El Rastro of Madrid: what it is and how to do it right

If you have just moved to Madrid and want to see the city being itself, El Rastro is the place: every Sunday and public holiday morning in La Latina, around Ribera de Curtidores.

What you will find

Everything, and a lot of nothing. Second-hand clothes, records, odd bits of things that no longer exist, old books, and stalls run by people selling what they had at home. Some stalls are good and some are junk, and learning to tell them apart is half the fun.

What usually works: books, vinyl, vintage clothes, things for your room. What almost never works: electronics.

How to do it

• Go early. At ten you can still walk. By one you cannot move and you cannot see anything.
• Bring cash in small notes. Many stalls have no card reader.
• Haggling is fine, within reason. Knocking a bit off is expected. Arguing for half an hour over two euros with someone who has been there since seven is not.
• Backpack on your front. It is crowded, as any flea market anywhere.

What actually makes it worth it

It is not what you buy. When the market packs up around three, the whole neighbourhood stays for a drink. The surrounding streets fill up with people who met without arranging to.

That is the real plan: walk the stalls, then stay. It is probably the most Madrid thing you can do on a Sunday, and it costs nothing.

Getting there

Metro La Latina or Tirso de Molina. With your transport pass it costs you nothing extra.