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In the majority of cultures including in Spain, Sunday tends to be the day that people relax, catch up with friends and family or endure a day of a regrettable hangover thanks to the night before.
Most of the Spanish streets will be more empty than usual on a Sunday, however, my beautiful La Latina neighbourhood is packed full of locals ready to shop, eat, eat some more and drink!
If you want to make the most of your weekend the Rastro Market is the place to go, accompanied by afternoon drinks and tapas whilst sat in the sun!
Brekkie ( slang for Breakfast )
Cafe con leche (milky coffee) is my go-to drink when meeting friends for a morning catch up. Churros too with chocolate or ‘dulce de leche’ also known as 'manjar' in Chile (my boyfriend won’t be happy if I don’t mention that) are something you have to try!
I would suggest visiting one of these cafes for your breakfast close to the Rastro :
Locate - Churreria Santa Ana - Calle de Santa Ana, 7
Locate - MartinaCocina - Plaza de Cascorro, 11
Locate - Muniz - Calle de Calatrava, 3
Locate - Ruda Cafe - Calle de Calatrava, 3
Get Ready to SHOP!
Now, this is the exciting part, for me at least! Prepare to be amazed by Madrid’s huge flea market the famous Rastro! Sunday’s never got better on the colourful La Latina streets. It's pretty busy if you go to early in the morning, so I suggest going around 12-1 pm so you should have a couple hours to shop before they close.
They sell everything really! As I studied a degree in historical costume and was once a Vintage and Antiques Researcher and Seller (yes I know I’m the biggest geek ever) this market is really like being heaven. There are some really good finds when it comes to clothes, antique furniture and collector's items. My favourite stands are the jewellery stands selling plata (Spanish for silver) for a really reasonable price! I try to just look and not buy, but believe me its difficult.
This market has some incredibly unique things, souvenirs and actual useful items too which is convenient if you're like me and are trying to live a minimalist lifestyle but can't help but spend money! You can buy some really nice tapestries with elephant and mandala prints on them, which can also be used as beach towels. I suggest coming here for gifts to take back to your family and friends as you can try and bargain the prices down if your hardcore enough!
I would suggest visiting one of these stores close to the Rastro if you have the time :
Locate - Igloo - Calle de Santa Ana, 8
Locate - Old School - Calle Mira el Rio Baja, 14
Locate - Andres Serrano Decoracion - Calle Camero, 17
Locate - Barataria - Calle de la Ribera de Curtidores, 29
Crawl for that Tapas!
Plaza de la Cebada is my favourite area to sit and get a drink and a bite to eat.
Here are a few places to recommend:-
Locate - La Buha - Plaza de la Cebada, 10
‘La Buha’ is famous for stuffed Tortillas…unfortunately, I’m allergic but they look delicious. They are the biggest tortillas I’ve seen in my life and you can fill them with goats cheese, peppers and too many other ingredients. However, they also have some amazing Tostas if you're like me and can't eat egg! I recommend the salmon and cream cheese one!
Locate - El Viajero - Plaza de la Cebada, 11
If you're looking to see the sunset I recommend El Viajero which I’ve talked about in ‘My Favourite Rooftop Bars in Madrid’ blogpost. You need to try the traditional ‘tinto de verano’ drink which is basically red wine with lemonade.
I also recommend visiting Calle Cava Baja which is one of the most popular streets in La Latina. There are more than 50 bars and restaurants which can result in the places being very busy and overcrowded, but normally if they’re busy its because they’re the hot place to be! Some of the restaurants also give you free tapas with a drink so you can't complain!
Please let me know your favourite places in La Latina! I live in this neighbourhood so I would appreciate the suggestions!
“Sunday is the golden clasp that binds together the volume of the week.”
― Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
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