Saturday in the Vall de Pop
The Saturday market of Xaló (Jalón)
Xaló holds its market on Saturday morning, in the Vall de Pop about 25 kilometres inland from Dénia. Two things run side by side: the Rastro, a long-standing antiques and bric-a-brac market, and the Mercat de la Terra with local produce and crafts. Both are along the riverside at the entrance to the village, and both are done by early afternoon.
- Day
- Saturday morning
- Where
- Xaló (Jalón), Vall de Pop, inland from Dénia
- The Rastro
- Antiques, furniture, brocante, vintage finds
- Mercat de la Terra
- Local produce, wine, honey, crafts
- Also called
- Jalón in Spanish, Xaló in Valencian — same village
- Parking
- At the entrance to the village; fills up from mid-morning
Which day is the market, and what time?
The Rastro of Xaló is on Saturday morning and is usually over by two in the afternoon. It sets up along the riverside at the entrance to the village, and the Mercat de la Terra — produce, wine, honey, crafts — runs alongside it on the same morning.
One warning, because this is where most websites go wrong. The Mercat de la Terra has moved its hours around over the years, and in the hottest months it has run in the evening rather than the morning. The Rastro itself is the constant: Saturday morning, early. If your day depends on it, the Ajuntament de Xaló is the only source worth trusting for the current times.
What do people actually buy there?
The Rastro is the oldest antiques market in the Marina Alta and it shows: furniture, old tools, linen, glassware, paintings, jewellery, and a great deal that defies category. Prices are asked rather than fixed, and the good stalls are picked over by ten.
The Mercat de la Terra is the other half: tomatoes and lettuces that were in the ground this week, eggs, almonds, olive oil, honey, and wine from the Vall de Pop — a valley that has been growing moscatel and giró for a very long time. If you want to take one thing home, make it the wine or the honey; both survive a flight better than a chest of drawers.
Where exactly is Xaló, and how do you get there?
Xaló sits in the Vall de Pop, roughly 25 kilometres inland from Dénia and about 20 from Calp, in a valley of vineyards between the Serra del Carrascar and the Serra de Bèrnia. By car it is around half an hour from the coast on good roads.
There is no train and the bus is thin on the ground, so most visitors drive. Parking is at the entrance to the village and it fills up from mid-morning; arriving before ten saves you a walk. The back roads in from Llíber or Alcalalí are far more pleasant than the direct route, which is exactly why we take them.
What else is worth doing while you are there?
The bodegas of the Vall de Pop are the obvious answer. The cooperative in Xaló sells by the bottle and by the litre, and several smaller producers in Llíber, Alcalalí and Parcent receive visitors.
The village itself is worth twenty minutes on foot: the Plaça Major, the church, the Museu Etnològic. And if you are there in February the almond blossom turns the whole valley white for about two weeks — locals will tell you the exact date changes every year and they are right.
Can you get to the market without a car?
Not easily. Public transport into the Vall de Pop is sparse and a taxi from the coast is not cheap.
Our Xaló Experience rides there on Saturday morning from Monte Pego, over the back roads through the Llíber valley, with a stop for coffee and honey at a beekeeper on the way. You park where the Vespas park, you have an hour at the market, and lunch in the village afterwards. It is a different way of arriving than a car park at half past eleven.
Questions people ask
Is the Rastro the same thing as the Mercat de la Terra?
No. The Rastro is the antiques and brocante market; the Mercat de la Terra is produce, wine and crafts. They run on the same Saturday morning, next to each other, which is why the two names get used interchangeably online.
Is it Xaló or Jalón?
Both. Xaló is the Valencian name and the official one; Jalón is the Spanish version. Road signs and search results use both, and they are the same village.
Can you pay by card?
At the Mercat de la Terra usually yes, at the Rastro often not. Bring cash and small notes; it also makes haggling easier.
Is the market on in August?
The Rastro runs year-round on Saturday mornings. The Mercat de la Terra has in some years moved to the evening in high summer. Check with the Ajuntament de Xaló before you plan a day around it.
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Ride to the market instead of driving to it
Saturday morning from Monte Pego, over the back roads, with coffee at a beekeeper on the way and lunch in the village afterwards.
See the Xaló Experience