Sunday in the Rastro and Lavapiés: flea market, vermú and corralas

The madrileño Sunday: the Rastro flea market (documented since 1740) from Plaza de Cascorro down Ribera de Curtidores, a vermú de grifo with a free tapa in the Rastro bars, then the steep streets of Lavapiés with its 1872 corrala, the San Fernando market (open Sunday 11:00-18:00), the oldest taverns and the Filmoteca's modernista cinema. Start at Metro La Latina or Tirso de Molina; end at Metro Antón Martín.

Best time: Sunday 10:00-15:00, when the Rastro is on; finish with an afternoon film at the Cine Doré (Tue-Sun)

The route, stop by stop

1. 1
   El Rastro Flea Market

   Sundays and holidays, about 09:00-15:00, more than 1,000 sellers around Plaza de Cascorro and down Ribera de Curtidores. Look into the antique patios of Galerías Piquer and Nuevas Galerías. Keep your bag in front. 60 min.

   Madrid's Sunday flea market, held for more than 250 years on the old tannery streets: over 3,000 stalls run down Ribera de Curtidores from Plaza de Cascorro towards Ronda de…

2. 2
   Casa Álvarez

   Family bar since 1920 on Plaza del General Vara del Rey, at the edge of the Rastro, known for one of the cheapest cocidos in Madrid. The Rastro's bars pour vermú de grifo with a tapa of paella or a bocadillo de calamares, the classic Sunday aperitivo. The square also hosts Los Sábados del Rastro on the first Saturday of the month. 30 min.

   Family-style bar since 1920 on the Rastro's edge with one of the cheapest cocidos in Madrid (about EUR 15); neighbourhood regulars rather than tourists.

3. 3
   Mercado de San Fernando

   Municipal market since 1944 behind a monumental facade at Embajadores 41; food stalls, bars, bookshops. Open Sunday 11:00-18:00 (Mon 09:00-14:30 and 17:30-22:00, Tue-Thu 09:00-22:00, Fri-Sat to 23:00). 30 min.

   A 1940s Lavapiés market where neighbourhood stalls sit beside cheap bars and international food counters; weekend afternoons are a local social scene.

4. 4
   Corrala de Tribulete

   The most famous corrala in Madrid (1872), the galleried tenement around a courtyard that inspired the zarzuela La Revoltosa; National Monument since 1977. See it from Mesón de Paredes 1, where the open plaza is used as a summer stage. Next door at Tribulete 14 are the ruins of the Escuelas Pías de San Fernando church (1763-1791), now the UNED library. 15 min.

5. 5
   Plaza de Lavapiés

   The barrio's sloping main square and meeting point; the Fiesta de los Mayos is held here in May. 10 min.

6. 6
   Taberna de Antonio Sánchez

   Mesón de Paredes 13, considered Madrid's oldest tavern: zinc bar, bullfighting decor and traditional tapas. 30 min.

   Considered Madrid's oldest tavern: zinc bar, bullfighting décor, oxtail stew and traditional tapas in Lavapiés.

7. 7
   Cine Doré

   The Filmoteca Española's modernista cinema at Santa Isabel 3, opened in December 1912 (facade 1923): three screens of films of every era at low prices, Tuesday to Sunday except holidays. 10 min, or stay for a session.

   A modernista cinema from 1922 that reopened in 1989 as the screening venue of the Filmoteca Española, the national film archive. Locals call it la filmo, and it appears in films…

Walking directions

More walks in Madrid

• Madrid de los Austrias: Sol to the Royal Palace2.5 km · 3 h
• Paseo del Arte and the Retiro4 km · 5 h
• Food graze: Sol, La Latina and Lavapiés3.2 km · 3 h 30 min
• Barrio de las Letras: sherry, churros and a market lunch2 km · 2 h 30 min
• Malasaña, Conde Duque and Debod sunset4 km · 3 h 30 min
• Usera: Madrid's Chinatown food walk2 km · 2 h 30 min
• Madrid Río: Goya's chapel to Matadero5.5 km · 3 h
• Chamberí castizo: Sorolla, the ghost station and Plaza de Olavide5 km · 3 h
• El Viso to the Mercado de la Paz: the Silver Age and quiet museums3.1 km · 3 h 30 min
• The Retiro's quiet side to the Quinta de la Fuente del Berro5 km · 3 h
• Across the Toledo bridge to San Isidro: the saint's spring, hermitage and cemetery4.2 km · 3 h