Mercat Central d'Alacant — Attraction in Alicante

I love a good market and this is A market!

The locals believe it is the biggest market in Europe. This one is big, that’s for sure. Another thing for sure is that this market is busting with history as it is over 100 years old.

There are two floors of goodness. The one on the ground level has meat and a few restaurants. The one in the basement has fish: fresh and lots of cured/salted. The fruit and veg section has the most colorful displays, and there are a few restaurants too.

There are big stalls and small ones. Most sell traditional Spanish products, but you can also find freshly made pasta. Ah, and there is a bakery too. It is super clean and spacious. The service is great and very communal.

I got a few bits to take home. They all do vacuum packing as the summer season is really busy with around 800,000 tourists going their way.

I didn’t try any restaurant there, but they all looked good and busy, even on a Tuesday.

Pay them a visit. You...

When visiting Alicante, this place is an absolute must, even if you're not planning to make a purchase. The variety of meats, fish and vegetables on display is truly impressive. 4 stars not 5 though for 3 reasons...If you move from stall to stall you'll notice a huge variation in prices of sometimes identical products. There are some stall holders here who are there to make a very healthy profit at the expense of an unsuspecting tourist. Cheap as we know, isn't always best as some pomegranates we purchased contained a not insignificant number of worms! And finally, many of the fruit and veg stalls do not allow you to handle their wares to check the condition meaning that if the item has been bruised or damaged and then turned over, you won't find out until you've got it home! That said, all of our other purchases were very tasty. In summary, you must go and have a wander round, just be careful with what you buy and how...

Beautiful market building with an adundance of fresh fruit, vegetables, seafood, meats, jamon, cheeses and even free range eggs. Stall owners are just lovely and patient with someone like me with little Spanish. A joy to shop there! Mariella on the ground floor sells fresh fish and shellfish and speaks excellent English (and French), plus is just a warm-hearted lady. A pleasure to buy our weekly fish from and worth seeking out, though all stall owners we have tried are lovely. Upstairs you find meat, cheese and small goods. Again, stall owners are friendly and kind, and even if you don't speak Spanish they will make such an effort to understand what you would like. Butchers will prepare your meat however you would like, so don't be afraid to ask for something filleted, minced etc. They are only too happy to help and the quality...