How do you visit Merkato, Addis Ababa's huge open-air market, safely?

Merkato is one of the most memorable things you can do in Addis Ababa: a whole district of spice sacks, coffee, workshops and bargaining, where the city does its everyday shopping. Visit on a weekday morning, go with someone who knows it, carry as little as possible and plan your exit before you enter, and it is an easy, fascinating few hours. The simplest way to handle the in-and-out is to arrive by car: a driver drops you at the edge of the market and waits at an agreed spot until you are done.

Merkato (also spelled Mercato) is not a single market hall. It is a whole district of lanes, warehouses, stalls and workshops where much of the city's wholesale trade happens. It has around 7,100 businesses, and more than 200,000 people do business there every day. Most are Ethiopians doing real shopping, not tourists.

What is Merkato and where is it?

Merkato is in the Addis Ketema sub-city, west of Piassa, the old centre. The market grew up here after the Italian occupation authorities moved the city's main market west in the 1930s. The Grand Anwar Mosque and St Raguel Church stand side by side in the middle of the market and make useful landmarks.

The market is organised into sections, or tera, by trade. You will find areas for spices, grain, coffee, household goods, electronics, furniture, textiles and scrap, with porters, carts, minibuses and the occasional donkey squeezing through all of it.

Which parts of Merkato are worth seeing?

• Spices and coffee. Sacks of berbere and other spice mixes, plus green and roasted coffee. Coffee is the main product traded through Merkato, and this is the section most visitors enjoy first.
• Minalesh Tera, the recycling market. Minalesh means "what do you have?" in Amharic. Metal, plastic, paper, rubber and wood are brought here and turned into new goods: old barrels become washing basins, car gears become cooking stands and metal sheets become charcoal stoves.
• Textiles and traditional clothing. Shema Tera is known for traditional clothing. A large fire in October 2024 destroyed hundreds of shops there, so parts of the area may still look different from older descriptions.
• Baskets and household goods. Handwoven baskets, clay coffee pots and everyday items make more honest souvenirs than airport-shop trinkets.

You do not need to see everything. For most first-time visitors, one to three hours covering the spice and coffee lanes plus the recycling area is plenty.

How do you have an easy, safe visit to Merkato?

Merkato is busy rather than dangerous, and the people you meet are mostly traders and shoppers getting on with their day. As in any big market in any capital, pickpockets work the crowds, and they target locals as much as visitors, often using a distraction such as a bump or a spilled drink while someone reaches for a phone or wallet.

A few simple habits take care of almost all of it:

1. Carry less. Take a phone, a small amount of cash in small birr notes and a paper copy of your passport. Leave the passport itself, spare cards and jewellery at your hotel.
2. Wear your bag in front. A zipped cross-body bag worn at the front is far safer than a backpack. Keep your phone in a front pocket and put it away between photos.
3. Go with a local. Someone who knows the market helps you find your way between sections. Your hotel or a trusted contact can suggest someone, arranged in advance.
4. Say no to unsolicited 'guides'. Politely decline anyone who attaches himself to you at the edge of the market.
5. Watch the traffic. Porters with huge loads, carts, minibuses and animals share narrow lanes. Keep to the side and look before stepping back for a photo.
6. Go in daylight. Plan to be finished well before dark, and travel by car in the evening.

Your driver helps too. Ours drop you at the edge of the market, wait nearby, and can point you away from the pickpocket hotspots, the common scams and the overcharging that catch out first-time visitors. You're never standing on a busy street trying to flag a taxi with your hands full. Some governments currently advise against travel to parts of the north; Addis Ababa is open and busy with ordinary life, though as anywhere it is wise to step away from any crowd that looks like a protest.

When is the best time to visit Merkato?

Weekday mornings. Stalls are fully stocked, it is cooler, and the crowds build as the day goes on. The market runs Monday to Saturday, and roughly 8am to 11am is the best window. Sunday is best avoided: many shops close, so the market is much quieter.

In the rainy season, unpaved lanes turn muddy and slippery. Wear closed shoes you do not mind getting dirty at any time of year.

How do you get to Merkato?

The streets around Merkato are clogged with traffic, so it is usually quicker to get dropped at the edge of the market and walk in than to crawl to a particular spot by car. Ride-hailing apps and taxis work, but finding your car again in the crush can be the hard part.

The easiest approach is to agree a clear drop-off point and a pickup time before you walk in. With a private driver this is simple: the car waits nearby, you can leave purchases in it rather than carrying everything through the crowds, and it is right there when you come out.

Can you take photos in Merkato?

Yes, but ask before photographing people, and accept a no gracefully. Traders are working, and many do not want to be in a tourist's pictures. Wide shots of lanes and spice sacks are rarely a problem.

It is illegal to photograph police and military personnel, government buildings and key infrastructure, or anywhere with signs prohibiting photography. Keep uniformed officers out of your frame.

What should you buy in Merkato?

Merkato is at its best for everyday Ethiopian goods: spices such as berbere, coffee, baskets, clay coffee pots (jebena) and cotton scarves. Prices are rarely fixed, so polite bargaining is normal. Bring cash in birr; Ethiopia is a cash-based society where card payments are limited.

Two cautions. If you take coffee home, you can take up to 2 kg out of the country without special authorisation. And anything that looks old, such as a cross, painting or manuscript, needs an export certificate, or it may be confiscated at the airport.

Is Merkato worth it?

If you want to see how Addis Ababa actually works, yes. It is noisy, crowded, friendly and not built for tourists, which is the point. Go in the morning, keep valuables to a minimum, bring someone who knows the lanes if you can, and have your ride waiting when you come out.