Street Markets in Sant Vicenç de Montalt

The Saturday market opens at 8am and trades until 2pm. The Thursday market starts an hour later, at 9am, and closes at the same time, so a 2pm finish holds for either day. Neither market runs on a Sunday, and there is no municipal food hall in the town, which makes these two the whole of the shopping week here. For everything the town lists in one place, see all markets in Sant Vicenç de Montalt.

The two markets divide the shopping between them rather than repeating it. Thursday in Plaça del Poble is the food one: fruit and vegetables, meat and poultry, fish and seafood, cheese and dairy, and bread and bakery, with clothing, footwear and leather alongside. Saturday's 30 stalls lean towards fruit and vegetables, prepared foods, flowers and plants, and clothing and textiles. Ten product categories across two markets is a lot for a town this size, and it is the reason the small Thursday market is worth planning around rather than treating as an afterthought.

Come before 11am on either day if you want the fish and the produce at their best, since six stalls sell through quickly. The Saturday market is indoors and wheelchair accessible, and it takes cash, contactless and mobile payments. Thursday sets up outdoors in the square, so carry cash, as acceptance varies from one stall to the next. Sant Vicenç de Montalt sits on the Maresme coast in the province of Barcelona, so a market morning pairs easily with a swim.

Both markets are inside the town, a few minutes apart on foot, so anywhere in the town centre puts you at either one without a car. That matters most on Saturday, when the market is open by 8am and the best of it goes early. If you would rather be nearer the water, look along the Maresme coast, where you will want a car or a short train ride to get in for the 9am Thursday opening.