Javea markets: the Thursday market, the night markets and the 1946 food hall

Half of Javea does its shopping the way it has for decades: at a stall, from someone who knows the grower. If you want to see the town beyond the beach towel, plan your week around three markets. Here is how they work, when they run and what belongs in your bag.

The Thursday market: the big one

Every Thursday morning the old town fills with stalls, from clothing and leather to olives, spices and flowers. It runs in and around the historic centre until about two in the afternoon. Come before eleven: you get the full choice, a parking spot and a coffee on a terrace while the town does its rounds.

The market sits a few streets from the church of San Bartolome, so combine it with a walk through the old town. Prices are honest, haggling is not really a thing here, and the produce stalls sell what the season gives: oranges in winter, tomatoes and stone fruit in summer.

Mercado Municipal: the food hall from 1946

The covered market in the old town has been feeding Javea since 1946, on the site of an old convent. Inside you find fishmongers with the morning catch, butchers, greengrocers and a bakery, plus a bar where the shopping pauses for a caña. It opens Monday to Saturday in the morning; the fish counters are the reason to come early. If you would rather buy at the source, the fish auction in the harbour sells at the end of the afternoon.

This is where the restaurant kitchens buy too. If you rented an apartment with a kitchen, one round through the hall beats any supermarket for the same money.

Summer night markets: three in one town

From June to September the evenings get their own markets. The Arenal promenade fills with stalls selling ceramics, soaps, jewellery and clothes, roughly from six in the evening until midnight. The port and the old town run their own smaller versions on set evenings. They are as much a walk as a shop: start with a drink, end with ice cream.

Practical: cash, bags and parking

Bring cash: most stalls take cards nowadays, but the queue moves faster with coins, and the smallest traders still prefer them. Bring your own bag. Parking on Thursday morning is the one real puzzle; the free lots at the edge of the old town fill by ten. For dates of the monthly flea market and special markets, check the town agenda or ask at the tourist office at the port.

Hungry after the market? Our guide to the best restaurants in Javea tells you where the stallholders themselves have lunch. And every fiesta week brings its own street stalls: see the Javea fiesta calendar.

About the authorMilo Schuijt

Milo Schuijt is an entrepreneur and DJ on the Costa Blanca. He writes about the places where he lives, works and plays: from beach bars to the housing market.