Place · Old town, harbour & Place de France
Old market (Ancien marché)
The old market district between the mosque and the Place de France: go in the morning, walk slowly and buy spices or fruit with small notes.
- 30–45 minutes
- Cash and small notes
- Go in the morning
- Free entry
- Hard in a wheelchair
Highlights come from Voykit's own data and desk notes, not from reviews. Hover a tag to see its source.
Rules in force · 10Nine African countries on this site have no trip line bec…Broken pavements and heatCover shoulders and knees in town, for women and men alike
- Africa ↗When a route touches a yellow-fever country — even a transit of 12 hours or more — keep the original yellow card (ICVP) in your hand luggage; health desks and airlines can refuse boarding or entry without it.
- Africa ↗Nine African countries on this site have no trip line because governments advise against travel; several others have no-go regions. Read your government's advice for every country on the route before paying deposits.
- African islands ↗Sleep on the island you fly home from the night before your long-haul departure; inter-island flights and ferries in this region are cancelled or rescheduled often enough to break a same-day connection.
- African islands ↗In the Indian Ocean islands book flexible rates for December to March: a cyclone warning can shut airports, ferries and roads for two or three days.
- Comoros ↗Check visa and entry rules for your passport with the Comorian authorities before booking; visas on arrival have been available for many nationalities, but confirm before you fly.
- Comoros ↗Book a travel-clinic visit several weeks ahead; ask about malaria prevention and whether a yellow fever vaccination certificate is required for your route.
- Comoros ↗Inter-island flights and boats are irregular and sea crossings can be unsafe in rough weather; prefer flights and keep a buffer day.
- Grande Comore (Ngazidja) ↗Climb Mount Karthala only with a local guide, and check its status with your guide first: eruptions and gas emissions have closed the crater in the past.
- Moroni ↗Broken pavements and heat: bags go from the car to the door, never on a walk.
- Moroni ↗Cover shoulders and knees in town, for women and men alike; swimwear only at hotel beaches.
More
Map & directions
Add your hotel to get directions from it. · stays in this browser; shared with the pocket card.
Plan
Open now, best time to go, opening hours
Go now?
hours and prices: check on the day- Open
- Hours unknown
- Crowds
Quietest around 13:00–17:00 · go in the morning
MonTueWedThuFriSatSunQuietest Fri, Sun · busiest Sat · desk estimate
- Tickets
- Adult: Free
- Time to spend
- 25–40 min · up to 60 min if you linger
Best time to go
Crowded mid-morning; quieter after 13:00.
By weekday: quietest Fri, Sun, busiest Sat.
Opening hours
- Note
- Trading hours vary by stall and day; not printed until verified.
- Hours note
- Trade is busiest in the morning; stalls close by early afternoon and on Friday midday (check).
Which month is quietest
- Janlight
- Feblight
- Marlight
- Aprlight
- Maybusy
- Junbusy
- Julbusy
- Augbusy
- Sepbusy
- Octbusy
- Novlight
- Declight
Quietest Nov–Apr · busiest May–Oct.
Estimate: desk reasoning from market rhythm; not counted. Holidays and events move these weeks.
Weather here, next 7 days
Loading forecast…
Forecast: Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0), model data for this point.
Not checked in the last 12 months (no check date on file).
On the ground
Getting in, access, sensory load, what to bring, and where to go if it does not work
Getting in
- Stop
- Walk from the mosque
- Ticket
- free · official site
- Stairs
- none of note
- Shoes
- Shoes on.
Accessibility
- PartialStep-free entrance · none of note
- NoAccessible toilet
- NoWheelchair
- NoStroller · poor
Sensory load
- Sensory load3/5 Medium
- Peak crowd4/5 High
Exposure: high
What to bring and the rules
- Clothing that meets the dress rule · Cover shoulders and knees.
- A small bag · Small bag worn in front.
- Water, a hat and sun or rain cover · Rated high exposure: little shelter while you walk.
- Cover shoulders and knees.
- Small bag worn in front.
- Ask first; never of women without permission.
Rules and prices change: check the official site before you go.
Bailouts
- heat: Old-market café
Nearest rescue anchor: C — Old-market café (field-verify)
Problem
Red lines
- Ask before photographing stall owners, especially women.
- Keep phones and cash out of sight.
Not checked in the last 12 months (no check date on file).
Map and nearby
Where it is, how to get there from your hotel or from where you stand, and what is around it
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors
Add your hotel to get directions from it. · stays in this browser; shared with the pocket card.
Nearby places
Eat nearby
More detail
Everything else we know about this place
Tickets, prices and entry
Know before you go
- Small and easy: 30–45 minutes is enough.
- Cash only, in KMF or small euro notes; bring change.
- Vendors expect a greeting first; a quick 'Salaam aleykum' changes the tone.
- Keep phones and cameras out of sight and ask before photographing anyone.
Best time of day
Go in the morning. Plan 25–40 min inside.
quietlightbusyheavypacked· desk estimate; busiest 08:00–10:00
Tickets & entry
- Where to buy
- No ticket needed.
- Dress code
- Cover shoulders and knees.
- Bags & lockers
- Small bag worn in front.
- Photos
- Ask first; never of women without permission.
- What's closed
- Friday middaycheckMany stalls close for prayer.
- Ramadan by daycheckTrade is reduced until the late afternoon.
“Check” dates move year to year: confirm on the official page for your date.
How to do it well
- 1Enter from the Place de France side and walk the lanes toward the harbour.
- 2Ask the price at two stalls before offering about two-thirds.
- 3Buy small: spices, cloth or fruit; carry small notes in your front pocket.
Time on site, inside and your plan
Time on site
Minimum
15min
Worthwhile
25min
Typical
40min
p95
60min
How much time do you have?
Enough for a typical visit (40 min).
With the other 5 min, these are a walk away (their own visit time is on their page):
- Place de France2 min on foot · 3 min spare
- Old Friday Mosque3 min on foot · 2 min spare
- Harbour edge5 min on foot · 0 min spare
Visit times are typical figures, not promises; queues and closing times can change them.
Plan this visit
- Crowd on arrival
- heavy
- Worst while inside
- heavy
- Leave by
- 08:408:40 AM
- Closing buffer
- 200′
Workable but crowded. The quietest start that fits is 06:00 (light at worst).Workable but crowded. The quietest start that fits is 6:00 AM (light at worst).
- You are still on the approach after 08:30, when the slope below Old market (Ancien marché) fills; walk down before then if you can.
- Closing buffer is measured against a planning close of 12:00. Stalls thin out by midday.
- Crowd levels are a desk estimate by hour, not live data.
Step-free check, who it suits, facilities
Step-free check
- Step-free entrance: partly · partlynone of note
- Accessible toilet: no · no
- Wheelchair: no · no
- Stroller: no · nopoor
Narrow lanes, broken paving and some steps.
Facilities on site
| What | Status | Where / note |
|---|---|---|
| Toilets | no | None; use a café. |
| Seating | limited | Benches at the square. |
| Water | yes | Sealed bottles from small shops. |
| Card payment | no | Cash only. |
Who it suits
| Traveler | Fit | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Spice and cloth shoppers | good | Small, close to the mosque and the harbour. |
| Families with small kids | caution | Crowded lanes; go at 07:30.Crowded lanes; go at 7:30 AM. |
| Wheelchair users | poor | Broken paving and steps. |
Skip it if
- You have already done Volo-Volo and have little time.
- You can only come after 11:00.You can only come after 11:00 AM.
Rules on site
- bargaining
- Light and polite; walk away with a smile.
Combine with
Combine with
- 2 minPlace de France
- 2 minCafé at the Place de France · eat — Coffee and juice in the shade.
- 3 minOld Friday Mosque — The mosque is minutes away.
- 5 minHarbour edge
Walk the Old town, harbour & Place de France area · the cluster page has the walking order, rescue stops and after-dark notes
Best photo time
Best photo time today
Sun times for today load in your browser.
Deep dive
Questions, photos, and where our facts come from
Questions and answers
Questions and answers
Is the old market the same as Volo-Volo?
No. The old market is a small lane market in the old town; Volo-Volo is the larger covered market to the north.
Checked 2026-09-29 · Voykit desk
What can I buy at the old market?
Spices, cloth, fruit and household goods. Vanilla and ylang-ylang oil are better bought at Volo-Volo or from a stall you trust.
Can I bargain?
Yes, lightly: ask at two stalls, offer about two-thirds and settle nearby. Do not haggle over food.
How long do I need?
30–45 minutes as part of the old-town walk.
Photos
Deep dive
Sources
- secondaryWikivoyage — Moroni
- officialUK FCDO travel advice — Comoros
Was this useful?
Add Old market (Ancien marché) to a day
Source: Price
Draft
Written from desk research. Not yet compared with the official source.
Prices are 2026 estimates. The official site has the current price.
Source: Opening hours
Source: Best hour
Draft
Written from desk research. Not yet compared with the official source.
No official source is recorded for this figure.
The quietest window written into this guide. Crowd levels are desk estimates, not counts.
Source: Bag rating
Draft
Written from desk research. Not yet compared with the official source.
No official source is recorded for this figure.
Rated for the whole walking cluster, from desk research, not for this entrance.