La Bretxa Market (San Sebastian)

Officially inaugurated in 1870, the Bretxa Market is one of the most popular spaces in the Old Town of San Sebastian and is the oldest traditional market in the city.

For more than 150 years, the Bretxa Market evolved until it became a dynamic shopping centre where you can find stores with a variety of products, from traditional to modern to gastronomic.

Antonio Cortázar designed the facilities and concept of the structure as a U-shaped market along with a central patio that was later roofed. At the end of the 19th century, José Goicoa expanded the market to adapt it to modern services.

Today, the market positions itself as a modern business epicentre, but it maintains a separation between the areas created in the 19th century and the more modern premises. For example, you can see a fishmonger area and another area that offers local products and goods of all kinds.

In addition to being the most popular shopping centre in the city, the Bretxa Market is a recreational and leisure epicentre, as people usually gather here to stroll among the stalls. This has given rise to a variety of tourist attractions around the market.