La Solana Market

The market trades six days a week on the same hours, 8am to 3:30pm from Monday through to Saturday, and closes on Sundays. That is a longer week than the one-morning street markets that serve most towns this size, and it means the fish and meat counters here are restocked far more often than a weekly mercadillo's.

All 25 stalls are indoors under one roof at Calle Carrera, 90, so rain or a Manchegan summer afternoon makes no difference to the trip. The building is wheelchair accessible, with step-free access to the stalls.

The 25 stalls cover the full weekly shop. Butchers handle meat and poultry, fishmongers work the seafood counters, and the greengrocer stalls carry fresh vegetables and fruit. There is cheese and dairy, and bread and bakery stalls for the rest of it. Go early: the choice at the fish and meat counters is at its widest in the first hours after 8am, and thins well before the 3:30pm close.

La Solana is a small town, so your best bet is to stay in or close to the town centre, where you can easily walk to the market and the main square. Town Centre puts you right in the middle of things, with local bars and restaurants on your doorstep.

If you prefer a bit more comfort, check availability at Hotel Rural La Solana or look at options in nearby Valdepeñas, which has a wider choice of accommodation and is just a short drive away.

The market is at Calle Carrera, 90, in La Solana's town centre. Street parking is available on the surrounding central streets, and the covered hall is wheelchair accessible throughout. For markets in the towns around it, see the Ciudad Real province page, or the town's own street markets.