkato is a testimony to resilience and adaptability. It's a melting pot of cultures, languages, and goods.
How to get to Merkato Market in Addis Ababa
You can get to Mercato from different directions. But the most interesting parts of the market are best accessed from Piazza.
Drive alongside the railway, from Piazza to Autobus Tera. Turn left by Anwar Mosque - one of the biggest mosques in Ethiopia. This is the driving route I usually begin my tour to Merkato.
Real adventure seekers can reach Mercato using the light railway heading west from Saint George, or north east from Meskel Square.
I always recommend first-time visitors to Merkato to have a local with them. Major reasons to visit Mercato with a local who knows the market well are: -
✔️ You are less likely to experience harassment or persistent sales pressure
✔️ You don’t attract unnecessary attention
✔️ You’ll locate the best spots worth visiting at Mercato
✔️ You don’t get lost amidst narrow and complex walkways
✔️ You can easily communicate with locals
✔️ You can’t be taken advantage of when bargaining for prices. Actual selling prices are generally negotiable.
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Merkato is arranged into separate sections for different items for sale. If you have any specific area you want to discover, let us know.
Check GetYourGuide website to book our private 3-hours walking tour to Merkato Market.
What to Expect at Merkato
Mercato Market is different from other open-air shopping areas. This massive market is unique in a number of ways.
When exploring Merkato, especially for the first-time, expect that
You’ll encounter a huge crowd, complex and energetic movements. Merkato's roads are busy with donkeys, shoppers, street vendors, trucks, and buses. Dogs and hand-pushed carts navigate the chaotic streets in a seemingly disorganized fashion.
What can’t you find in Merkato? See the vast array of products available at Merkato Market. With expert tour guide, navigate the market’s different sections selling spices, grains, souvenirs or food.
See machinery spars, incense, herbs, metalwork, textiles, cheese, electronics and live chicken on sale. There is even a section in Mercato where used potty chair and pairs of socks are sold.
As you stroll through Merkato, you'll hear vendors loudly advertising their wares, often lowering prices as the day progresses. Many sellers carry their goods in plastic sheets with handles, creating a makeshift shop. Most of these informal merchants are unable to afford traditional storefronts. They are prepared to quickly pack up and flee if approached by the police.
As you wander through the market, you'll come across gold and silver jewelry shops. It's astonishing to see genuine gold necklaces, bracelets, and rings displayed behind simple glass cases.
At the heart of Merkato, look at the Grand Anwar Mosque and Saint Raguel Church. The mosque and the Ethiopian Orthodox church stand side by side. This symbolizes the religious diversity that thrives within this bustling marketplace.
Send email to contact and arrange your adventure in Merkato.
Unique and interesting parts of Merkato visitors have to consider exploring:
Spice Market – Experience the intoxicating fragrance of various aromatic spice combinations. Be fascinated with a colorful display of spices.
At Merkato Spice Market, buy Cardamom, Coriander, Ginger, Cloves, Fenugreek, Turmeric, etc. Here, you can shop for Berbere. It is the main Ethiopian spice blend of chili peppers, ginger, coriander, and other aromatic spices.
Enset Market - Enset is a tree which looks like banana tree but bearing no fruits. Ethiopians use the root and stalk of Enset (False Banana tree) to prepare bread (Kotcho) or porridge (Bulla). At the Enset Market, see piles of freshly harvested Enset stalks. Watch vendors skillfully stripping, scraping, pulverizing, and preparing Enset.
Chat Market - Khat, a green leaf chewed by many Ethiopians for its mild stimulant effect, is the focus of this market. Observe locals gathering to consume Khat and socialize. Visiting the Chat Market offers a unique glimpse into Ethiopian culture.
Second hand items market – At these part of Mercato, expect to see something you’ve never seen before. Here used items of any sort are available for sale. Old dresses, used shoes, discarded school uniforms and broken computers are common to see. You may find your forgotten cameras at this part of the market. This is a photographer’s heaven.
Recycling area of Merkato - Merkato's recycling area is unlike any other. It's crowded, dusty, noisy, and a bit overwhelming. Discarded materials, categorized with surprising order. See metal scraps, plastic containers, rubber tires, cardboard boxes, glass shards, and more.
Learn how big role Circular Economy is playing in Merkato's recycling area. See how waste is minimized, and resources are constantly reused and reinvented.
TIP – Go to this informative blog about the recycling process and how important the circular economy in Merkato Market is.
There are other interesting parts of this outdoor bazaar to discover. Continue tour of Merkato with the Frank incense market, and the dairy products market. Handwoven grass baskets market and the metal workshops area are also worth visiting.
Discover the best parts of Merkato with our full-day Addis Ababa private city tour.
Practical Tips for Visitors to Mercato Market
Following are my advices and tips when you visit Merkato by yourself.
1. If you are shopping at Merkato, know that bargaining for selling price is the order of the game here. Make your research to have the general price of the item you want to buy. When bargaining, make the seller call his price first. Then, start bargaining beginning with about half of the price the merchant wants.
2. Keep your pace. If you are walking and visiting trading place, don’t spend too much time at one spot. That calls for unneeded attention and spectators.
3. The best time to visit Merkato is in the morning, if you have the flexibility. This is because there are fewer people in the market and people are more excited and in good moods than in the afternoons.
4. To stay safe, carry local cash ONLY what you need. Leave valuable stuff, passport and important documents at your hotel. Have a copy of your passport or ID.
5. If you are taking photos with your phone, take out your phone ONLY when you want to use it. Beware of snatchers and pickpockets at Merkato.
6. Know important magic words like ‘Ameseginalehu’ (Thank You), ‘Ebakih (m) /Ebakish (f)’ (Please), ‘Photo Lansah (m) /Lansash (f)’ (Can I take a photo of you?’, ‘Sint New?’ (How much is it?)
7. Exercise caution when taking photos, as some people might be uncomfortable. Always ask permission beforehand.
8. Keep a respectful distance. Be mindful of personal space and avoid interrupting transactions or conversations.
9. SMILE - In a bustling local market squares like Addis Ababa's Merkato, a smile can be your secret weapon, especially when things go wrong. For example, you take a photo of someone who doesn’t like it.
Say sorry, don’t forget to smile. It instantly conveys friendliness, patience, and understanding. Smiling helps lighten the mood, preventing frustration from escalating.
10. Wear comfortable shoes for walking. Don’t carry heavy back sack. Travel light.
11. If you are overwhelmed by big crowds, consider visiting other local marketplaces in Addis Ababa. Shola Market near Megenagna and Shiro Meda Market near Entoto are similar markets like Merkato.
Learn insider tips about Merkato booking our half-day Addis Ababa city sightseeing.
Tour of Merkato with Merit Ethiopian Experience Tours [MEET]
Here at MEET Tours, we specialize in offering private guided tours in Addis Ababa and day trips around. Our full-day and short city sightseeing in Addis Ababa normally include visits to Mercato Market.
To help visitors who are specifically interested in local markets, we offer flexible 3-hours guided walking tour to Mercato. We can combine this tour with exploring other interesting attractions in Addis Ababa.
This is also a fully customable private discovery tour. Contact us for working with us on uncovering the best of Merkato.
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