El Rastro in Madrid - Best Sunday flea market in Spain (2024)

Table of Contents

El Rastro is considered the largest flea market in Madrid with as many as 3500 stalls. It’s held every Sunday in the La Latina neighbourhood and is equally popular among tourists and locals. Going to El Rastro is an experience and a fantastic budget-friendly activity for your Madrid itinerary.

Even if you don’t want to spend money on buying anything just exploring and admiring all the antiques and random trinkets on display is incredibly fun.

El Rastro is an open-air market blending into the regular shops and cafes that make up La Latina. If you spent Saturday dancing the night away and wake up tired and maybe a little bit hungover El Rastro is the perfect remedy.

Afterwards, sit in a tapas bar and enjoy a refreshing beer while you immerse yourself in the unique atmosphere that makes Madrid so magical.

El Rastro is a place where you can buy just about anything. The market is primarily known for antiques, art, clothing but also jewellery, souvenirs and household goods.

There is the long Calle de la Ribera de Curtidores which has vendors selling new and more commercialised products. The side streets, however, are reserved for actual flea market goods like antique furniture, art and second-hand clothing.

El Rastro doesn’t really have a food section though so if you want to grab a snack head to one of the many little cafes and restaurants in La Latina.

The flea market El Rastro in Madrid has existed for more than 400 years and some claim it dates back to the Middle Ages. The

Calle de la Ribera de Curtidores which marks the heart of the market used to be the location of various leather tanneries.

People began to come here in the 17th century to purchase leather goods and fresh meat. Over the years the market rapidly expanded and people began selling used clothes and items they didn’t need anymore. Today El Rastro flea market attracts tourists and locals alike and represents a sort of togetherness and unity of life in Madrid and how it always takes place on the streets.

The flea market El Rastro in Madrid takes place every Sunday and on public holidays in Madrid. It is not open on other weekdays.

During some periods of the year, a smaller version of El Rastro is also held on Saturdays, specifically the first and third Saturday of the month. Find up to date information here.

The flea market is located in the La Latina neighbourhood of Madrid which lies on the southern end of the city centre. You can easily walk there from most places. If you’re trying to get directions type in either of these addresses (located in the north and south of the market):

North: Pl. de Cascorro, 1, 28012 Madrid

South: C. del Casino, 7, 28005 Madrid

This flea market is located near the centre of Madrid so you won’t have any trouble reaching it. If you live somewhat close by I would highly recommend walking there since you’ll be passing through beautiful little streets with lots of things to see on the way.

You could also grab an e-scooter if you’re confident enough to ride in the busy traffic. From Puerta del Sol which is often considered the heart of Madrid it takes only 12 minutes to walk to El Rastro.

The best metro station for getting to El Rastro will be La Latina which is located less than 150 metres from the flea market. Tirso de Molina, Puerta de Toledo and Embajadores are also good choices and allow you to reach the market in only a few minutes on foot. Embajadores has a connection to the Cercanías train network which might be useful.

The stations are serviced by the following metro lines:

El Rastro is surrounded by a lot of bus stops so it’s easy to reach. The bus stop El Rastro is located towards the southern end of the market while Plaza de la Cebada sits closer to the top. You can choose where you want to start but since walking directions are enforced it makes more sense to start from the bottom.

The following bus stops are located close to El Rastro:

You can also take a taxi or Uber to El Rastro in Madrid. Just keep in mind that a lot of the surrounding streets will be blocked off on Sundays so the traffic can get a bit crazy. Book your Uber in advance and plan to wait for a bit.

I would recommend getting dropped off close to the Plaza del Campillo del Mundo Nuevo towards the southern end of the market. Alternatively, the La Latina metro station is a good drop-off point towards the north

When you go to El Rastro will have a large impact on your experience there. If you go very early at 9:00 AM when the market just opens up you’ll most likely have a quieter experience. The crowds tend to arrive sometime after 10:30 AM and it will also be far less hot before that. However, a lot of vendors will still be setting up so you might miss out on some stalls.

Between 11:00 AM and 2:00 PM is the most popular visiting time for the flea market. This is when you’ll be waiting in crowds of people in front of stalls and will have to watch out for pickpockets. You’ll get the best selection of things to buy but also the worst of the mid-day heat (at least during summer). If you come during this time you absolutely need to go to a local restaurant or cafe for a refreshing drink or quick lunch.

El Rastro officially closes at 3:00 PM and some vendors will start to pack up at around 2:30 PM. This is the best time to haggle and get good prices so come right before closing if you want to find bargains.

El Rastro in Madrid is an incredibly large flea market with thousands of stalls. You’ll discover new parts of the market as you explore so don’t make the mistake of thinking you can be done in an hour or so. Every time you’ll think you’ve reached the end of El Rastro there will be a new street with even more stalls that are completely different from the ones you’ve seen before.

I would plan to spend at least two hours at El Rastro, perhaps even three or more if you’re going to be doing some shopping and having lunch or a drink afterwards.

This long street is the main part of El Rastro in Madrid. Curtidores are leather tanners which refers to the fact that this area of Madrid used to be a popular place for tanneries.

The Calle de la Ribera de Curtidores is sometimes considered the tourist part of El Rastro flea market and will be the busiest part. You won’t find as many actual second-hand goods here but more commercialised vendors selling jewellery, clothing, posters and leather goods.

For vintage items and antiques, you need to explore the side streets below.

Along the Calle de la Ribera de Curtidores you’ll encounter a small courtyard that sits just off the main street. The Gallerias Piquer is located at Ribera de Curtidores Number 29.

It’s the set for the popular Spanish TV series Arde Madrid and a fantastic place to shop for art, furniture and decorations. Escape the crowds and dive into these beautiful art galleries and furniture shops.

The Calle de Fray Ceferino González used to be known as the bird street. You could buy all sorts of exotic animals but luckily this tradition has somewhat disappeared in recent years.

Some stores still have birds for sale though so if animal rights are important to you (like they are to us) we suggest skipping this part of El Rastro. Always remember that supporting the sale of animals for profit should be avoided wherever possible.

Towards the southern end of El Rastro, you’ll find the Plaza del Campillo, a hotspot for vintage stickers, magazines, books and stationery. This is one of the most authentic parts of El Rastro in Madrid and is fantastic for finding hidden gems.

While comic books and letters are the stars of the show you’ll also find old coins, vinyls and toys as well as old letters. You absolutely need to visit this part of El Rastro, it might just be the best one.

El Rastro is probably the most popular flea market in Madrid. An estimated 100,000 people come here every Sunday and the streets are always crowded. Expect to be pushed around in a sea of people especially if you’re visiting during mid-day.

Madrid has sunshine year-round and is known for its sweltering hot summers. Large parts of El Rastro don’t have very much shade so the sun can be relentless even on spring or autumn days. Wear sunscreen and drink plenty of water.

El Rastro in Madrid is a flea market which means you can haggle. However, since the market is so popular most vendors aren’t incredibly flexible with their prices especially those along the Ribera de Curtidores which is the main street of El Rastro.

Your best chance of getting bargain prices is to head to the flea market towards the end of the day when stalls start to shut down. At this point, the vendors will be far more motivated to sell products for reduced prices and you might be able to snag a good bargain or two.

Many people underestimate how large El Rastro actually is. Once you’ve walked down La Ribera de Curtidores you might think you’ve reached the end of the market. However, the best parts actually lie in the side streets where you can find vintage clothing, antiques and curious random objects for sale.

You’ll want to spend some time exploring so make sure you’re not on a tight schedule and factor in several hours for the entire experience.

El Rastro has a lot of vendors selling plata (silver) and oro (gold). They all have very similar products and prices tend to be reasonable. In most cases, the quality is decent and the selection very large.

You’ll be able to find earrings for around €2 to €6, bracelets for €5 and necklaces for around €5 to €20. Jewellery is one of my favourite souvenirs to take home since you’ll get to wear it a lot and always remember your time in Madrid.

El Rastro in Madrid is divided into different parts and most tourists only see La Ribera de Curtidores. This long street is filled with stalls selling pretty much the same thing. They tend to fall into the categories of graphic t-shirts, silver jewellery, posters, clothing and leather goods.

This is not where you’ll be able to find the antiques or second-hand clothing that El Rastro is so famous for. For this, you’ll need to head into the smaller side streets and explore the area around La Ribera de Curtidores. The crowds will be far easier to manage and I tend to enjoy this part more.

4 thoughts on “El Rastro in Madrid – Best Sunday flea market in Spain”

1. 

   Gabriele

   January 15, 2022 at 21:39

   Going there tomorrow!
   Thanks for the tipps!

   Reply

   1. 

      Victoria

      See Also

      Top 11 flea markets in Berlin

      September 5, 2022 at 10:16

      Glad it was helpful!

      Reply

2. 

   Sue

   July 14, 2023 at 14:38

   So glad I saw this – heading there on Sunday!

   Reply

   1. 

      Victoria Heinz

      July 15, 2023 at 10:09

      Glad you found it helpful! Hope you enjoy:)

      Reply

Look at my media kit