Markets in the Province of Almeria

Almeria city holds 10 of the province's markets, more than anywhere else, and El Ejido follows with 7. After that the numbers spread thin and even: Roquetas de Mar and Albox have 4 each, then Adra, Carboneras, Cuevas del Almanzora, Nijar, Mojacar and Vera with 3 apiece, and Garrucha and Huercal-Overa with 2. The practical consequence is that basing yourself on the coast around Roquetas de Mar or Mojacar puts several different market days within a short drive, rather than tying you to one town's weekly slot.

The inland towns of the Almanzora valley, Albox, Cuevas del Almanzora and Huercal-Overa among them, run a different kind of market from the coastal ones. These are working markets for the surrounding countryside as much as anything else, and the mix of stalls reflects that.

If you have one morning, take a Saturday: 18 markets is the widest choice the week offers, and it covers most of the larger towns. If you are staying a week, the more useful approach is to pick a market a day. With 11 markets even on the quietest day, Tuesday, the province supports that easily.

For context on how Almeria compares with the rest of the region, the Andalusia markets guide covers the neighbouring provinces. Within Almeria, each town's page lists its own markets with the confirmed day and hours, which is the detail to check before you set out.

Every day of the week has markets somewhere in the province. Saturday is the busiest with 18 of the 59 markets trading, Sunday has 17, Thursday and Friday 14 each, Monday and Wednesday 12 each, and Tuesday 11. Three markets have no confirmed day recorded.

The most common hours across the province are 09:00 to 14:00. Street markets pack up at the stated closing time rather than winding down gradually, so arriving after one o'clock means seeing a market being dismantled.

The markets recorded across the province run on the standard morning timetable, most of them 09:00 to 14:00. Check an individual market's page for its confirmed hours.

Five of the 59 are municipal markets, housed in permanent buildings, which is the option worth knowing about on a wet morning. The other 54 are street markets that set up in the open on a fixed day each week.

There are 59, across 21 towns and cities. Of those, 54 are street markets that set up on a fixed day each week and 5 are permanent municipal markets.

Almeria city, with 10. El Ejido has 7, and Roquetas de Mar and Albox have 4 each.