Markets in Region of Murcia

The Region of Murcia has 182 markets spread across 43 towns and cities, and almost all of them, 172 of the 182, are street markets that set up in a square or along a stretch of road for a morning and are gone by early afternoon. Only 10 are municipal markets in a permanent building. If you are used to covered halls elsewhere in Spain, that ratio is the thing to plan around here: the market comes to the town on its day, rather than waiting there all week.

Murcia city holds 56 of them on its own, more than three times any other town. Cartagena is next with 14, then San Javier with 8 and Torre-Pacheco with 7. Mazarrón and Aguilas have 6 each, Molina de Segura and Los Alcázares 5 each, and Cehegín, Totana, Santomera and Lorca 4 apiece. That spread means a week's stay almost anywhere in the region puts several market mornings within a short drive, and the town listings give the days for each one.

Sunday is the region's busiest market day, with 48 markets trading, followed by Saturday with 39 and Friday with 38. The quietest trading day is Wednesday at 28, with Monday close behind on 29. Tuesday has 35 and Thursday 32, so no day of the week is empty. The most common opening hours are 09:00 to 14:00, which is the pattern to assume if you are working out a morning: arrive by ten for the full set of stalls, and expect the pack-down to start before two.

Days are confirmed for 164 of the 182 markets. For the remaining 18 the day is not recorded, so check each market's own page rather than turning up on spec.