One of the best-loved and indulged in activities in Goa is shopping at its local markets that are a riot of color, exotic products and activity, and attract tourists from all over the world. Goa offers exhausting shopping possibilities from cosmopolitan department stores and designer boutiques, to makeshift stalls that everything you can think of. Its bazaars are chaotic sites of busy activity where haggling and bargaining are the fun of the day!

Some of the most popular local markets are the Anjuna Flea market, the Mapusa Friday market and the new market at Margao.

The Anjuna Flea Market came into existence with the hippies auctioning their belongings in a bid to spend some more time in the blissful and opiate paradise of Goa. The market has now developed into a sort of souvenir bazaar where hawkers from Gujarat, Rajasthan and Kashmir sell handicraft items such as embroidered and mirrorwork tote bags, waist pouches, bedspreads, waistcoats and costume jewelry. There are no price tags on any article, and it is a shame to miss a vist to this place.

The weekly Mapusa Friday market is full of wooden carvings, coir mats, wood furniture, straw hats and freshly baked bread. It is also more typically Goan, with fish, fruit, vegetables and other fresh produce sold alongside tourist goods. It wraps up by evening without a trace and is a delightful place to visit.

No description of the Goan bazaars can so justice to the real experience. So the next time you are in Goa, make sure you go on a truly enjoyable, and sometimes surreal trip.