Vilanova Market

The scale is what defines it. Twenty-five stalls fit under one roof, so a full circuit of the fish counters, the butchers and the fruit and vegetable stalls takes a few minutes rather than half a morning. The 9am to 2pm pattern holds on all six trading days, Saturday included, and there is no afternoon session.

Stalls take cash, contactless cards and mobile payments, which is not something you can count on at the town's open-air stalls. The market is wheelchair accessible throughout, and the food court inside means you can sit down with a coffee before carrying the bags home.

The stalls cover the full weekly shop: fresh fruit and vegetables, meat and poultry, fish and seafood, cheese and dairy, and bread and bakery. Prepared foods are sold too, the practical option if you are staying in an apartment nearby and want lunch without cooking, or a picnic to take down to the seafront.

Shop early if you are after fish. With only 25 stalls the seafood counters are a small part of the floor, and the doors shut at 2pm rather than reopening later.

Staying near the town centre puts the market and the seafront within an easy walk. Town Centre is your best base, with plenty of hotels and guesthouses close to the action, and Hotel César is a reliable option that locals often recommend to visitors. If you prefer to be near the beach, Passeig Marítim gives you easy access to both the sea and the market, and it's a pleasant walk into the centre from there.

The address is Carrer del Rei Pere el Cerimoniós, 14, 08800 Vilanova i la Geltrú, in the town rather than on the beachfront. Coming by train from Barcelona, get off at Vilanova i la Geltrú station and walk in towards the centre. If you want the open-air option as well, the town's street markets run on their own days and are close enough to combine on foot.