Sunday market secrets on the Costa del Sol

The markets of the Costa Blanca are familiar ground by now. The Saturday bustle in Jávea, the Mercat del Riurau in Jesús Pobre, or the stalls in the Jalón Valley — I’ve written about them before. But what about further south? When I visited Lucas for a weekend at his finca just outside Málaga, I got the chance to experience it for myself. A Sunday market on the Costa del Sol: the same vibrancy, but with its own character and accents.

The scent of the morning

Sunday morning starts early. While the city is still slowly waking up, the first stalls are already open. In Málaga you’ll find the rastro at the Recinto Ferial: a maze of second-hand goods, crafts and scents mingling in the air. Down by the harbour at Muelle Uno, every second Sunday of the month it’s the turn of El Zoco, a market that’s more about crafts and delicacies, with views of the boats. It’s a different kind of bustle than in Jesús Pobre or Jalón: bigger, louder, but just as charming.

Mountains of fruit and buckets of olives

Whether you’re in Málaga, in Estepona at the Sunday market in the marina, or in one of the smaller villages, you’ll find the same abundance of colour everywhere. Mountains of figs and grapes, piles of citrus, tubs full of olives in every flavour. People shout, laugh, bargain. “Prueba, prueba,” rings out from all sides. Tasting is encouraged, buying is optional. It’s a market that welcomes you with open arms.

The social market

What these markets have in common is that it’s not just about trade. Just as on the Costa Blanca, the market here is a meeting place. Families shuffle past the stalls, neighbours catch up, children dart between the tables. You see tourists looking a little uncertain at first, but soon they’re swept up in the rhythm of the day. A market here isn’t a tourist attraction, but a slice of living Andalusian life.

Why it feels different from the Costa Blanca

Still, the feeling is different from the villages of the Marina Alta. The scale is larger, the tone louder, the accents unmistakably Andalusian. Where Costa Blanca markets often feel cosy and village-like, here there’s more bravado. But the principle is the same: food, encounters, and starting Sunday with a bag full of treats and stories. And that makes a visit to a Sunday market on the Costa del Sol more than worthwhile.