The Bazary Be — Malagasy for "big market" — is the commercial and social centre of Toamasina, and the single attraction most frequently recommended to visitors. It occupies a dense block of covered alleys in the heart of the old town and operates daily from early morning until late afternoon.
The market is emphatically a working place, not a tourist attraction, and that is most of the point. Stalls sell raw vanilla pods and dried cloves bound for the port, woven raffia hats and baskets, blocks of dried fish, live chickens, mobile phone credit, and herbal medicines whose uses only the vendors know. The food section towards the northern end is the best place in the city for breakfast — rice and zebu beef stew, freshly fried mofo baolina (rice doughnuts), and sweet coffee served in small glasses.
Come early for the best atmosphere; by midday much of the market begins to wind down.