Mercado Medieval de Colmenar Viejo
Every spring the old town of Colmenar Viejo transforms into a full-blown medieval fair, with craft stalls, fire-jugglers, falconry displays and artisan food vendors spilling across the cobbled streets around the church. It is one of the most atmospheric medieval markets in the Madrid region and draws visitors from across the capital.
What to buy and eat
Leather-workers, blacksmiths and potters set up beneath canvas awnings selling genuinely handcrafted goods — the kind of souvenirs that have nothing to do with factory tourism.
Food stalls roast whole joints of lamb and suckling pig over open wood fires, and you can wash it all down with spiced wine served in clay cups that you keep as a memento.
Timing and atmosphere
The market typically runs over a long weekend in late April or early May, coinciding with local patron-saint festivities, so the entire town is in celebratory mood.
Street performers in period costume wander through the crowd at all hours, and after dark the torchlit alleyways around the Iglesia de la Asunción feel genuinely cinematic.
Mercado Medieval de Colmenar Viejo on video
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