Most towns and villages hold a weekly market with stalls selling an abundance of household goods and souvenirs such as leather shoes and bags, football shirts, colourful pottery and clothes. Once a week, some towns also hold a weekly fruit and vegetable market with local produce straight from the fields. It’s a great experience and the prices are generally much better than the supermarkets. It can also be fun to dodge the ladies (and a few gents) armed with shopping trolleys.
Warm welcome in historic Alicante
Alicante’s daily indoor market is held in a lovely old building in the historic city centre. The fish stalls are a real eye-opener with dozens of different species including the famous Denia red prawn, tuna steaks, sardines, sole, crabs, cockles and mussels. You can pick all the ingredients for a fantastically fresh dinner here with many meat stalls and colourful vegetable stalls packed high with local fruit and veggies. Other stalls specialise in smoked fish, home-made sausages or plump stuffed olives. It’s a large market over two floors with friendly stallholders jostling to sell their wares. In the square outside the market is a large flower stall with bouquets and fruit trees. The market, open from 7.30am Monday to Saturday, is in an interesting modernist-inspired building similar to a basilica with various decorative features and a large stairway.
Top street market in Torrevieja
Every Friday morning Torrevieja hosts one of the largest and busiest street markets in Spain. Up to 1,200 stalls cram into the New Torrevieja streets creating a scene reminiscent of Arab-style markets. The market is a haven for shoppers who come in their thousands of scan the stalls in search of a good deal. This is a great market for bargain clothes such as T-shirts and jeans, textiles, interior design, craft work and shoes as well as fresh fruit and vegetables. The market is quieter in the winter months but is very crowded in the summer.
Turning back time in Jalon
Antique lovers and bargain hunters would be advised to head for the rural mountains of the Marina Alta region on Saturdays. There is a fabulous second-hand market in the car park along the riverbed in Jalon selling everything from precious antiques to bric-a-brac and souvenirs. Collections may include paintings, brassware, old wooden furniture or souvenirs. The market attracts many tourists, some of whom are tempted to hire a pitch to sell their own wares from Germany, England or Holland, for example. While at the market, it’s worth hopping across the road to the Xalo Bodega which sells local wines, cava, olive oil and honey. Some of the wines such as have won national or international awards and are great value.
Music and market stalls in Benidorm
Benidorm is awash with bargains from food and drink in the bars to trinkets and clothes. However the markets are still definitely worth a visit for their atmosphere. Each Wednesday from 8am to 1.30pm, the area around the Municipal de Foietes sports stadium comes alive with market stalls selling a variety of produce including fresh fruit and vegetables, home-made sausages, bread, dried fruits, shoes, bags, souvenirs, electrical and household goods. An antiques market is held on Saturday and Sunday mornings at El Cisne, next to the Benisol campsite, with live music to add to the entertainment.
Turn back the clocks in Orihuela
Every winter, the historic streets of central Orihuela provide a stunning backdrop for the annual medieval market. One of the biggest and best in Spain, the market relives the Middle Ages with jousters, jesters, tournaments, puppet shows and dancing. Hundreds of stallholders sell home-made crafts, clothes, food and drink. The vast market is spread out over three kilometres so be sure to leave enough time to drink in the atmosphere and enjoy the fun over the three days.
Denia sets out its stall for tourists
Hundreds of tourists head to Denia for the popular Monday morning market with rows of stalls taking over a massive car park on the edge of town. It’s a bustling, colourful affair where shoppers can enjoy churros (doughnuts) and hot chocolate from a mobile café during their walk around the market in the Torrecremada park. During the summer it’s a slow stroll from stall to stall because of the sheer numbers of visitors including holidaymakers and locals. Bargains to be had include leather bags, shoes, belts, cloth, terracotta pots, colourful jugs and plates, clothes, household items, food and brightly-coloured sweets.
A taste of Spain in Javea
Every Thursday morning, the large square Plaza de la Constitucion is crammed full of stalls selling everything from fresh fruit and veg to clothes. The square is at the top of the old town, so you can visit the daily indoor market too. The weekly market is a typical Spanish affair with colourful stalls selling bargain clothes, shoes, household items, pottery, leather goods and fresh local produce as well as fish and meat products. You can do your shopping for the weekend, enjoy great prices and help the local traders at the same time.
Open-air Curiosity Shop in El Verger
One of the busiest and biggest markets in the Alicante region, El Verger is an open-air Curiosity Shop with about 350 stalls selling antiques, bric-a-brac, jewellery, clothes, plants, fresh fruit and household items among others. You can enjoy a hearty breakfast at one of the bars in the industrial estate before weaving your way through the crowded market held on Saturdays and Sundays. Some of the stalls also sell freshly-squeezed orange juice and hot dogs offering a range of delicious sausages. Often, there is live entertainment including music or children’s activities.
Market makes waves in Santa Pola
The popular beach resort of Santa Pola in the south Costa Blanca región is a great area for shoppers. There are some great shopping centres around here. People looking for a bargain or a souvenir should head for the outdoor market held on Mondays and Saturdays next to the Red Cross centre. On Monday mornings, the market is best for kitchen products, clothes, shoes and leather goods. On Saturdays, food takes centre stage with fruit, vegetables, salted fish and meat, sweets and dried fruits on offer as well as plants, shoes, leather goods and household wares.
Hooked on Calpe fish market
Most seaside towns will have a fish market selling fish and shellfish straight from the boats. One of the finest is in Calpe where a fish market is held when the boats come in at around 5pm from Monday to Friday. The fish market in the port is worth a visit just to see the building which is decorated with six paintings showing Calpe’s rich seafaring history. Visitors can see the many varieties of fish and shellfish which are caught in this part of the Mediterranean during the auction. Depending on the time of year, this could include tuna, bass, hake, octopus, squid, mackerel, crabs and red prawns.