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Madrid in market

If you want to know where to catch the crowds in Madrid on a Sunday morning, then follow Scott Adams on a tour of El Rastro, the Spanish capital’s biggest flea market

Tightening your belt couldn’t be more fun when you get the chance to go in search of pre-loved bargains in one of Europe’s biggest and best flea markets – El Rastro in Madrid. It’s as if the whole world were on sale in this teaming mass of colourful merchandise and people.

Each Sunday, and most public holidays, 3,500 stalls are set up in the tangle of streets just south of Madrid’s Plaza Mayor, selling just about anything you care to buy, at bargain prices. In fact, the locals say: “If you can’t find it in the Rastro, it probably doesn’t exist.”

But the Rastro is more than just a flea market, it’s a slice of Madrid’s unique lifestyle that warrants an early rise on what might otherwise be a lazy Sunday morning. Those who are serious about getting the best bargains arrive before 9am, and by 11am it seems as if half of Madrid – including three generations of families and their dogs – are there on the streets, eyes peeled for that special something.

The name Rastro comes from the Spanish word for trail. Centuries ago, this area was full of tanneries, and legend has it that “the trail” refers to the marks left on the ground as the skins were dragged up the streets from the abattoirs near the river.

To aid the somewhat overwhelmed visitors, who are faced with thousands of stalls, there is in fact some order to all the madness that seems to be an integral part of the entire operation. Each street is dedicated to a particular type of produce or craft, making it relatively easy to track down exactly what you are looking for.

Plaza Cascorro, near the Metro stop La Latina, is effectively the entrance to El Rastro. Crammed into this square, which is surrounded by red-brick façades and wrought-iron balconies with cascading geraniums, are stalls selling all manner of new ethnic and hand-crafted clothes. This is also a great spot to buy souvenirs and gifts for friends back home. Who could resist a T-shirt with a cartoon image of Cervantes holding a foaming beer, or perhaps a true Spanish icon, the mighty bull in all its glory? Other stalls offer Chinese-style wraparound trousers, cheesecloth blouses with funky hand-sewn decoration, hand-made jewellery and scented candles.

From Plaza Cascorro, the wide, tree-lined street, Calle Ribera de Curtidores, leads down into the throngs of eager shoppers. But perhaps before you venture any further, you deserve a quick pick-me-up. The Spanish love to snack and a visit to the Rastro provides the perfect opportunity to discover a few local gastronomic favourites.

Manoeuvre your way into the Bar Cruz, right in the thick of things in Plaza Cascorro, and shout your order across the three-deep-crowd. This is a great place to have a small glass of vermouth straight from the barrel, served with a plate of spicy snails, Spanish tortilla or thinly sliced Iberic ham.

From here, just choose your street depending on what you fancy. Calle Fray Ceferino González is known for its colourful birds. Budgerigars, parrots, canaries and pigeons all vie for your attention and a place in your heart. Calle Cayetano is where to go to for some great hand-painted take-offs of works you may have admired in one of Madrid’s art museums. And Calle Amiches’s footpaths are piled high with old and, if you are lucky, collectable books and comics.

But to get a taste of the real “thieves’ market”, you have to stray off the beaten path and dive into the narrow alleys off Plaza de Rey, which is awash with second-hand clothing and bric-a-brac. The antique and junk shops that line these cobblestoned streets pile all their merchandise onto the footpaths every Sunday. For those with patience and good bargaining skills, this is where you can find some real gems. It is rumoured that in these streets, some years ago, the director of Madrid’s Reina Sofia Museum picked up a valuable painting by a well known 20th-century Spanish artist for a pittance.

Quality retro clothes, collectables and furniture have also found their place nestled among the other trash and treasure. Calle Mira el Rio Baja has specialty shops, such as Transformista, selling vintage clothes and perfectly restored 50s, 60s and 70s furniture. But this area’s greatest allure is its somewhat carnival atmosphere, with organ grinders and mime artists adding colour to the overall spectacle.

Budget treasure hunt

What you can buy with €100

Presented with the opportunity to go on a combination of a shopping spree and a treasure hunt, I took the €100 I had been saving for a bit of a splurge and went off in search of some treasures to take home. Using my best bargaining skills and a bit of friendly bluff, I secured a good collection of pieces which will be useful and remind me of my holiday in Madrid.

Ceramic plate
The vendor swore this was “really old” and it certainly looks it. But it’s a great souvenir that will look good on the wall at home €7
Etching
Getting arty is easy in Calle Cayetano. This small signed and framed etching was just €25
Wooden box
This polished wooden box with removable lid is elegant and practical €18
Carved elephant
Looking very exotic, the carved elephant is mounted on a polished granite base €38
Shirt
A funky 70s-style shirt would be great for a party €11

The best of the rest

Europe’s top flea markets

- Berlin
Straße des 17 Juni market. Near the Tiergarten, hundreds of stalls provide plenty of temptation. Every Saturday and Sunday, from 11am to 3pm

- Brussels
Jeu de Balle market. For real aficionados of trash and treasure, this flea market, in Place du Jeu de Balle, is open from 7am to 2pm, every day, year round.

- London
Portobello Road Market. Full of atmosphere, London’s most famous flea market packs them in on Saturdays from 6am to 4.30pm.

- Rome
Borghetto Flaminio market. There is a genuine garage-sale atmosphere here, in the Piazza della Marina, with lots of clothes and jewellery being brought in by private sellers. Sundays, 10am to 1.30pm, mid-September to mid-July.

- Vienna
Naschmarkt. Right in the centre of town, you’ll find Vienna’s largest and best-known market. It offers an array of fascinating pre-loved items from 6.30am on Saturdays.

FR Marché à Madrid

Se serrer la ceinture peut devenir un exercice très amusant quand on a la chance de partir chiner aux meilleurs prix, dans l’un des plus fabuleux marchés aux puces d’Europe : El Rastro à Madrid. Chaque dimanche et la plupart des jours fériés, 3 500 échoppes s’alignent dans le dédale des rues du sud de la Plaza Mayor, arborant d’incroyables quantités de vieilleries mais aussi de remarquables antiquités…À vous de débusquer les bonnes occasions !

Afin d’aider les visiteurs qui seraient quelque peu désorientés, chaque rue est consacrée à un type spécifique de produit ou de métier d’art. Il est donc relativement aisé de se repérer. La Plaza Cascorro, non loin de la station de Métro La Latina, constitue le point d’entrée du Rastro. Une pléthore d’étals agglutinés sur la place vendent tous les styles imaginables de vêtements ethniques et de fabrication artisanale. Depuis la Plaza Cascorro, prenez la grande artère pittoresque bordée d’arbres, la Calle Ribera de Curtidores, qui mène aux prodigieux déballages du marché. Tracez simplement votre itinéraire selon vos centres d’intérêt. La Calle Fray Ceferino González est réputée pour ses oiseaux colorés. La Calle Cayetano se distingue par ses sublimes imitations d’œuvres d’art que vous aurez certainement pu admirer dans l’un des grands musées madrilènes. Et dans la Calle Amiches s’empilent les livres anciens pour bibliophiles et les bandes dessinées.

Mais c’est surtout en vous promenant au coeur des ruelles adjacentes, non loin de la Plaza de Rey, que vous pourrez apprécier le caractère authentique du Rastro. Partout s’étale un véritable bric-à-brac d’objets ou de vêtements de seconde main. Chaque dimanche, les brocanteurs et les ‘vide-greniers’ entassent leur marchandise dans ce labyrinthe de petites rues. D’après la rumeur, le directeur du Musée Reina Sofia de Madrid y aurait déniché, il y a quelques années, une peinture d’une valeur inestimable d’un artiste espagnol bien connu du XXème siècle, pour une bouchée de pain.

NL Madrid als markt

De riem aantrekken was nog nooit zo leuk als wanneer je de kans krijgt om koopjes te gaan doen in een van de grootste en beste vlooienmarkten van Europa: El Rastro in Madrid. Elke zondag en op de meeste officiële feestdagen worden 3.500 kraampjes opgetrokken in het spinnenweb van straatjes net ten zuiden van de Madrileense Plaza Mayor. Je vindt er zowat alles wat je ooit al hebt willen kopen tegen spotprijzen.

Om de overweldigde bezoeker wat te helpen is elke straat aan een specifiek product of ambacht gewijd, waardoor je relatief gemakkelijk vindt wat je zoekt.

Plaza Cascorro, vlakbij de metrohalte La Latina, fungeert als toegang tot El Rastro. Op het plein vind je een wirwar aan kraampjes die alle mogelijke nieuwe etnische en handgemaakte kleding verkoopt. Vanaf Plaza Cascorro, leidt Calle Ribera de Curtidores, de brede, met bomen afgezette laan, je in de shopgrage menigte. Van hieruit kan je je favoriete straat kiezen naargelang wat je precies zoekt. Calle Fray Ceferino González staat bekend om zijn kleurrijke vogels. Calle Cayetano is de place to be voor prachtige handgeschilderde kopieën van werken die je in een van de stedelijke musea hebt bewonderd. En op de voetpaden van Calle Amiches vind je hoge stapels van oude boeken en strips.

Om van het hart van de markt te proeven, moet je echter de platgetreden paden verlaten en de nauwe steegjes rond het Plaza de Rey intrekken, met een overvloed aan tweedehandskledij en snuisterijen. Elke zondag stapelen de antieken rommelwinkeltjes langs deze kasseiwegjes de trottoirs vol met hun waren. Er doet trouwens een gerucht de ronde dat de directeur van het Reina Sofia Museum in Madrid hier enkele jaren geleden voor een prikje een waardevol schilderij van een beroemde twintigsteeeuwse Spaanse kunstenaar op de kop tikte.