Hello, this is your market in Sitges!

More and more visitors are including municipal markets as part of their travels. And it is easy to understand why: few places reveal the rhythm and character of a town better than its market. In the case of Sitges, the Sitges Municipal Market offers a truly 100% local experience — full of joy, variety and flavour inspiration, in a welcoming space where everyone is invited to enter, look around, ask questions and let themselves be guided by the, colours, aromas and tastes of the Mediterranean. At the market, you will also find all the ingredients needed to prepare — or have prepared for you — the dishes you enjoy most, or perhaps even dare to try some of the most traditional Sitges recipes: cod and olives for Xató de Sitges; rice, prawns, clams and pork ribs for arròs a la sitgetana (Sitges-style rice); espigalls (a local variety of cabbage); and of course every kind of fish and meat.

Come on then, let’s begin, as always, with a little history to help set the scene. The current Sitges municipal market, located on Avinguda d’Artur Carbonell near the Renfe train station, traces its origins back to the market stalls that were set up around the Castle of Sitges in 1307, on the site where the Ajuntament de Sitges stands today. Even then — more than 700 years ago — food products, tools and textiles were already being displayed and sold in an organised way to local residents and visitors alike. As Sitges grew in population, the market eventually became too small. In 1890, the building now known as the Mercat Vell (Old Market) was constructed — home to the former Casa Bacardí — and almost a century later it would coexist with the newer market that we are writing about today. The Old Market closed at the beginning of the 1990s and since then Sitges has had a single municipal market: the Sitges Muncipal Market located near the train station, which has undergone several renovations and improvements over the years.