El Rastro

Every Sunday in Madrid, La Ribera de Curtidores and surrounding streets provide locals and tourists with an opportunity to SHOP! This open air flea market is called El Rastro and in the 17th and 18th centuries, was largely a meat market. Now, you can shop for a myriad of items such as used books, tiles, clothing, old photos of Madrid, artwork, jewelry and more. 

El Rastro is extremely crowded, rain or shine we discovered, but is worth the trip if you hang on to your bag and make sure you aren’t pick-pocketed. While some do not thrive on shoulder-to-shoulder situations, I thought the experience was worth it as I found a few treasures in the chaos of it all!