If you are looking for an artistic and cultural place to visit, go straight to Gràcia. Barcelona’s most famous neighborhood used to be a small village where rich landholders lived in high-class houses. Today, Gràcia is one of the most attractive and vibrant places to live in the city, thanks to the many shops, bars and restaurants. What better way to feel the heartbeat of a neighborhood than by strolling around the local markets? In Gràcia, markets are not only the place to go for cheap grocery shopping but they are also traditional meeting points for the local population.
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Abacería Central Market invites the visitor to different sensations and experiences. It is a real pleasure to shop there or simply walk around and enjoy the crowd, the sellers’ screams and the buyers’ negotiations. It was during the 19th century that local and ambulant markets moved to large and covered infrastructures like Abacería Central market. Located on Travessera de Gràcia, this market was built by Puigmartí and inaugurated in 1892 under the name of Santa Isabel market, to welcome the peasants to sell their products. The structure of the market, in iron and bricks, is organized in three naves. The central and most ample nave is remarkable for its oval roof. At Albacería Central Market, you can shop for any kind of fresh vegetables and fruits, local or exotic, fresh meat and fish, cheese, spices, etc, and have a snack or some tapas at the bar.
Address: Travessera de Gràcia, 186
Related article: Where to eat paella in Gràcia
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The Lesseps Market is located in Calle Verdi, in the northern part of the neighborhood, two steps away from Parc Güell. It is a small market and one of the most recent in Barcelona: it was inaugurated in 1974. Before it was built, people from the area of Vallcarca and Lesseps had to go all the way down to the Abacería Central market. Mercado del Lesseps is a pretty tiny market compared to the other ones in Gràcia: it has three floors and a total area of 3500 square meters. It was built after the neighborhood became an established residential area. This is the reason why the market was built attached to three buildings on each side – there wasn’t that much space available to build on. In 1999, a great work of modernization was done and now the market looks like a completely new space. You will find everything that a local market can offer, plus a wide range of delicatessen and take-away specialties.
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Mercado de la Llibertat is a maze of aromas, sounds and colors. This local market located in Gràcia is one of the most important of Barcelona: it is the second largest market in the city and the most popular in the neighborhood. It is located in a beautiful modernist building which has been refurbished on several occasions. It was built on the old plaza de la Constitució, where the farmers used to sell their fresh products. It was designed by the architect Miquel Pasqual i Tintorer, and Francesc Berenguer i Mestres (Gaudi‘s friend and admirer) took care of the decoration. The roof of the building is covered with red and black glazed ceramic parts. Inside, some typically modernist details are highlighted. The market was fully remodeled in 2009.
Related article: Restaurants in Calle Verdi, Gràcia
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Market de la Estrella is located where Pi i Margall meets Calle Providence. It is the first in a series of municipal markets built between the years 1955 to 1965. It is indeed a huge market with a total of 176 stands, 5 cold stores and all the necessary services for both users and buyers. The total area is of 2,096 m2. In 1955, the City Hall launched a plan for building private markets all over the city. Some residents of Gràcia (most of them landholders) agreed with the help of a promoter and a builder to the construction of the new market. What we love about this local market in Gràcia is that it is always trying to renew itself and entertain its clients with events related to Christian and traditional celebrations, like Christmas, Carnaval, etc.
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