Sant Francesc Xavier Market (Mercat Vell)
Every Saturday morning the main square of Sant Francesc Xavier, Formentera's tiny capital, fills with a lively hippy-heritage market that has been running since the 1970s counter-culture era. It's the most authentic weekly gathering on the island — less polished than its Ibizan counterparts and all the better for it.
What You'll Find
Stalls spread across the square in front of the whitewashed 18th-century church of Sant Francesc, selling hand-stamped linen, silver jewellery, macramé, local honey, fig jam and the distinctive Formentera-made sandals known as abarcas. Prices are negotiable in the best Mediterranean tradition, and the makers are usually the sellers.
Look out for stalls selling locally grown almonds and dried herbs — rosemary, thyme and lavender harvested from the island's interior — which make genuinely useful, lightweight souvenirs. A few vendors also sell vintage Balearic ceramics and recycled-glass pieces.
The Town Around the Market
Sant Francesc Xavier is small enough to walk entirely in twenty minutes, but it rewards a slow wander. The Ethnological Museum of Formentera (Museu Etnològic) sits just off the main square and charges a nominal fee to enter its collection of traditional farming tools, fishing equipment and period photographs that give real context to island life.
After the market, pull up a chair at Bar La Paloma or Can Rafalet on the square for a café amb llet and a pa amb oli — thick bread rubbed with tomato and olive oil — while the stalls pack up around you. It's an unhurried, genuinely local scene.
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