The Sunday market in Jesús Pobre: Mercat del Riurau

Every Sunday an old raisin-drying shed in Jesús Pobre turns into a farmers’ market. The Mercat del Riurau is not a tourist market full of souvenirs: farmers and makers sell their own produce, and reselling is not allowed. You can tell from what is on the stalls.

What you will find at the market

Seasonal fruit and vegetables from the terraces of the Marina Alta, bread, coques and pastissets from local bakeries, traditional pastries, olive oil, cheese, wine, regional beer and honey. Alongside that, craftwork: ceramics, wicker baskets and weaving in palm and esparto, much of it from nearby Gata de Gorgos.

Do expect it to be more than a shopping trip. The stalls stand under the arches; on the square in front there are tables and chairs, with awnings and trees for shade. By midday it is full: people buy their vegetables and then stay on with a coffee, a beer or something to eat from one of the stalls. It is as much a Sunday terrace as a market, and that is the nicest thing about it.

There is nearly always music, and sometimes you will hear the cant de batre: the old threshing songs once sung in the fields here.

The riurau the market stands in

A riurau is a rural building with wide open arches along one side, built to shelter muscat grapes that were laid outside to dry into raisins. When it began to rain, the racks were pushed inside. You can read more about that history on our page about visiting vineyards.

The market is held in a restored riurau on the edge of the village: a long stone arcade of open arches, done up for public use. That makes the building exactly what it once was: a place where the harvest of the region comes together.

Getting there from Moraira

Jesús Pobre lies at the foot of the Montgó, between Dénia and Jávea (Xàbia). The village is small; you will find the market on the edge of it, by the riurau.

Mercat del Riurau

Where: Calle del Pinaret 2, 03749 Jesús Pobre
When: every Sunday, winter 09:00–14:00, summer 18:00–23:00
From Moraira: about 25 min by car
Google Maps

Tips for your visit

• Come early in winter: it is busiest around midday and the stalls start packing up.
• Bring cash; not every stall has a card machine.
• Most of the market stands outside, on the square in front of the riurau. There is plenty of shade, but shelter from rain is limited.
• Take your time. There are tables and chairs and most visitors stay a while; anyone who only walks past misses the best part.
• Parking is in the streets around the village. Parking a little further out and walking is quicker on a Sunday than hunting for a space close by.

Combining it with wine from the village

Bodega Les Freses is in Jesús Pobre itself, a small winery specialising in muscat, dry and sweet, and in red wine from Giró and Forcalla. A visit with a tour of the vineyard and cellar and a tasting of three wines takes about an hour and a half and is by appointment only. Combine that with the market and you have a morning entirely about the region.

Bodega Les Freses

Where: Jesús Pobre, municipality of Dénia
Telephone: +34 682 53 94 63 (Tue–Sat 10:00–17:00)
From Moraira: about 25 min by car
Google Maps

More wineries and tastings in the area are on our page about visiting vineyards. If you are after another market, the Jalón flea market on Saturdays is a good second.