Central Market (Mercado Central)

The Valencia Central Market is curious, unique and beautiful (as many markets) in its tradition and architecture. Take a walk around here and see both the building itself, as well as the stalls and their disposition, it is a good way to pass the time.

The Central Market emerged in the Arabic Valencia, around the mosque ... much later, between the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries it was a place for joust and equestrian tournaments... The current building is from the early twentieth century, the building is made of iron, glass and ceramics, and the central dome reaches 30 meters. The stalls are well organized ...

Out of all the markets I’ve seen in Spain and Europe, Valencia’s central market is without a doubt my favorite. Its 100 year old modernist building is located in the center of the city, in front of the Lonja and the Santos Juanes church. It’s become a place of reference for tourists in the city and is packed every day with vendors and visitors alike. There’s just about anything you can imagine inside, with quality and incomparable products.

In addition to its architectural beauty, it’s the daily bustle that will really grab your attention. There’s also many stands around the market that sell items.

It is a beautiful building located in the Plaza del Mercado (Market Square), not far from the Silk Market, a very nice pedestrian area. It is a modernist-style building and was built in 1914, with the help of architect Alexandre Vial and Guadiana i Soler. Both were employees of the famous Catalan architect Domenech i Montaner.

The market was restored in 2004, and now looks beautiful. Inside there is a large central dome which lets in plenty of light, everything is very organized and clean, but it still preserves a touch of the traditional market. The building is a mixture of a metal structure that looks very heavy, with stained glass windows.

The Mercado Central in Valencia is, without a doubt, the city's best market, and a heaven for foodies and curiosity-seekers. First of all, the building is gorgeous, and it's loaded to the brim with everything from salted shark meat to Spanish hams to fresh fruit juices. The nice thing about the market is that it's divided into sections (veggies, meats, cheeses, fish, etc.), so it makes shopping a bit easier than in some of the "wild west" markets in other cities. Also, many of the fruit vendors sell fresh-squeezed juices on ice which go down nice on a hot, muggy Valencian day.