8 Best Places to Go Shopping in Dakar
Where to Shop in Dakar and What to Buy?
Much of the best shopping in Dakar happens in its vibrant markets. These sell everything from fresh fish and produce to hand-dyed fabrics and discounted electronics, usually within an atmosphere of joyful organised chaos. Bargaining is the name of the game: a common strategy is to halve the vendor’s first offer, then negotiate your way to a middle point.
Aside from the numerous markets, the fashion-forward city also has boutique shops specialising in high-end clothing and home decor with innovative design. If you’re searching for souvenirs, you’ll find them just about everywhere, with handicrafts like wood carving and woven bags being particularly popular. Here are our top choices for the best places to shop in Dakar.
1. Marche Soumbedioune
Handmade crafts and the catch of the day
Ideal para: Compras, Alimentação
Marché Soumbédioune is an excellent place to shop for handmade souvenirs. Its stalls are filled with woven baskets and handbags, silver jewellery, sabar drums and clothes made in fabrics of every colour and pattern imaginable. The stalls around the outer ring of the market will cater more to tourists, while if you venture into the centre, you’ll find local craftspeople selling quality wares at reasonable prices.
Located near the coast in the Médina area, the craft market stands side by side with the Marché aux Poissons. Shop for the catch of the day alongside the locals and go to one of the market’s grilling stations to have something cooked up on the spot.
Localização: Rte de la Corniche O, Medina, Dakar, Senegal
Abre: Daily from 8 am to 7 pm
Telefone: +221 77 635 52 93
Marche Soumbedioune
2. Marche Sandaga
A one-stop shop for clothes, electronics and home goods
Ideal para: Compras, Econômico
Sandaga is Dakar’s largest and busiest market, a 3-storey bazaar with a central downtown location. This is the place to shop if you’re confident in your bargaining skills, with clothes, trainers, electronics, home decor and plenty of souvenirs sold at the best prices you can negotiate.
Hidden between stands selling local sweets and flat-screen TVs are cluttered second-hand shops where knick-knacks are interspersed with rare books and fine jewellery. You’ll need a discerning eye and patient temperament to navigate the maze of shops where everything is up for sale and sellers are insistent.
Localização: Ave du President Lamine Gueye, Dakar-Plateau, Dakar, Senegal
Abre: Daily from 7.30 am to 7.30 pm
Telefone: +221 33 821 70 32
Marche Sandaga
3. Sea Plaza
International brands at this modern centre
Ideal para: Compras, Famílias
Sea Plaza is Dakar’s Western-style shopping centre, with over 70 shops in a multi-level complex on the Corniche Bay. Shoppers will find major international and luxury brands, plus smartphones and accessories, cosmetics and children’s toys. This modern complex comes with all the trimmings, including popular franchise restaurants, a cinema and a casino with slot machines and poker tables.
Shop for brands like Aldo and Mango and cool down with freshly squeezed juice or gelato. This is a kid-friendly place to shop, with an indoor play zone and a spacious outdoor plaza overlooking the beach.
Localização: Rte de la Corniche O, Fann-Point E-Amitié, Dakar, Senegal
Abre: Sunday–Friday from 10 am to 8 pm, Saturday from 10 am to midnight
Telefone: +221 33 859 89 62
Sea Plaza
4. Le Sandaga
An ultra stylish store featuring unusual designs
Ideal para: Compras, Luxo
Le Sandaga is a concept store that features fashion accessories and home decor in bold, modern designs. Its shelves have held leather handbags with clothespin handles, art books on themes such as photography and typography and statement jewellery like golden amulets with massive inlaid gemstones. This stylish boutique would be right at home in fashion meccas like London and New York.
Its highly curated selection also includes items for savvy travellers like collapsible backpacks and high-end personal care items. The shop prides itself on supporting local artists and elevating the ordinary with outstanding design.
Localização: 5 Bis Rue Victor Hugo, Dakar-Plateau, Dakar, Senegal
Abre: Monday–Saturday from 9.30 am to 1 pm and from 2.30 pm to 6 pm (closed on Sundays)
Telefone: +221 33 821 40 50
Le Sandaga
5. Marché HLM
Exquisite fabrics for custom garments
Ideal para: Compras, Econômico
Marché HLM is where the Dakarois come to shop for textiles and accessories. Located on the east side of the city far from the main tourist drag, the market is stocked with reams upon reams of fabrics sold at extremely fair prices.
Browse textiles in multitudes of styles and colours alongside accessories like gold bangles and embroidered kufi hats. You’ll see lots of bazin, hand-dyed polished cotton with a characteristic shine, which is a mainstay in West African fashion. Bring the fabric of your choice to one of the market’s many tailors for a unique made-to-measure garment.
Localização: Rue HLM 272, HLM 5, Dakar, Senegal
Abre: Monday–Friday from 7 am to 11 pm, Saturday–Sunday from 7 am to midnight
Telefone: +221 77 570 30 78
Marché HLM
6. Marche Tilene
For bargains on foodstuffs and daily necessities
Ideal para: Compras, Econômico
Marché Tilène embodies the hustle and bustle of the surrounding Médina. The crowded market sells mostly groceries, personal care products and kitchenware, but you’ll also find cheap clothing and several gold jewellers.
Sellers lay their wares across blankets on the ground; mountains of limes and potatoes are stacked underneath makeshift canopies. Shop shelves are lined with spices and teas while goats roam the busy aisles. Find everything you need to make a meal here, from fresh vegetables and meats to turmeric and tamarind.
Localização: Ave Blaise Diagne, Medina, Dakar, Senegal
Abre: Monday–Saturday from 7.30 am to 11 pm, Sunday from 9.30 am to 8 pm
Telefone: +221 77 649 68 28
Marche Tilene
7. Cocktail du Senegal
One-of-a-kind handmade gifts
Ideal para: Compras, Alimentação
Cocktail du Sénégal is stocked floor to ceiling with quality clothing, decor, foodstuffs and art objects made by local artisans. Many of these make use of traditional crafts, including hand-carved wooden keepsake boxes, stylish leather handbags and mirrors with intricate beaded frames.
Shoppers are sure to find something unique in this eclectic collection. The hand-painted tea and coffee sets are particularly special, depicting Senegalese people and scenes from daily life. Foodstuffs made in Senegal and beyond, like bissap chutney and candied lemons, make excellent edible gifts. The high quality of the merchandise warrants their above-average price tags.
Localização: Rue Mousse Diop, Dakar, Senegal
Abre: Monday–Saturday from 8.30 am to 12.30 pm and from 2.30 pm to 6 pm (closed on Sundays)
Telefone: +221 33 823 53 15
Cocktail du Senegal
8. Marché Kermel
A quality food market in a charming old building
Ideal para: Compras, Alimentação
Marché Kermel draws a mix of ex-pats, tourists and restaurateurs with its high-quality produce and meats. You’ll pay higher prices here due to the convenient downtown location and picturesque setting but rest assured that you’re taking home first-rate provisions.
The market is housed in a beautiful brick hall shaped like a kiln, and vendors are more relaxed than at other markets. Shop neat piles of colourful produce and sacks of grains and spices that showcase the flavours of Senegal. Butchers and fishmongers also sell here and are happy to cut and clean their products to your liking.
Localização: Rue de Essarts, Dakar-Plateau, Dakar, Senegal
Abre: Monday–Saturday from 8 am to 8 pm (closed on Sundays)
Telefone: +221 77 785 97 51
Marché Kermel
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