Following are some random reviews taken from Trip Advisor, the online holiday destination review site. They were taken from posts at the end of April but it is a good idea to bookmark Trip Advisor as they have reviews on a regular basis.
We have listed posts that relate to General Merchandise although most of the other posts are about food.
On balance the reviews are complimentary although we do have some comments about cheap goods and obviously some tourists were disappointed with their experience. There are some things we need to work on.
“Buying food - excellent; otherwise cheap” Reviewed 14 April 2013 - California
It was an experience going to this market. If you are there to buy food,
you will be amazed! If you are there to buy interesting things to take home,
you will just find "rubbish" as our bellman told us afterwards. He
was right.
“Great for all budgets” Reviewed 17 April 2013 - Melbourne
OK it's not the prettiest market around, it is pretty scruffy but that
is part of it's history, it was apparently built on the first graveyard in
Melbourne.
There is plenty of "rubbish" I agree. BUT there are gems also like
good quality Ugg Boots and sheepskin at a great price, and they sell my very
favourite bags there. The top end near the road, they still sell (saw it last
weekend) this fabulous leather bag for $99 that is a shoulder bag, can go
across the body and even convert to a security back pack as the zip around
folds up making it very safe. No I don't know who sells it, but I sure love
mine! There are also tablecloths with the world map that are great quality,
plenty of things. Of course there is plenty of value fruit and vegetables, meat
and fish. And junk, yes there is that too. Leather is probably the best value,
also great quality leather jackets. So there is something for everyone. It's
not air conditioned or heated, very open air but that's the way it is. You just
have to look!!
“Don't buy any souvenirs until you come here!!!!!” Reviewed 18 April 2013 - California
Could not believe the size and variety of this marketplace. Was not able
to cover the whole thing in 3 hours. The prices are sensational. We have been
so shocked at the prices in Australia, but could have bought so much more at
the market, had we more suitcase room. Great Aboriginal items, cheap. Lots of
t-shirt shops...5 bucks for nicely embroidered shirts. Scarves were plentiful
and varied and a great price, There was a shop that featured a hundred or so
laser-cut cards that were in such detail...less that 4 bucks each. My friend
bought a rolling shopping cart with a colorful rain-resistant bag that was so
wonderful to wheel around rather than carry our purchases,,,,18 bucks! Koala
with baby koala backpacks for kids, made of fur with zippers...5 bucks.
“As good as always!” Reviewed 18 April 2013 - NZ
Always love the markets! We got there late so missed out on half of it
but still managed to grab a characterised portrait and a couple of other
things! Great atmosphere and lovely goods, food and everything else you can
think of! :) don't be scared to bargain with these guys too for a good buy!
This is a fantastic place for those who want to buy fresh produce. The
meat and fish hall offers a wonderful range of butcheries offering every
imaginable cut of red meats, poultry and game along with a wide variety of
quality seafood. The fruit and vegetables stalls seem to go on for ever with
very fresh produce at prices well below the supermarkets. And the continental
food hall has a great range of vendors offering baked goods, preserved meats
and cheeses. If you live in the area or are staying in self catered accommodation
in Melbourne, this is the only place to shop.
My only caution is don't go along expecting anything special from the general merchandising stalls. While some of the leather goods are of OK quality and value, the majority of the stalls offer basic clothing or cheap imported this-n-that. If you are expecting the innovative arts and crafts found at the Rocks Markets in Sydney you will be sorely disappointed.
My only caution is don't go along expecting anything special from the general merchandising stalls. While some of the leather goods are of OK quality and value, the majority of the stalls offer basic clothing or cheap imported this-n-that. If you are expecting the innovative arts and crafts found at the Rocks Markets in Sydney you will be sorely disappointed.
“Fresh produce and affordable souvenirs available!” Reviewed 29 April 2013 – Georgetown Malaysia
This market is just filled with loads of fresh produce from fruits,
vegetables, meat and seafood. It's definitely the place to go to get fresh and
affordable produce. It's also a place to taste an array of foods like
sandwiches, pies, quiche, pastries, yoghurt and others. You can just buy
something to snack on while shopping or choose to have your lunch at the
sidewalk of the market. Souvenirs are also available for all tourists. There
are many stalls that buy similiar things but the further you walk, you might
get cheaper prices or alternatively you may choose to haggle with the owner.
It's definitely a shoppers and tourists' paradise.
“Our visit to queen victoria market melbourne” Reviewed 1 May 2013 - Calcutta
Not knowing fully
about this market,we got down from the hop in hop off free tram at Elizabeth
Street when pre recorded commentary in the tram informed us about this heritage
market, We were amazed to see the variety and quality of various merchandise
especially the farm and agricultural produce being sold by chinese stall
owners, I was amazed to see that all tropical fruits & vegetables produced
and consumed in INDIA were available there. Fortunately and again not
knowingly, we went on a sunday when a separate section of the market sells
& displays various artecrafts and goods and the market teems with customers
We were virtually lost in the maze of hundreds of shops and goodies Wine stalls
sold home made wines and free testing was welcome! We purchased some garments
from a chinese shopkeeper after a little bargaining though bargaining was not
encouraged.We also purchased a wall hangig showpiece from a Vietnamese stall
for AUD 60 We were totally amazed by the sheer volume and variety of goods
shops Since we stayed in a hotel located on Elizabeth Street, we walked down to
the market at about 6pm and found to our astonishment and disappointment that
whole area was deserted &abandoned!All busy food cafes on the sidewalk of
Elizabeth Street have simply vanished as the total market complex closes down
on sunday at 5pm Next day monday was a holiday for the market. It remains
closed on mondays and wednesdays Visit to this age old heritage market was
indeed an unique experience . We had also visited Paddy's market in Sydney
which is also a very old and heritage market. Despite having some similarity
between these two markets,Queen Victoria scored over Paddy's to us and I would
strongly recommend to visit this market as a great tourist attraction in
Melbourne.
“Foood lovers' Heaven!” Reviewed 1 May 2013 - Ireland
If you love food, you are bound to enjoy the Queen Victoria Market where
you'll find every kind of olive you want, tasty spreads made of aubergine,
olive, garlic, tomato or, in fact, just about anything delicious. There are
breads of every sort and shape - aside from Irish brown soda bread. Wine lovers
will be drooling, carnivores will satisfy their every whim and fish lovers will
plunge the depths of choice. Fruit and vegetables competed for attention but
were all of high standard. I've been to many markets around the world, but the
Queen Victoria beats all the others I know.
And I haven't mentioned the clothes, shoes, Uggs, tools, memorabilia, artifacts, tools, make up and sweets and cakes. The variety is just too wide to list. There are also places to eat from Sushi, to Italian, vegetarian to fish and chips, and much much more.
If you ever get the opportunity to visit Melbourne, go to the Queen Victoria Market -you won't regret it. If you visit outside the weekend, entry is free.
And I haven't mentioned the clothes, shoes, Uggs, tools, memorabilia, artifacts, tools, make up and sweets and cakes. The variety is just too wide to list. There are also places to eat from Sushi, to Italian, vegetarian to fish and chips, and much much more.
If you ever get the opportunity to visit Melbourne, go to the Queen Victoria Market -you won't regret it. If you visit outside the weekend, entry is free.
“Disappointed. Probably great for locals or food shopping” Reviewed 7 May 2013 - London
Great market if you're looking to buy food, but was expecting something
more like Spitalfields market in London with young fashion designers, arts,
crafts etc. Only reason for disappointment.
“Worth a visit” Reviewed 7 May 2013 - California
We had only 45 min to visit the market so we quickly looked into the
meat, seafood, deli, fruit and vegitable sections before going to the goods
market to buy some fun gifts. I think it would have been fun to have a bit more
time to rummage around - perhaps 1 1/2 hr ?
“Repetitive” Reviewed 7 May 2013 - Hobart
When vendors sell the same items row after row it starts to get a little
droll by the end. To find something a little different was like finding GOLD.
That being said, I managed to find a photo journal a friend had been wanting for years and a lovely scarf. My daughter had been looking all week for a jumper and found just what she was looking for at the market. Admittedly the style was in 3 different stalls (so they must all buy off the same people), with no variation in price, so we bought it off the person we liked the best.
It's definitely worth going for a look to see what gold YOU can find.
That being said, I managed to find a photo journal a friend had been wanting for years and a lovely scarf. My daughter had been looking all week for a jumper and found just what she was looking for at the market. Admittedly the style was in 3 different stalls (so they must all buy off the same people), with no variation in price, so we bought it off the person we liked the best.
It's definitely worth going for a look to see what gold YOU can find.