Saint-Paul Seafront Market

Reunion condenses itself onto Saint-Paul's seafront every Friday and Saturday: hundreds of stalls under the flame trees where the island's Creole synthesis is edible and audible - Bourbon vanilla pods sold by growers, turmeric and massale ground to order, letchis and mangoes in season pyramids, samoussas and bouchons frying at every third stall, rum arrange in jars of improbable infusion, and maloya rhythms working through the crowd. The craft half trades basketry, tamarin-wood turning and madras cloth. It is the market the whole island attends, tourists incidental - which is exactly why it matters.

What you actually see

• The vanilla growers - Bourbon pods from the source.
• The spice tables - massale, turmeric and the Creole palette.
• The snack alley - samoussas, bouchons and bonbons piment.
• The craft rows - basketry and island woodwork.

When to go

Friday all day and Saturday morning - Saturday before 10am is the connoisseur's slot; the market winds down by early afternoon. December brings letchi season's red mountains.

Honest expectations

Parking is the morning's battle - arrive early or park far and walk the seafront. Prices are honest but vanilla quality varies: buy from growers, sniff before paying. Keep bags zipped in the densest lanes as anywhere. The beach opposite is for strolling, not swimming - respect the west coast's flagged zones.

Nearby

Saint-Paul's grotto and history, Boucan Canot's beach and the road up to Maido.