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If you are in Andalusia you should not miss a visit to the craft shops, street markets and shopping centres to be found throughout the Region.
Andalusia is home to excellent craftsmen, and you will find an array of different items in wrought iron, wood, wicker, fans, embroidered shawls and mantillas, ceramics, leather items, riding accessories, glassware, etc. Here you will also find wonderful cured meats, with different specialities to try in each area. Why not take back a sample to delight your friends and family? If you have more of a sweet tooth, then the different convents to be found across Andalusia produce traditional sweets and pastries, baked with love, patience and excellent natural ingredients. There are also confectioners that maintain the sweet-making skills of the Moors. You can sample these Arabic delicacies with a good cup of coffee or take them home with you.
In all the provinces of Andalusia there are shopping centres offering top Spanish and international brands in clothing, home accessories, gifts, appliances and anything else you might require. They also have leisure and eating areas where you can rest and recover after a look around the different shops.
The street markets to be found in different towns and villages around Andalusia offer a wide, unusual array of items. There are fruit and vegetable markets, antiques, clothes and footwear markets. In some places you will find markets offering the most unusual mix of different products. Outdoor markets are ideal to have a pleasant stroll around the place in question, and at the same time you can learn about local customs and people.
Finally, if you tend to leave your souvenirs for the very end, then don’t worry, there are Duty Free shops at Spanish airports offering a complete range of items for all your last minute shopping. You will find all kinds of things, from perfumes to typical souvenirs of Andalusia.
Enjoy your stay in Andalusia and don’t forget to take home a souvenir to remind you of all the happy times spent in our Region.
Andalusian craft
There are a huge variety of craft shops to be found in Andalusia. The products on offer are genuine hand-made crafts that reflect the influence of different cultures that have passed through the Andalusian region. There are brightly-coloured ceramics, exquisite glassware, Manila shawls made with the finest silk in the most spectacular designs, flamenco dresses with all their accessories, avant-garde designs in leather, pear-wood fans with modern and traditional designs and a long list of further products that reflect the essence of a people. You can also buy souvenirs of your time in Andalusia with bull and flamenco figures, such internationally recognised symbols of the region.
These establishments can generally be found in the historic centres of villages, towns and cities you visit. In some of them you can even see the craftsmen and women at work, and admire their skill. The majority of these artisans produce items to order, so if you need something special, made to measure, then be sure to order it in advance or even have it sent to your home.
Professional artisans, some of whom have inherited their trade from their ancestors and continue to work using the techniques of yesteryear.
The array on offer is so varied and attractive that it will be difficult not to find something that meets your needs.
Mall
Andalusia is home to a large number of shopping centres with a variety of different shopping and leisure options.
All the provinces of Andalusia have shopping centres with easy access, car parks, all kinds of shops, children’s areas and areas dedicated to leisure and eating out. These places have long opening hours, usually all day, 10am-10pm. Along with these major complexes there are also small shopping centres, usually in tourist areas or the historic centres of towns and cities, offering fashion and accessories outlets and the odd restaurant.
Shopping centres can be found in almost all of Andalusia’s towns and cities, whether in the centres or on the outskirts.
Large complexes where you can find just the item you are looking for, enjoy an afternoon at the cinema or rest and relax with a drink at one the bars and restaurants.
Find the one nearest to you, and happy shopping.
Street markets
There is a broad, varied array of street markets to be found in Andalusia. Each town and village usually has a set day of the week for market sellers to set up their stalls and offer local people their wares, some of which are not usually available in the village in question. These markets usually sell fruit, vegetables, clothes, footwear and accessories, along with household items (pots, pans, sheets, blankets, etc.).
Other markets not to be missed if you have the opportunity are antiques, ceramics and furniture markets. Here you can find everything from very valuable items to simple curios. They are usually held at weekends or when there is a special fiesta in the town or village in question.
You can also visit craft and costume jewellery stalls in the historic centre of certain towns and villages or in coastal holiday destinations. These markets not only offer a wide variety of products but you will also find a highly mixed crowd of people that add colour and cheer to the market itself.
Discovering the street markets of towns and villages gives you an insight into the people and customs of each place. Don’t miss the chance to discover a world of imagination and unusual items.
Gourmet shops
Gourmet shops have proliferated in Andalusia, offering the most representative food products from each region along with local designation of origin wines to accompany them.
Here you will find establishments offering the very best of our Region. Cured meats, ham, salt cod, conserves, sweets and wines from Andalusia’s designation of origin regions, as well as dishes prepared from the best Andalusian recipes.
The wide variety of local food products on offer come together at these gourmet shops, where, besides regional products you can always find some universal Andalusian gourmet specialities. You can usually try products in the shops themselves, as the majority have a small bar area for tasting.
Wines can be purchased directly at wineries/vineyards. You will often find excellent wines which are unknown on the market but offer surprising quality.
Andalusia’s traditional village grocery shops and butchers’ are the perfect place to buy all kinds of pork products, which are of excellent quality in this Region.
Not forgetting the convents producing sweets and pastries. Although they are not gourmet shops as such, they are the ideal place to sample excellent traditional sweets. Village bakeries also produce specialities, often associated with local fiestas.
A real joy for the palate, vital for “gastro-travellers” like yourself. Come and enjoy the array on offer.
Tax free Shopping
If you come from outside the European Union, in Andalusia there are a series of shops where you can take advantage of the Tax Free system. You will save a certain percentage of the price corresponding to European Union Value Added Tax, as long as your purchase is for more than €90.15.
These shops are usually recognisable because they have a blue sticker or poster with the words “Tax Free”. If you are interested in this option, you should check it is available before you make your purchases.
Bear in mind that these discounts are only applicable to products you will be taking back to your country, never to products for consumption, restaurants, hotel bills or food and drink.
You usually have to pay the total price marked on the product at the shop, but remember to collect the tax refund cheques that you will subsequently have to present at the airport, to be stamped before check-in. At the airport you may be asked to show the products you have purchased, as it is a vital condition that these items are taken with you to your country of origin, as mentioned above.
Once you have the stamped cheques you can take them to any Bureau de Change to receive payment in the currency of your choice.
There are other options for payment – detailed information is available at any of Andalusia’s airports.
