Pampering, therapy, national sport, or whatever you may call it, shopping in Spain is unbeatable. From mega shopping centers and world-famous designer stores to stylish independent boutiques and alluring markets, the Spanish Kingdom is a genuine paradise for shoppers of all kind.
The country’s greatest cities, Madrid and Barcelona, can easily be compared with any other fashion capital in Europe, boasting a fabulous range of shopping opportunities. Visitors have the chance to indulge their craving for fashion in a trendy mix of colossal malls, neighborhood boutiques, quirky vintage shops, alluring flea markets, and upscale shopping districts.
Equally lively, Valencia’s shopping scene greets the aficionados with an abundance of options and styles, whether you’re looking for the latest trends in clothing, fresh food, antiques, or authentic local goods.
Granada stands out for its lovely Moorish marquetry and high-quality leather products; Seville for Triana’s fabulous pottery and handicrafts; and Toledo for its gorgeous marzipan, damascene items, and swords.
The sunny island of Mallorca is famed for its high-quality artificial pearls, Ibiza for the dazzling white clothes and hippy beach wraps, Seville for its colorful windows teeming with flamenco outfits, and so on. Overall, each province and major city in Spain has something interesting to offer when it comes to shopping, something related to its own character and cultural legacy.
Local Brands
Every shopper out there knows that there’s nothing more liberating than buying local products, whether it’s fresh food, handicraft, or anything else.
Luckily for brand spotters, Spain is home to one of the world’s largest fashion retailer, Inditex – a company founded in 1963 by Amancio Ortega Gaona. From the first Zara store opened in A Coruna in 1975 until today, Ortega managed to create an empire, becoming the country’s richest man. The group consists of eight brands: Zara – Inditex’ flagship chain store, Pull & Bear, Massimo Dutti, Bershka, Stradivarius, Oysho, Zara Home, and Uterque.
Other notable Spanish brands include Desigual, Mango, Agatha Ruiz de la Prada, Sfera, Blanco, and the Cortefiel Group (Cortefiel, Springfield, and Women’s Secret).
Markets
Markets are an essential part of the Spanish lifestyle and they range from weekly mercadillos (streets markets) and atmospheric rastros (flea markets) to fabulous mercados (food markets) with colorful, heartwarming stalls.
From the famous La Boqueria in Barcelona to Valencia’s great Mercado Central and Madrid’s Mercado de San Miguel – often regarded as the city’s temple of gastronomy, Spain boasts a variety of markets selling delicious local produce that range from from fresh fruits, vegetables, and seafood to exquisite meats, spices, and dairy.
Most famous flea markets in Spain can be found in Madrid (El Rastro, Cuesta de Moyano, Mercado Puerta de Toledo), Barcelona (Els Encants), Valencia (Plaza de Luis Casanova, Plaza Redonda, Mestalla), Seville (Mercadillo de los Jueves, Mercadillo de la Alameda), Granada (Plaza Larga), and Ibiza (Las Dalias Hippy Market).
Sales / Rebajas
If there’s something that makes shopping in Spain even more delightful, then this is certainly their rebajas frenzy. The country benefits of two rewarding sales periods called Rebajas (Rebaixes in Catalan), one for each end of season.
The first season (winter sales) kicks off at the beginning of January with discounts up to 30% and continues until the end of February, when discounts can reach up to 90%. The same applies for the summer season which lasts from the first days of July until the end of August.