El Rastro Weekend Market

El Rastro is a weird flea market that is only held on Sundays or Public Holidays. Here, you can buy almost anything and you are expected to haggle.

This flea market is huge, and spans several blocks. Each 'section' of the market covers a different variety of goods. There is a section selling antique furniture, and another 2nd hand comics. If you can imagine it, it's probably sold here.

The best time to go is around 9am, because the tourist buses and the churchgoers will descend upon the market around 11ish and there will be too many people around for you to enjoy El Rastro.

The best way to enjoy this market, is to arrive early and stroll. Every now and then, duck into a bar or a cafeteria to enjoy a drink and a tapas or two.

Be careful though. I'm usually paranoid when I'm here, as pickpockets are rife. I understand they dress like teenagers and prey on anybody that looks like a mark.

Getting There
As this market is rather large, there are a few ways to get here. My favourite is to either walk from Sol to Tirso de Molino station or just take the metro directly there. This station is just next to the clothes section of the market so it's very strategically located. There is also plenty of food options in this area.

An ideal Sunday itinerary would be to visit El Rastro at 9am, followed by lunch at the nearby Mercado de San Miguel.

Comments

David LowJuly 16, 2017 at 9:02 PM
Good info about this weird flea market!Must be very crowded on Sundays!We have this kind of flea market in Amsterdam (Waterlooplein)too but not that huge!
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Mercado de San Miguel

Dining in Spain is intimidating to visitors. How on earth do you order anything or know what you're even eating if you can't speak the local language? What if you make a mistake and come across as rude?

During my first visit to Spain 2 years ago, I stumbled upon this fantastic food market while wandering around at night.

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It is an ideal place for visitors to Spain to discover the various local gastronomic delights in a safe environment.

No visit to Spain in complete without a taste of Jamon Iberica - this is ham from the cured leg of Iberian pigs. The taste is out of this world. Either eat it directly or on a slice of bread.

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