Markets in Manresa

Staying in City Centre puts you within easy walking distance of the main market areas and the old town. The Hotel Manresa is a solid central option, and there are several well-priced guesthouses around the historic core that work well as a base.

If you prefer something with a bit more comfort, Parador de Manresa is worth considering for a more relaxed stay. Getting around the city is easy on foot once you're centrally located, so aim to stay as close to the old town as you can.

The other eight are open-air, and they divide into two kinds. The general markets are the clothing-and-produce sort, the largest of them 115 stalls of clothing, footwear, fresh fruit and vegetables that draws shoppers from across the comarca. Alongside those sit smaller neighbourhood markets, a handful of stalls each, serving their own part of the city with fresh produce and everyday clothing.

The specialist end is what makes Manresa worth a detour. Two of the eight are producer markets, selling organic products, cheese and dairy, meat and poultry and spices and herbs direct from regional growers. One deals in antiques, books and magazines, and another in flowers and plants alone.

One market in the city trades under a permanent roof, the Font dels Capellans hall, out in the neighbourhood of the same name rather than in the old town. It carries the full food shop across its counters: fresh fruit and vegetables, meat and poultry, fish and seafood, bread and bakery, cheese and dairy. It is wheelchair accessible, which makes it the reliable option on a wet morning.

Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday are the busy days, with three markets trading on each. Thursday and Friday have two apiece, Monday just one, and Sunday none at all. Usual hours are 9am to 2pm, so plan a morning rather than an afternoon.

For visitor information and up-to-date schedules, the Manresa tourism office covers the city and surrounding Bages area. Nearby towns with their own market traditions include Igualada and Berga, both within easy driving distance.

Tuesday is the main market day in Manresa, when three markets trade, including the city's largest at 115 stalls. Wednesday and Saturday also carry three markets each, Thursday and Friday two, and Monday one. Across the week the city's nine markets cover every day except Sunday.

Markets in Manresa usually open at 9am and close at 2pm, which covers both the outdoor street markets and the Font dels Capellans municipal hall. That makes them a morning errand rather than an afternoon one, and the produce stalls are at their best in the first couple of hours, before the fruit and vegetable trays are picked over.

No, none of Manresa's nine markets trade on a Sunday. Saturday is the weekend option, with three markets running, and the usual 9am to 2pm hours apply. If you are in the city on a Sunday, the nearest alternative is a market in another town in Barcelona province.

Two of Manresa's eight street markets are producer markets, selling organic products, fresh fruit and vegetables, cheese and dairy, meat and poultry, and spices and herbs direct from growers in the surrounding Bages area. Both run weekly on the usual 9am to 2pm schedule, and they are the only stalls in the city buying straight from regional farms.