Durban has the largest Indian community outside India, and the Indian quarter is where you taste it. The covered Victoria Street Market sells spice, fabric and crafts, the streets around it run on curry, and the city's signature bunny chow was invented a few blocks away.
Victoria Street Market is the front door to Durban’s Indian quarter, the part of the city that holds the largest Indian community outside India. The covered market gathers small stalls under domed roofs, selling loose spice and ready-made curry blends, fabric, beadwork and curios, with a fish and meat hall at the back.
The market is only the start. The streets around it, centred on Dr Yusuf Dadoo (Grey) Street, run on curry: cheap cafés, spice shops, the narrow Madressa Arcade and the Juma Masjid, one of the largest mosques in the southern hemisphere. This is also the home of the bunny chow, a hollowed half-loaf filled with curry that Durban invented and still does best.
It’s a busy, working part of the city, at its best by day. A walking or food tour is the easy way in: it gets you past the obvious stalls to the curry houses the locals use, and explains the spice, the history and the dish along the way. Take the usual care with your bag in the crowds, and use a ride to and from the market.
Browse the covered market, then eat your way through the streets around it.
The covered market gathers small stalls under domed roofs, heavy with the smell of masala. You'll find mountains of loose spice, curry blends by the bag, fabric, beadwork and curios, plus a fish and meat hall at the back. Haggling is expected on crafts.
The quarter is the home of the bunny chow, a hollowed half-loaf of bread filled with curry, the city's great street food. The cafés and curry houses around Grey Street serve it cheap and proper. A food tour is the easiest way to find the good ones.
The market and the streets around it are busiest and freshest early in the day, and calmer midweek than on a Saturday.
The quarter rewards local knowledge. A walking or food tour gets you to the best curry houses and explains what you're tasting.
Order it by the size, a quarter or a half, and by the filling, bean, mutton or chicken. Eat it with your hands, pulling off bread to scoop the curry.
Loose masala and curry blends are a good, light, cheap souvenir. Ask the stallholder to bag and label the mixes you like.
One of the largest mosques in the southern hemisphere sits in the quarter. Dress modestly and ask before entering or photographing inside.
This is a busy working part of the city. Take normal care, watch your bag in the crowds, and use ride-hailing to and from the market.
Explore the quarter with a local through our trusted partners, at the same price as booking direct.
Eat through Durban's Indian quarter with a guide: spice stalls, a bunny chow and the curry houses the locals use.
Book on GetYourGuide →Walk the city centre with a guide, from Victoria Street Market and the Indian quarter to the art-deco streets and the beachfront.
See walking tours →Pair the city with a half-day inland for the rolling-hills landscape and a Zulu cultural village.
See the day trip →Hotels on the central beachfront and the Golden Mile, a short ride from the market.
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The Indian quarter is Durban at its most flavourful. See everything else the warm-water city has to offer.
