Cheating Signs

Street markets are great places to shop, watch the locals and while away a few hours in busy pavement cafe. But especially if you’re new to the Spanish Costa Blanca, knowing where to find them can be a bit of a minefield. Listings are usually given in the local free papers, but you have to be able to find copies in the first place and they tend to be snapped up by ex-pats fairly quickly!

Most street markets take place in the morning, starting around 10am and finishing around 2pm. Those annotated “pm” are afternoon markets usually starting around 5pm. The Spanish concept of the afternoon is a little different from ours and it extends into what we’d call the evening.

On Mondays there are street markets in:

Santa Pola, San Pedro del Pinatar

Tuesdays in:

Orihuela, Benijofar, San Fulgencio, Mil Palmeras (pm), Benidorm

Wednesdays in:

Algorfa, Guardamar, La Mata, San Miguel de Salinas - click here for more such listings

Thursdays in:

Rojales, San Javier, Bigastro, Urb La Marina, Alicante

Fridays in:

Dolores, Torrevieja, Daya Vieja, Los Montesinos (pm), Pilar de la Horadada (pm)

Saturdays in:

Urb Playa Flamenca, Almoradi

And finally Sundays in:

Urb La Marina, Zoco (Quesada), Benidorm

Unusually, there is a ’street’ market that opens all week, Monday to Friday; it’s the British Indoor Market at Formentera which is quite a big affair.