Markets in Calpe

Staying close to the old town puts you within easy walking distance of Calpe's markets and the harbour. Casco Antiguo is a solid base, and the area around Playa de la Fossa gives you beach access alongside good transport links.

If you want a bit more comfort, AR Diamante Beach Spa Hotel & Convention Centre is a well-known option that keeps you close to the action without being right in the thick of it.

All seven of the markets covered here are open-air street markets, set up on pavements, squares and beachfront promenades rather than inside a covered hall. The largest is Calpe Street Market, which runs to 40 stalls. Each has its own fixed day, and the ones with 18:00 to 00:00 hours are worth treating as an after-the-beach outing rather than a morning errand.

Across the seven you'll find fresh fruit and vegetables alongside clothing and textiles, footwear and leather, handicrafts, jewellery, antiques and books and magazines, so the produce stalls sit next to the browsing stalls rather than in a hall of their own.

Distances between them are short enough that it is realistic to see two in one day.

For markets in the surrounding towns along this stretch of the Costa Blanca, see our guide to markets in Alicante province. Practical detail on parking, buses and local events is on the official Calpe tourism website.

Saturday is the busiest day by a clear margin, with six of the seven markets trading. Wednesday is the next best, with four. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday each have three, so a quiet day here still gives you a choice of three.

• Monday: 3 markets
• Tuesday: 3 markets
• Wednesday: 4 markets
• Thursday: 3 markets
• Friday: 3 markets
• Saturday: 6 markets
• Sunday: 3 markets

If you are only in town for a couple of days, plan the shopping around Saturday and keep Wednesday as the back-up. Sunday is the quietest trading day, though three markets still open.

Yes, four of Calpe's seven markets trade on a Wednesday, which makes it the second busiest market day in the town after Saturday, when six open. All four are open-air street markets, and the commonest hours across the town are 18:00 to 00:00, so check the individual listing before setting out in the morning.

Saturday is the main market day in Calpe, with six of the seven markets trading. Wednesday is the next busiest at four, and the remaining five days each have three. Every market in the town is an open-air street market, so a Saturday visit gives you the widest choice of stalls in a single trip.

Yes, three of Calpe's seven markets trade on a Sunday, the quietest trading day of the week here. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday also run three each, so Sunday costs you nothing against a weekday. Saturday, with six markets open, is the day to aim for if you want the fullest choice.

Several of Calpe's markets are evening markets. The commonest opening hours across the town's seven markets are 18:00 to 00:00, so they get going late in the afternoon and run on into the night. If you are shopping for fresh fruit and vegetables rather than browsing, that late start is worth planning around.