15 Best Markets in Spain (in 2023)

There are a variety of local markets in Spain, from food havens and open-air markets to flea markets and historic bazaars. Spanish markets have hundreds of years of rich history. They’re a fun, authentic way to dive into the local food, shopping, and culture. 

When I was in Spain, I found the local markets to be some of the best and most affordable places to eat and find souvenirs. Read on to figure out which markets to put on your Spain itinerary. 

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15 Best Markets in Spain

Mercado de la Boqueria

A massive indoor market with hundreds of food stalls on Barcelona’s famous La Rambla street.

📍 Google Maps | 🛒 Market Website | Hours: 8 am – 8:30 pm Daily, Closed Sundays 

There are dozens of markets to discover in Barcelona, but Mercado de la Boqueria is one of the very best. It’s actually one of the best things to do in Barcelona, period. La Boqueria is located on the city’s famous La Rambla street and has been attracting thousands of shoppers every day since the 1200s. 

Inside the market, you can shop for every grocery item that Spain is known for. There are meats, cheeses, colorful fruits, and hand-crafted desserts. There are also quite a few tapas bars and snacky-type places at La Boqueria. 

👉 Pro Tip: La Boqueria is extremely busy and popular with tourists, making it a hotspot for pickpockets. Stay aware and take precautions like holding your backpack in front of your body. 

Central Market of Valencia

One of the biggest fresh produce markets in Europe with just about every grocery item you could ever want.

📍 Google Maps | 🛒 Market Website | Hours: 7:30 am – 3 pm Daily, Closed Sundays 

Mercado Central de Valencia is one of the biggest markets in all of Europe. This indoor market is super modern with architecture that makes it feel like an attraction in itself. It’s only a bonus that the place is teeming with great food. 

Mercado Central de Valencia offers visitors a diverse selection of snacks to try on the spot and endless produce items to take home with you. There are also a ton of yummy surrounding tapas bars, like Central Bar and Tapeando. 

Mercat de Sant Antoni

A multi-faceted market in Barcelona that sells everything from delicious food to comic books, home goods, and clothes. 

📍 Google Maps | 🛒 Market Website | Hours: 8 – 8:30 pm Daily, Closed Sundays 

Unlike most markets, Mercat de Sant Antoni in Barcelona doesn’t just stick to one niche – it has almost everything you can imagine. There are lanes of grocery goods bars serving tapas around the market. There is also a selection of other interesting stuff to buy. 

Depending on the day, you can find things like comic books, clothing, books, video games, and various home goods. Sant Antoni Market is a good alternative for travelers who want to experience a less hectic Barcelona market than La Boqueria. 

📚 Related Reading: Sant Antoni Market is fittingly located in the Sant Antoni neighborhood of Barcelona. It’s a great area as it’s near the city center without being near the biggest tourist attractions. Check out my guide to where to stay in Barcelona to learn more. 

Mercado San Miguel

A historic Madrid market that’s been open for more than 100 years and counting. 

📍 Google Maps | 🛒 Market Website | Hours: 10 am – 12 am Sun-Thurs, 10 am – 1 am Fri-Sat

Madrid’s Mercado de San Miguel is one of the best food markets in Spain and it has a rich history with more than 100 years in business. The combo of excellent food and an interesting background make San Miguel Market one of the best things to do in Madrid. 

Located in Plaza de San Miguel, this market is the perfect spot for indecisive food and drink lovers. Be prepared to dive into the local cuisine in a big way and try dishes you’ve probably never seen before. 

👉 Pro Tip: Arrive a bit before the lunch/dinner rush to avoid crowds. Mercado San Miguel fills up fast as the day goes on and gets extremely busy. 

Mercat dels Encants de Barcelona

A 700+-year-old market in Barcelona with a magical treasure trove of antiques, clothes, vintage items, and more.

📍 Google Maps | 🛒 Market Website | Hours: 9 am – 8 pm Mon, Wed, Fri, Sat

Barcelona is one of the best places to visit in Spain for out-of-the-box shopping, partly thanks to Merat del Encants. Mercat dels Encants has a mind-blowingly long history with 700 years as a shopping hotspot in the city. 

This huge flea market happens about three times a week depending on the season and sells new, unique treasures every time it opens. It really is the luck of the draw at Encants, but no matter what you find it’s always fun to wander through the offerings. 

Mercado San Antón

A modern, three-level market in Madrid with groceries and gourmet food, cooking demonstrations, and a rooftop tapas bar. 

📍 Google Maps | 🛒 Market Website | Hours: 9:30 am – 1 am Mon-Sat, 12 pm – 1 am Sundays 

Visiting Mercado San Anton is worth an entire evening on your Madrid itinerary. It’s basically a food playground with three full levels of Spanish produce and plenty of restaurants to choose from for dinner. There is also a terrace with a wine bar and tapas on the roof. 

It’s one of the best markets in Spain for a date night because it’s a little more upscale than some of the other busy, intense emporiums. 

Salamanca Central Market

The main market of this charming small city is the best place to get fresh meat, fish, and veggies.

📍 Google Maps | 🛒 Market Website | Hours: 8 am – 3 pm Mon-Sat, Closed Sundays

Salamanca is a slightly smaller city than major hubs like Madrid and Barcelona, so the Salamanca Central Market is a bit calmer. Yet, the market is still rich with delectable fresh produce and local goods. 

The other cool thing about Salamanca Market is that it’s covered in these huge, gorgeous kaleidoscopic windows. It’s a really pretty place to get your weekly shopping done. 

Mercat de Santa Caterina

A dynamically-designed produce and grocery market in Barcelona with lots of Catalan specialties. 

📍 Google Maps | 🛒 Market Website | Hours: 7:30 am – 3 pm Mon-Thurs & Saturdays, 7:30 am – 8: 30 pm Fridays, Closed Sundays

Mercat de Santa Caterina provides a more down-to-earth experience than Boqueria Market in Barcelona. It’s a multi-faceted market with a mix of grocery goods and a few sit-down establishments. 

Like many places in Spain, Santa Caterina Market was designed to be architecturally gorgeous. It has a stunning wavy, wooden roof over all the eateries and stalls. 

Mercat de Colon

An architecturally-stunning Valencia Market featuring an array of restaurants, bars, and flower sellers. 

📍 Google Maps | 🛒 Market Website | Hours: 7:30 am – 2 am Sun-Thurs, 7:30 am – 3 am Fri-Sat

There are plenty of amazing restaurants in Valencia, but in Mercar de Colon you can enjoy them all under the same roof. You can easily spend the whole day and night munching and drinking at the restaurants and bars at Colon Market. 

During the day, grab some coffee and lunch at Suc de Lluna BioCafè. Come evening, the best restaurants inside Mercat de Colon are HABITUAL by Ricard Camarena and MOMIJI ATELIER. There are also a variety of bars to check out, such as Casa Orxata. 

Mercat Municipal del Cabanyal

A quaint market in Valencia near the coast with some of the freshest produce, cheese, and seafood in the whole city. 

📍 Google Maps | 🛒 Market Website | Hours: 7 am 3 pm Daily, Closed Sundays

Valencia’s Cabanyal Market is a lovely market only a few blocks away from the beach where locals go to get their grocery shopping done. There are plenty of quick, authentic snacks to grab for a picnic near the seashore or simply to taste the local delicacies. 

Mercat Municipal del Cabanyal is especially renowned for its fresh seafood. There is a little tapas bar inside the restaurant that will cook it for you to eat on the spot. It’s the perfect place to grab lunch, just keep in mind that Cabanyal closes fairly early at 3:00 pm. 

Mercat Central d’Alacant

A multi-floor market in Alicante with a vast assortment of high-quality grocery goods. 

📍 Google Maps | 🛒 Market Website | Hours: 6:30 am – 3 pm Daily, Closed Mondays 

Mercat Central d’Alacant is a massive food market located right in the heart of Alicante, Spain. There are two full floors of food products at Alicante Central Market to explore. Most everything is local and it gives you a real feel for the local culture in this coastal Spanish city. 

Mercado de la Ribera

A local favorite in Bilbao with places to drink wine and eat beautifully-made Basque Country food. 

📍 Google Maps | 🛒 Market Website | Hours: 8 am – 12 am Mon-Sat, 11 am – 12 am Sundays 

Mercado de la Ribera was built nearly a century ago and still maintains a local reputation in Bilbao for being one of the best local food markets. There is a combination of restaurants and bars serving Basque Country specialties. Along with sections for grocery shopping in the market.

As with many of the markets in Spain, La Ribera was designed to be spectacular. There are colorful stained glass windows and lots of light pouring in throughout the day, making it a beautiful spot for lunch in Bilbao. 

Mercado de Triana

A Seville market across the canal from the city center with vendors selling every Spanish food product imaginable. 

📍 Google Maps | 🛒 Market Website | Hours: 9 am – 3 pm Mon-Sat, 12 pm – 5 pm Sundays 

Seville restaurants are divine, but there are also plenty of delicious, local products to find at Mercado de Triana for cooking your own meal. 

This food market is located across the canal on Puente de Triana bridge from Seville’s city center. It’s the perfect place for all the produce, meats, vegetables, and more that you could ever need. Plus, there are a few hidden vendors selling hand-held snacks, like cheese and jámon. 

El Rastro Flea Market

One of the best flea markets in Madrid, bringing in thousands of visitors every weekend. 

📍 Google Maps | 🛒 Market Website | Hours: Sundays 9 am – 3 pm, Closed Mon-Sat 

The most famous flea market in Madrid is El Rastro in the La Latina neighborhood. It’s a weekly market that’s been going down on Sundays for more than 400 years now. It’s definitely a fun shopping excursion where you never know what you’re going to get. 

Vendors at El Rastro sell things like jewelry, antiques, souvenirs, clothing, tools, knick-knacks, plants, and more. It all depends on the day. 

👉 Pro Tip: El Rastro is extremely busy with more than 100,000 shoppers roaming around, so it’s a hot spot for pickpockets. Protect your stuff at El Rastro by using a small, inconspicuous Travelon Anti-Theft Cross-Body Bag with slash resistance and RFID-blocking features. 

Alcaiceria Flea Market

A Granada bazaar that was once a Moorish silk market with roots from the 15th century. 

📍 Google Maps | 🛒 Market Website | Hours: 10 am – 9:30 pm, Mon-Thurs, 10 am – 10 pm Fri-Sat, 10 am – 9 pm Sundays 

Alcaiceria Flea Market is one of the best street markets in Spain. Alcaiceria is located in Granada and it was originally established as a silk market in the 15th century. 

It’s quite different from the other markets in Spain as it is more of an Arabic style. 

The offerings at Alcaiceria are fairly unique, too. There is a mix of shops selling classic Spanish souvenirs and regional traditional items like colorful lamps, beautifully-decorated houseware, and sweet treats. 

FAQs About Markets in Spain

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You’re all caught up on the best markets in Spain. Which local market are you most excited to roam? Before you go, check out my Spain packing list to make sure you don’t arrive unprepared.