As well as being famous for its beaches and holiday fun, Ibiza boasts many traditional crafts and artisans, and their products can be found in the street markets held in all its towns and villages, where you can buy all kinds of handcrafted articles, unique souvenirs of your holiday.
Browsing the market is an essential part of every visit to the island, but they come in all shapes and sizes, some are large, like Las Dalias in Sant Carles de Perata and the one in Sant Jordi de ses Salines, which, with its second hand bargains, is held in the town’s hippodrome every Saturday morning, or Punta Arabi in Es Cana, or the stands that line the beach side promenades and squares of every town and village on the island, open every day of the week.
The oldest market on the island is in the heart of Ibiza town, the hippy street market in the port which is open every evening from 6 pm to 1.30 am in the early hours of the morning. There you can find a huge variety of crafts and jewellery. Also down by the port, the famous Plaza del Parque comes to life every Saturday at 10 am until 9 pm where some of Ibiza’s best known and well established craftsmen and artisans sell their works and works of art, while Mercat Vell, just ten minutes away, showcases gourmet food products. All the markets are held in the main streets which are lined with plenty of bars and restaurants so you can pass the time and have a few drinks or some food there as well.
From Ibiza town centre it is only a walk to the Paseo de Ses Figueretes, where there is yet another street market that opens every evening, with over thirty stands selling crafts. This area is definitely worth a visit as it has been recently refurbished, and there are many restaurants to choose from.
At Santa Eulàrua des Riu on Ibiza’s eastern coast, you can find the market of Cala Llenya, one of the biggest on the island, which is held on Sundays from 10 am to 2 pm, and where everything sold has been made on the island. There is also a restaurant that offers live music and a very reasonably priced paella.
From May to the end of September, on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays, a market is held on the beach of Benirràs in San Joan de Labritja, with stands selling crafts from all over the world or designed and made by Ibizan artisans.
In Sant Antoni de Portmany, keep Fridays free to visit the Paseo de s’Alamera where you can browse the handcrafted wares of some of the island’s most expert artisans who sell their goods at all the different markets.
Aside from the main markets that we have mentioned, there are plenty more little corners of Ibiza such as Platja d´en Bossa, in the municipality of Sant Josep de Sa Talaia, where crafts are sold, like the street adjacent to the hotel Migjorn, while the Ibizan Crafts Association holds events where its members sell their products several times a year in Vara de Rey.