El Rastro

The Rastro is the largest and oldest (I believe) market in Spain. The first time I went I stuck to the main street and wasn’t very impressed but did manage to find a few artisans. The majority of the booths are hippy clothing, band t-shirts, leather sandals, CD’s, and souvenir type items. But when you go down the side streets, which often have themes, you’ll find antiques, art, and other oddities. Get there in the morning unless you really want to fight to get into booths. Great people watching and the best (read cheapest) place to get all of your souvenir shopping down.

Ahh, El Rastro, Madrid’s open air market. THis place is utterly packed so watch your bag and bring some pocket money, cause you’re gonna wanna spend it. Lots of great local artisan stuff and one of a kind Spanish items. A lot of fun on a cool afternoon