Alicante’s Mercado Central, five minutes away: shop here, cook in your studio

If you ask us what’s near L’Alcor Old Town, the first thing we’ll tell you is the Mercado Central. It’s a five-minute walk from the door.

And in a house like this one, that changes your trip. All fourteen studios have a fully equipped kitchen, so the market stops being a sight to see and becomes your larder. You buy whatever you fancy in the morning and decide for yourself when and how to eat.

Opening hours and how to get there

The Mercado Central is at Avenida de Alfonso X el Sabio, 10. From the studio it’s a five-minute walk: open the map and you’ll see the way.

It’s open:

• Monday to Friday: 7:00 to 14:30.
• Saturdays and the day before public holidays: 7:00 to 15:00.
• Sundays: closed.

It doesn’t open in the afternoon, so it’s a morning plan. And it closes on some public holidays: if your visit falls on one, check the notices on the Alicante markets website first.

If you’re coming back loaded up from another outing, the tram stop next door is called, fittingly, Mercado, and it’s four minutes from the house.

What to buy

A bit of everything. The market has 291 stalls, and what they sell is fresh, local produce.

Our tip for making the most of it: don’t go with a fixed list. Walk round first, see what’s good that day and decide afterwards.

And give yourself time. It opens at seven and closes at 14:30 on weekdays, so if you stretch the morning at the beach or the castle, you may arrive as the stalls are packing up. On Saturdays you get an extra half hour: it closes at 15:00.

A practical detail: bring your own bag, especially if you’re shopping for several days.

From the market to your kitchen

Whatever you buy, you cook in the studio. The kitchen has a ceramic hob, microwave, fridge and dishwasher, plus a coffee maker, toaster and kettle, with pots, pans, plates, glasses, wine glasses and mugs.

What there isn’t is an oven. Bear that in mind when you shop: think of things for the frying pan, the saucepan or the microwave, or things that don’t need cooking, like fruit, cured meats, cheese or a salad.

This is how the market works best with the house:

• The first day. You’ve been travelling and the last thing you want is to hunt for a table. A bag from the market and a quiet dinner in the studio.
• Beach days and day trips. Shop in the morning, leave lunch ready and come back with dinner sorted.
• The last day. Whatever’s left in the fridge becomes lunch before you leave. And if you book directly with us, you can ask for late check-out, free if available.

Breakfast on your first day, if you book with us, is already taken care of: we provide the pastries. The rest comes from the market.

A building more than a hundred years old

It’s worth going in even if you’re not buying anything. The building is more than a hundred years old. Outside, a façade with a grand flight of steps and Valencian Modernist decoration. Inside, three halls held up by steel pillars and trusses, with lots of natural light.

It’s one of those places where you see how the city lives, five minutes from home.

Everything else around us, from the castle and the beaches to where to eat and the day trips, is on our Area guide page.

Information checked in September 2026. The market closes on some public holidays: check the notices on its website before you go.