Cullera Market

The market opens at 9am Monday to Saturday and runs through to 9.30pm, a much longer day than the midday close most Spanish municipal markets keep. It is shut all day Sunday.

Built between 1899 and 1903 to a design by the architect Luís Ferreres, the hall is laid out as four pavilions in a Greek cross. Two of them hold the food counters and the places to eat, a third is given over to cultural events, and the fourth houses the Municipal Auditorium, used for theatre and music. The stone fountain at the centre, with its ducks and turtles, is where families tend to end up.

The whole market is indoors and wheelchair accessible, with step-free access into the hall, so a visit does not depend on the weather.

The counters cover fish and seafood, meat and poultry, fresh fruit and vegetables, cheese and dairy, and bread and bakery. This is a working food hall rather than a souvenir stop, and the seafood is the reason most people come in.

Alongside the everyday counters you'll find goods sold under the local "Cullera" brand, including rice, rice liqueurs, craft beer and sweets, which travel better than a kilo of fish if you are buying something to take home.

Carry cash. Traders here take cash and some accept mobile payment, but card acceptance is not something you can count on from one counter to the next.

Staying near the beach puts you close to the heart of Cullera, and you'll find plenty of hotels and apartments along the seafront that make it easy to combine a market visit with a day by the water. The Playa de Cullera is a solid base, with good transport links into the town centre where the market is held.

If you prefer to be right in the old town, look for accommodation around the centre itself. Cullera Town Centre keeps you within walking distance of the market and the local shops, bars, and restaurants that fill out a good day trip.

The hall stands at Plaça de la Verge, 1523, in Cullera's historic centre, close enough to walk to from most places to stay in the town itself. Local buses stop within a short walk of the square.

Coming from Valencia, regular bus services run down to Cullera and drop you a few minutes from the market. The central position means you can fold a shop into a morning spent on the rest of the old town, and the market's number, +34 676 697 942, is worth a call if you are making a special trip.