El Rastro

Documented since 1740, El Rastro is Madrid's most popular street market, held on Sundays and public holidays. Originally, it was a place for selling and exchanging second-hand clothes, as an alternative to street vending. Its name could be derived from the trail left by the dead cattle transported to the old slaughterhouse nearby. Today, the market has more than 1,000 vendors and is held between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m., in the Ribera de Curtidores area, with Plaza de Cascorro as its center. It offers a wide variety of items, from crafts and clothing to records, cards, second-hand items and more.