Top places to shop in Labuan, Malaysia as a traveler

Labuan is great for shopping because of the duty-free status attached to it. Items like cigarettes, alcohol and chocolates are very cheap and most tourists make a steal while buying these at Labuan. It is very easy to go around the island because of the bus network. All the buses are on time and are clearly numbered. There are plenty of taxis as well. Let us look at some of the best places to shop at while travelling in Labuan.

• Financial Park Shopping Mall
• The Labuan Farmer’s market
• The Labuan Weekend Bazaar

Financial Park Shopping Mall

The most popular is definitely the Financial Park Shopping Mall. It draws large number of locals as well as tourists daily. It is a big mall stocking duty-free items at cheap and discounted prices. Along with the mall, there is another market at the western side of Labuan which sells stuffed turtles, seashell models, brassware, clothes, leather bags and silk at bargain prices. The real highlight of the mall is the building where it is located and you will often find yourself staring at the beautiful modern architecture. The mall also boasts of a number of restaurants, a post-office and ATM-s.

The Labuan Farmer’s market

The Labuan Farmer’s market is another great place for shopping as a traveler. The market is actually divided into two sections – permanent and temporary. The temporary section of the market has shops inside blue colored tents selling lots of duty-free fresh fruits, vegetables, seafood, herbs, spices and many more. As soon as you go the market, you will be hit by the smell of condiments and fish that are stacked one above another in sealed packets. The market is settled in a quiet part of the island and is quite sleepy in nature. It is in stark contrast to the other markets of Labuan and makes a pretty and natural picture because of the fresh goods on offer. The farmers sit with their wives at their stalls and attend to a customer as soon as they approach the stall. The funny thing is that all the stalls sell the exact same things and they are even arranged in the same way. Here you will some rare items like sambal slabs and sticks. These are shipped from Sabah and are produced at Labuan. All of these items are organic and contain no added flavors or preservatives. The sambal pounder is smashed in the finest way possible and has a very nice smell attached to it. Almost all of the markets at Labuan sell the pounder, but the most authentic variety can be found at the farmer’s market. Other than all these, you will also find items like ragi balls and sago slabs. The ragi balls come in small and big sizes and the sago slabs are used for making the famous Malay food item- the Ambuyat. The market remains open every weekend.

The Labuan Weekend Bazaar

The Labuan weekend bazaar is located near the farmer’s market and sells everything from t-shirts to decorative ornaments. It is quite small in size but you will still find everything you are looking for. It is a good place for buying souvenirs and gifts for your family and friends back home.