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Before I went to Madrid my friend, who’d been there about a year ago, told me I had to go to El Rastro – the giant open air flea market that happens every Sunday. I’ll be honest I wondered if it would be worth checking out. See, I’m not much of a shopper, and I don’t really buy souvenirs when I travel. That said I went and I’m glad I took a couple hours to check out El Rastro. The market is huge, it’s a great place to people watch, and I’m pretty sure you could find almost anything you would need here (not guaranteeing you’d be able to take everything that bought from El Rastro back home with you though). Anyway here are some photos from the insanity of El Rastro in Madrid.
Crowd heading to El Rastro in Madrid. The market takes place every day from 9am to 3pm.
Need some kids toys? El Rastro has you covered.
I liked knowing that if I needed batteries, a camera card, or a phone charger that I could find it at this particular table. There were quite a few electronic tables and stalls at the market.
Of course if batteries aren’t your thing then there always power tools (don’t know how easy this would be to get back home with you).
There were a lot booths that had souvenir type items, but I liked this vintage magnets and random postcards of cute animals.
There were lots of stalls with kitchen items. This one even has paella pans.
Kitchen items at the market. So many kitchen items.
If you don’t want to shell out several hundred Euros for a real Flamenco dress, you can buy a cheap souvenir one at El Rastro.
Wearing a suede dress seems like it would be more annoying (it can get wet, it would be hot in the summer) than anything, but if you’ve always wanted a suede dress then this is the place for you.
Of course there are also more casual clothes, like these T-shirts (Breaking Bad was a pretty popular theme at several stalls).
Yes you can buy bras (as well as other underwear) at El Rastro.
Scarves at El Rastro in Madrid. I actually bought a scarf for 2 Euros at El Rastro because of reasons.
Empty vintage pop bottles at El Rastro. There are some fuller ones there too, but I wouldn’t drink that. Go to a bar instead and you’ll get some tapas too because tapas are amazing.
Flowers at El Rastro. I was there in October and it was a little mind blowing to me that you could legitimately buy flowers in October.
Dreamcatchers at El Rastro in Madrid, because if I learned anything wandering around El Rastro for two hours it’s sure, why not?
El Rastro takes place every Sunday (and holiday) from 9am to 3pm, and is between Plaza de Cascorro and Ribera de Curtidores. The closest Metro stations to the flea market are La Latina or Puerta de Toledo (Line 5 – basically get outside and find the crowds, it won’t be difficult). El Rastro is an open air flea market so you’ll need cash for purchases. Pickpocketing can be an issue with El Rastro (I was fine) so make sure you keep your valuables secure and hidden while you’re there.
What’s the craziest thing you’ve spotted at a flea market?
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