On Sundays and bank holidays, Madrid’s famous flea market kicks off at 8am, lasting until around 2pm – stretching one kilometre down Calle Ribera de Curtidores. Owing to its location near a former slaughterhouse, ‘El Rastro’ derives its name from the entrails and blood of the slaughtered livestock.
During and after the market, there are many bars and restaurants to meet-up and socialise, centred around the Plaza de Cascorro.
Bridie’s tip: start your visit to the market from its lower end (Puerta de Toledo) and walk-up Calle Ribera de Curtidores to its starting point at the plaza – that way you’ll beat the crowds to the used-clothing ‘dive pits’ at the south end of the street.
