Shopping in Madrid - El Rastro Market

El Rastro market in Madrid.

I am still enjoying my memories (and over 2000 photos) of last month's trip to Spain with my husband. We spent the first week in the Andalusia area (south) and enjoyed the wonderful beaches, historic venues and, of course, the markets. I previously wrote about these southern markets link to posting.

We also enjoyed shopping in Madrid - a huge, remarkably pedestrian-friendly city. One of the "Top Ten Madrid" is El Rastro, the most famous flea market in all of Spain.

El Rastro de Madrid or simply el Rastro is the most popular open air flea market in Madrid (Spain). It is held every Sunday and public holiday during the year and is located along Plaza de Cascorro and Ribera de Curtidores, between Calle Embajadores and theRonda de Toledo (just south of La Latina metro station).

A great variety of products (new and used) can be found at el Rastro. A number of antique shops in the local area are also open on Sunday. link to article

Shopping at the Market - I bought one of these lovely scarves - a wonderful deal!

We happened to be in the city on a Sunday so, like 1000's of others, walked over - it was less than two miles from our apartment's Austrias neighborhood (near Royal Palace).

The weather was sunny and slightly cool - perfect for this kind of activity. We discovered that a LOT of people thought the same thing - it was a very crowded but largely respectful event. We had been warned that this is a place to be on the lookout for pick-pockets and thieves but didn't sense or observe any danger or shenanigans.

I bought two of these lovely bracelets and decided to keep both. The inserts are not stones but beans - how clever.

I found many, many reasonable items and added to my gift and souvenir inventory.

Classical Musicians at the Market.

Shoppers at El Rastro Market

Here's an interesting side-note: The word "rastro" means "trail" and refers to the animal innards that were once dragged through this ancient working-class street. (from DK Eyewitness Travel).  

I ended up buying a number of things - mostly in set so twos. Most people were willing to bargain but only if you bought more than one item - so that is what I did.  

This is a great market with some excellent prices - I would highly recommend it to anyone visiting the area!