Benidorm shopping doesn't get nearly enough credit. Most visitors arrive expecting sun, sangria and the skyline — and they find all three — but they're often genuinely surprised by how good the shopping is here. After ten years living on the Costa Blanca, I've watched Benidorm evolve into a surprisingly solid retail destination, whether you're hunting for cheap beachwear, quality Spanish leather, or a decent bottle of local wine to take home.
This is the guide I wish I'd had when I first arrived. Practical, honest, and full of places with actual names.
The Wednesday & Sunday Market: Don't Miss This
Let's start with the big one. The Benidorm outdoor market runs every Wednesday and Sunday morning, and it's held just off Avenida de la Comunitat Valenciana near the Benidorm Palace area. It typically runs from about 9am until 2pm — get there before noon in June because it gets seriously hot and the best stalls start packing up.
JV Properties
Looking for accommodation in Benidorm?
Book direct with JV Properties and save up to 18% vs Airbnb. No commissions, personal service.
Find rentals →You'll find everything here: fresh fruit and vegetables, olives sold by the kilo, cheap flip-flops and beach towels, fake designer sunglasses, leather sandals, and occasionally some genuinely beautiful handmade ceramics. I always buy my market almonds here — the salted, fried ones in paper cones are addictive. Budget around €20–€30 if you want to do it properly.
Pro tip: bring cash. Most stalls don't take cards, and the one ATM nearby usually has a queue.
Cala de Finestrat Market (Saturday Mornings)
This one is a bit of a secret. The small Saturday morning market in Cala de Finestrat — the little cove village just five minutes east of Benidorm — is far less crowded than the main market and has a more local, artisan feel. You'll find handmade jewellery, local honey, handpainted tiles, and some excellent homemade jams and preserves. It's also right next to a beautiful beach, so you can combine it with a morning swim. If you're staying in one of our holiday rentals in Benidorm, this is genuinely one of the best Sunday morning routines you can get into.
Foietes Market (Tuesday Mornings)
Less visited by tourists, the Foietes neighbourhood market on Tuesday mornings is the one the locals actually use for fresh produce. Cheaper than the main market, less chaotic, and you'll be rubbing shoulders with Spanish grandmothers who have been buying their tomatoes here for thirty years. It's in the residential Foietes area to the north of the old town — a short taxi ride or a 20-minute walk.
La Marina Shopping Centre
La Marina is Benidorm's main shopping mall, located just inland from Levante Beach. It's nothing flashy — think H&M, Primark, Zara, a big Carrefour supermarket, and the usual mix of Spanish high-street chains — but it's genuinely useful. The Carrefour here is excellent for stocking up an apartment: good wine selection, a solid deli counter, and decent local cheeses. In June the air conditioning alone makes it worth a visit at midday.
There's also a decent food court upstairs if you need a break from the beach restaurants, and a cinema if you fancy an evening out that isn't a bar crawl.
The Levante Beach Promenade: Beachwear & Souvenirs
The strip of shops along Paseo de Levante is exactly what you'd expect from a major beach resort: sarongs, sombreros, inflatable flamingos, novelty mugs and fridge magnets. It's touristy, yes, but some of the beachwear shops here genuinely aren't bad. Look for the smaller Spanish-owned shops rather than the big chain stores — you'll often find better quality swimwear at similar prices.
There are also a handful of decent jewellery shops along here selling silver pieces and turquoise Mediterranean-style jewellery. It's not Tiffany's, but prices are reasonable and it makes for a nice gift.
The Old Town: Where to Find the Good Stuff
The Benidorm Old Town (Casco Antiguo) around Plaza de la Constitución and Calle Mayor is where you'll find the more characterful independent shops. There are a few excellent ceramics and tile shops selling traditional Spanish pottery — hand-painted bowls and jugs that make beautiful gifts and pack reasonably well. Prices range from €8 for a small dish to €40–€50 for larger decorative pieces.
There's also a small but very good wine shop on one of the side streets near the mirador — I'll be honest, I can never remember the exact name, but it's the one with the wooden barrels outside. They sell local Alicante wines, including some excellent bottles from Bodegas Enrique Mendoza in nearby L'Alfàs del Pi, and they'll happily let you taste before you buy. A decent bottle of local red for €8–€12 is entirely possible.
Supermarkets Worth Knowing About
For self-catering holiday rentals, knowing your supermarkets matters. Here's my honest rundown:
- Mercadona (there are two in Benidorm): the best everyday option. Good fresh produce, excellent bread, reliable quality. The one on Avenida del Mediterráneo is the largest.
- Lidl: great for cheap wine, good German-style snacks, and the rotating middle aisle always has something useful for the beach.
- Carrefour (La Marina): best for variety and selection, especially wines and international products.
- Consum: smaller, convenient for top-up shopping without the big-supermarket chaos.
If you're browsing our Benidorm properties, most are within easy walking distance of at least one of these — worth checking on the listing.
What to Buy in Benidorm: My Personal List
After a decade here, these are the things I genuinely recommend bringing home:
- Local almonds and nuts — from the market, not the airport
- Alicante wine — especially rosado (rosé) in summer, the local stuff is excellent
- Turron — the Alicante nougat, available year-round in local shops even if it feels like a Christmas thing
- Handpainted ceramics — buy from the old town shops, not the promenade
- Espadrilles — proper Spanish ones, not the Zara version
- Olive oil — a good local bottle will destroy anything you can buy in a British or German supermarket
Shopping Hours: What You Need to Know
This catches people out every time. Most smaller independent shops in Benidorm still close for the afternoon siesta — typically 2pm to 5pm, sometimes until 6pm. Big supermarkets and La Marina are open through the day, but if you're heading to the old town to browse ceramics shops, go in the morning or after 5pm. In June this works well anyway — it's the hottest part of the day, and you want to be on the beach then.
Book Direct and Save
The best base for shopping your way around Benidorm is a self-catering apartment — you need somewhere to store all those bottles of olive oil and packets of almonds. Browse our Benidorm holiday rentals and book directly with us to save up to 18% compared to booking the same property through Airbnb or Booking.com. That saving alone will fund quite a few market mornings.
Have questions about Benidorm? Drop us a message — we've been here long enough to know the answers.
