Which day is the street market in each Costa Blanca town?

Every major Costa Blanca town has a fixed day for its mercadillo (weekly street market): Thursday and Saturday in Alicante, Wednesday in Benidorm, Friday in Torrevieja, Monday in Denia, Thursday in Javea, Tuesday in Altea, Tuesday in central Orihuela, Monday and Saturday in Elche, and Saturday in Calpe. Here is the day, time and place confirmed town by town, what you actually find (seasonal fruit and veg, local produce, cheap new clothes, general bric-a-brac) and how to shop like a local rather than a lost tourist.

Which day is the market in each Costa Blanca town?

The table below lists only the markets whose day and place could be confirmed through the town hall website or a reliable local source as of 30 July 2026. On a public holiday, the most common rule (in Alicante and Altea) is to move the market to the previous working day, but every town hall applies its own policy, so a quick call or a look at the municipal website before you set off saves a wasted trip.

Why do Alicante and Elche have several markets on the same day?

Because each city splits its territory into sectors. In Alicante, the town hall lists at least four separate municipal markets, all open on the same Thursdays and Saturdays but in different districts: Babel (507 stalls), Benalua (307), Carolinas (185) and the Teulada street market in Garbinet (373 stalls), each with its own boundary streets. Elche works the same way: the central market runs on Monday and Saturday between El Toscar and the Jose Diez Mora and Jose Navarro Orts streets, a producers' market also takes place on Monday in calle Diego Pascual Oliver, the Altabix district has its own market on Wednesday (around 80 stalls), and a large Sunday market fills the Martinez Valero stadium car park on match-free Sundays. The useful reflex is not to search for "the" Alicante or Elche market, but for the one in your district, because the exact address changes everything for the journey.

What do you actually find at a general market (not a vintage one)?

The bulk of stalls fall into four families, a long way from the vintage or second-hand markets that follow their own separate circuit on the Costa Blanca.

• Seasonal fruit and vegetables, often from the local huerta (the farming plain around Alicante and Elche), sometimes sold straight by the grower, as in Elche on Monday in calle Diego Pascual Oliver.
• Processed local produce: cured meats, cheese, olives, preserves, honey. This is where a checking habit pays off: look for the DOP/IGP protected-origin logos rather than the word "artesano" stuck on a label.
• Cheap new clothes and shoes, often in bulk and unbranded, closer to clearance stock than fashion.
• General bric-a-brac and bazaar goods (tools, plants, household items, table linen), not to be confused with the markets specifically dedicated to vintage and second-hand goods, which run on their own calendar elsewhere on the coast. If that is what you are after, see our guide to vintage and second-hand markets on the Costa Blanca.

What time should you arrive, do you haggle, and how do you pay?

Arrive before 10am if you want the best pick of fruit and vegetables: most markets open between 8.00 and 9.00 and the best produce goes fast, especially at the big ones such as Torrevieja (700 stalls, according to the municipal tourism portal) or Denia on Monday (more than 400 stalls). On haggling, the Spanish mercadillo culture is nothing like a souk: you do not routinely negotiate the marked price, except late in the morning for a large quantity of fruit or veg, where asking "algo mejor de precio?" (anything better on the price?) is common and well received. As for payment, cash dominates by far: at the Javea market, for example, the vast majority of stalls take cash only, and that holds for most markets in the province. Bring small notes; a few stalls have a card terminal, but they remain a minority, especially among small producers. For a proper local morning out, pair the market with an almuerzo, the Costa Blanca mid-morning meal.

Frequently asked questions about Costa Blanca street markets

Does the market still run if the day falls on a public holiday?
It depends on the town hall. In Alicante and Altea, the rule is to move it to the previous working day (or to cancel some Alicante markets by decree). Other towns simply skip the session. The safest bet is to check the relevant town hall website before travelling, especially around local festivals (Fogueres, Moros y Cristianos, Christmas).

Can you pay by card at a market?
Rarely in a guaranteed way. Cash remains the dominant means of payment at almost all stalls, with a few exceptions among the better-equipped sellers. Bring cash in small notes so you are not stuck in front of a fruit stall.

Is the Torrevieja or Denia market the same as a vintage market?
No. The markets described here are general markets (food, new clothes, everyday goods). Vintage and second-hand markets follow a separate circuit and calendar on the coast.

Which is the biggest market on the Costa Blanca?
According to figures from municipal and tourism portals, Torrevieja (around 700 stalls on Friday) and Denia (more than 400 stalls on Monday) are among the largest listed on the coast, followed by the big Alicante city markets (several hundred stalls in total across the four Thursday and Saturday sites).

Sources: Alicante town hall (alicante.es, Markets department page, consulted 30 July 2026); Benidorm town hall (benidorm.org, municipal market page); official tourism portal of Torrevieja town hall (torrevieja.com, Friday market page); Elche town hall (elche.es, Markets and street trading page); trade portal of Altea town hall (altea.portaldelcomerciante.com, Markets section); Diario de la Vega for the Orihuela market (Plaza de la Trinidad); official Comunitat Valenciana tourism portal (comunitatvalenciana.com) for the Javea/Xabia market; en.denia.com and disfruta-denia.com for the two Denia markets; the official Facebook page of Calp town hall and encalpe.es for the Saturday market in Calpe. Days and places are those in force on 30 July 2026; a one-off change (local festival, roadworks) is always possible, so check the town hall website before travelling.

Information verified in August 2026. The Daily Costa Blanca is an AI-assisted publication with human review.