Cortijo de Torres
Every Sunday, Malaga’s biggest and best flea market takes over the city’s vast recinto ferial – the sanded fairground on which the Malaga Feria is held every August. The Mercadillo Cortijo de Torres boasts some 300 stalls selling everything from CDs and DVDs (if anyone buys either of those anymore) to bargain clothes, shoes, fashion accessories and antiques. This market – formerly located near Malaga’s Rosaleda football stadium – attracts customers from all over Malaga province, so if you’re driving get there as early as possible for a parking spot before the 10am opening (it closes at about 3pm). The market is also served from the number four bus, departing from the city centre’s main artery, the Alameda Principal.
Muelle Uno
On the second Sunday of every month, the recently-renovated Muelle Uno area of Malaga’s port is the setting for a small but excellent flea market, where you can buy everything from ecological foods to vintage clothing. A separate collection of stalls on Muelle Uno promotes the work of local artisans every Sunday, a great place to see what Malaga’s most innovative creators are up to. As you browse you can watch the giant cruise liners come and go on their voyages around the Mediterranean and when you fancy refreshment just grab a table on one of the sun-drenched terraces on Muelle Uno. There is also the beautiful ‘Palm Garden of Surprises’ promenade to stroll along after you’ve finished at the market. Open air shopping doesn’t come any better than this.
Paseo del Muelle Uno, Malaga, Spain +34 952 00 39 42
Malaga’s stunning port hosts a great montly flea market; Nick Kenrick, flickr
Epoca Segunda Mano
Don’t be fooled by its small size – Epoca Segunda Mano is one of Malaga’s most delightful thrift clothing stores. It specialises in vintage garments and accessories and its frequently-changing stock means it always holds surprises. It’s also a stone’s throw of the superb Re-Read thrift bookstore, so this part of Malaga is where to head if you like to do your shopping on a budget and in places with more personality than the often-soulless high street outlets.
Epoca Segunda Mano, 9 Calle Casapalma, Malaga, Spain, +34 952 223150
Re-Read Malaga
With outlets all over Spain, Re-Read is the country’s leading secondhand book chain. The Malaga store offers a great choice of genres, in many languages, at prices that are – as the website promises – ‘almost impossible’ (just as the books are ‘almost new’). The deal at Re-Read is that you can buy one book for €3, two books for €5 and ten books for an amazing €10: in other words, this is the secondhand book lover’s dream shop. A fantastic place to browse and it also happens to be just across the street from the neighbourhood’s coolest bar, La Tranca.
Re-Read Malaga, 6 Plaza del Teatro, Malaga, Spain, +34 951 43 00 96
Re-Read is a second-hand book lover’s dream; Pexels, pixabay
Soho
As is fitting for a neighbourhood that’s home to Andalusia’s most exciting street-art scene, Soho hosts Malaga’s best arts and crafts street market on the first Saturday of every month (from 10am-3pm). This intriguing collection of stalls promotes the work of local sculptors, painters, photographers and jewellery designers – making it a great place to take the pulse of Malaga’s contemporary art scene. Its location in the heart of Soho also means you’re well-placed to explore the street art of Malaga Arte Urbano Soho (MAUS), a project which has transformed many of the barrio’s dilapidated facades into inspired works of art.
Flamingos Vintage Kilo
If you’re puzzling over the last part of the name of this achingly-trendy vintage and secondhand clothing specialist, there’s no need: it simply means that here, you do your clothes shopping by the kilo. At Vintage Kilo Malaga, garments are split into categories depending on price per kilo – from €13 to €39 – and if you’re worried about losing track of how much you’ve spent halfway through browsing, you can ask the friendly staff to weigh your purchases. This is a fun and extremely cost-effective way of shopping, and the Malaga outlet of this country-wide chain is a great place to stock up on vintage ítems at a fraction of the price of more mainstream stores.
Flamingos Vintage Kile, 27 Calle Ollerías, Malaga, Spain, +34 647 48 42 88
Malaga hosts some superb arts and crafts markets; Karen Bryan, flickr (www.europealacarte.co.uk/blog/)