Flea markets and second-hand markets in Mauritius

Who could have predicted that I would become a true Sunday bargain hunter?

I’m nostalgic for France, for the brocantes and vide-greniers I used to visit on vacation. Here, I’d like to tell you about the island’s garage sales.

When I landed in Mauritius, I realized that the cost of living was higher than I thought! Unfortunately, very little is produced locally. The island relies heavily on imports, whether for food, cars or anything else.

That’s how I discovered garage sales in Mauritius. I’m always on the lookout for bargains, so events like these were bound to catch my eye.

Today, these gatherings are becoming more and more popular, and the culture of second-hand sales is beginning to spread all over the island.

List of garage sales in Mauritius

For the Vide Grenier Mauritius organization, “Brocante Co Ltd”, is in charge of most of these garage sales, which usually take place once a month.

Here are just a few:

• • Floréal: at the So’Flo shopping center, from 8:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on the last Sunday of the month.
  • Moka: Allées d’Helvetia, from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on the last Sunday of the month, every 2 months.

• • Mahebourg: Beau-Vallon, 8:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., first Sunday of the month.
  • North:
    
    • Goodlands: garage sale and craft market in the Goodlands shopping center every last Sunday of the month from 8:30am to 1:00pm.
    • Quartier des Serres: 1st Saturday of each month, garage sale in the premises next to La Terrasse restaurant, organized by “La Maison Verte” association/school. From 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
  • Tamarin: Place Cap Tamarin, my favorite, with a huge number of stallholders, from 6.30 a.m. to 11.00 a.m., every first Sunday of the month.

It’s THE must-attend event of the month. I try to go there to find all kinds of things at unbeatable prices: board games, crockery, decorative items, clothes, accessories, DVDs and even vacoa items… Furniture is a rarity, but you’ll find a lot of clothes, and lots of them.

In addition to the cheap price, it’s an opportunity to make a positive impact on the environment by giving these objects a second life.

My advice: try to get there early for the best bargains. For the Tamarin garage sale, it officially starts at 6.3 am, but I’d recommend you to get there around 6 am, when it’s already very busy.