Friday Market Torrevieja

The Torrevieja Friday Market has now moved up next to Aquopolis, this article will be updated in due course.

Indoor and Outdoor

Torrevieja has a variety of indoor and outdoor markets, and by far the largest and most popular is the Friday Market. Open from 08:00 am – 1:00 pm, the market starts at Torrevieja main bus station then spreads through the streets behind. Upon entering the market it is immediately apparent from the amount of elderly Spanish ladies with their shopping trolleys that this is a no nonsense traditional market where, besides the throngs of tourists, most people are there to get their weekly shopping at market prices. At the market entrance there are 2 Spanish style cafes, El Rastrio and Los Amigos, serving good value food and drink. Continuing into the masses the wonderful smell of leather permeates the air from the fantastic range of leather jackets, hats, belts, handbags and wallets on display. Then there are several stalls selling heaps of second hand clothing from as little as 1€, novelty Spongebob and Spiderman woolly hats, lingerie, underwear, beautiful scarves and other various items of clothing.

Many Stalls

As you carry on, dodging your way through the shopping trolleys, pushchairs and even dogs (determined to wind their cute little leads around your ankles until you end up flat on your back with the owner looking scornfully down at you) there are streets branching off to the left and right with further stalls offering toys, electrical goods, football strips, knitting wool, art and much more. You eventually get to a T-junction where there is a restaurant with an interesting menu including tasty looking seafood.

Food Stalls

At the T-junction and the 2 narrow streets before the junction is where the serious food stalls start. Here there is a fantastic range of fruit and vegetables, raw and cooked nuts, cakes, pastries and pies, herbs and spices, including wonderful Spanish saffron at 3€ per gram (look for the open briefcase) There are also cured meat and sausages, dried and salted fish, dried fruits and every type of olive imaginable. Beware, the olive sellers are your best friend when offering you one to try, but as soon as you show your approval of the taste, they will be loading a plastic tub to the brim and presenting you with a receipt.

Don’t be fooled, if you haven’t bought anything yet, this is just to show you the price, but if you don’t buy anything the best friend attitude changes immediately. Throughout this area of the market there are burger vans, makeshift bars and large ”rotisserie” vans selling delicious roast chickens, ham hocks and racks of ribs, as well as small roast potatoes in their skins.