The markets
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Barcelona's markets

The freshest markets in the neighbourhood

Barcelona has a network of municipal markets that is different to any other in Europe. This includes 39 food markets characterised by their fresh food, personal service, quality and variety.

These markets are spread round all the city neighbourhoods. There are also speciality markets, some unique and much loved like the Sant Antoni's Sunday Market and the Mercat de les Flors de la Rambla .

Barcelona is one of the few cities in the world that can claim to have a network of markets distributed in such a way that all the neighbourhoods have one close at hand. Besides contributing to people's quality of life by promoting a healthy, balanced diet, the city's markets are also looking to the future and introducing new services in line with the commercial needs of our time. Online shopping, home delivery, Wi-Fi hotspots, parking and an information point are some of the extra services that many Barcelona markets offer.

But, in looking to the future, the markets in Catalonia's capital are not forgetting about their past, because the buildings that house them reflect the city's history. Like so many others parts of its urban geography, the markets have reflected the changes and transformations it has experienced over the years. For example, they were prime candidates for the introduction of iron architecture and the Modernista style.

They have also followed the convulsions produced by the city's physical growth, either through the absorption of previously independent towns that often had a market of their own, or the construction of markets in the new, outlying neighbourhoods that sprang up with the arrival of successive waves of migrants.

Altogether that has given us a Barcelona with a dense network of markets: 39 food and 4 non-food (Encants, Dominical de Sant Antoni, Encants de Sant Antoni and Flors de la Rambla) plus the craft fairs and markets held in the streets and squares of lots of neighbourhoods. They are places where you can buy practically anything, as well as meeting points for local people. And all of them are facing the future determined to carry on playing a prominent role in the life of the city.

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Iconic historic markets

La Boqueria

Food cathedrals

To explore Barcelona's markets more, you should begin with the more iconic ones, those which have a special significance for the city because of their character, design or location.

Iconic historic markets

Modernista markets

Modernista markets

With their own style and taste

Barcelona's first covered markets were built at the end of the 19th and start of the 20th centuries. It was when Modernista (Catalan Art Nouveau) architecture was at its height, so many adopted that style. They are characterised by their large structures and high interiors, which give their neighbourhoods a lot of dignity.

Modernista markets

Speciality markets

Encants Market

For everything you want

Aside from the food markets, Barcelona has fairs and markets where you can find all kinds of items, old and new. The best examples are the flea market, Encants - Fira de Bellcaire, and the Sunday market, Dominical de Sant Antoni, but there are fairs and markets in various parts of the city. Because there is a long tradition of collecting and of buying and selling antiques in the city.

Speciality markets

Street markets

Street markets

Shopping outdoors

Barcelona folk love to make the most of the good weather and do things outdoors. So it is normal to find occasional food and craft markets in the city's streets and squares. Some have a long tradition and some are newer Some are weekly, while others are held at a particular time of the year. But they are all different, with their own identity, and could turn out to be a pleasant surprise.

Street markets