One specific side street is dedicated to pets, with real pet shops on either side of the road, and a few people outside selling their own puppies out of cardboard boxes and sports bags. The main street, c/ Ribera de Curtidores, is the place to head to if you’d like to see antique shops in Madrid, most of which open every day of the week.

There are two extra reasons for visiting the Rastro on a Sunday morning: the first is the live music, from the organ grinder playing Chotis, a popular music and dance from Madrid, to a complete Jazz band if you’re lucky.

The second reason is food: finish your Rastro visit with either the traditional bocadillo de calamares, a battered squid baguette sold in one of the many bars lining the main Rastro strip, or head towards the atmospheric heart of La Latina for lunch in one of the many tapas bars around Plaza de la Cebada and Cava Baja.

TIPS: Go early, from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m., to avoid the masses. Be careful with your wallet, camera and other possessions, as this is a favourite spot for pickpockets.

Metro: La Latina / Tirso de Molina. The Rastro is on Calle Ribera de Curtidores and surrounds. See map below:

View Larger Map

Sidewalk merchants are an inherent part of Madrid life. The top manta vendors offer sheet after sheet of DVDs, sunglasses, and bags. Late night Sol sprouts folding tables tempting the temporarily buzzed with a jolt of energy in the form of a bocadillo (roll). Gypsies sell fruit on the street corners. And there is, of course, the mother of all street bazaars – the Rastro. The market appears on Sundays and holidays and offers everything you can imagine within a few short, crooked city blocks. Some people adore the Rastros’ ambience and make it a weekly adventure. Others can only muster the energy to go when friends and family come to town. But whatever your Rastro-views may be, it is an essential stop if what you’re looking for is art.

Be it posters for a recently-arrived expat or original paintings for that perfect souvenir, the Rastro’s “art street” has what you’re looking for. Wander up Calle de San Cayetano and you’ll find all manner of artwork, from still-lifes and cityscapes to mosaics and lithographs. As you stroll along you’ll find a pencil sketch of the Plaza Mayor for 3€ next to an original mosaic of the Virgin Mary that will set you back 600€ and will barely fit on the Metro. What makes the purchases even more special is that because you frequently buy them straight from the artist, they sometimes have a story to tell. Years ago when I paid just 40€ for this pair of paintings, I also discovered that the artist dedicates himself solely to painting scenes from Cevantes’ Don Quijote in the hope that foreigners will learn to share his love for that story. It worked, since we bought six different paintings from him.

So next time you are looking for art, give the museums a rest and wander the Rastro.

Metro: La Latina / Tirso de Molina. The Rastro is on Calle Ribera de Curtidores and surrounds. Art street is Calle de San Cayetano. See map below:

View Larger Map

What follows in an excellent example of the tricks used in Madrid these days, from Julian, who was on holiday in Madrid with his wife Judith, and was targeted the Rastro market.

So having walked round the Rastro & flea market, Judith & I had bought a few items & were heading out when I got targeted as the victim of a ‘contrived accident’. I knew all about this possibility & Ben had warned us not to have anything of value on us.

It was skilfully carried out because it was made to look as if I had tried to rob the pickpocket.

He was just ahead & was holding a mobile (probably an old broken one) close to his ear. He swung round backwards & bumped into me – the mobile was dropped (flung) against my leg as I walked forward — thus sending the mobile skittering off a few feet away. Instead of just retrieving it – he bent down & grabbed one of my legs with one hand while with the other made a show of frisking my leg where the mobile had hit it, i.e. trying to make it look as if I had deliberately tried to pinch his mobile.

My wallet was in my front pocket out of harms way and I had a firm grip on it. I freed myself quickly from this & he picked up his mobile from the ground.

But the distraction had enabled his accomplice (who I never saw) to remove the contents of my back pocket … just a few sheets of folded A4 paper.

No harm done but it shows that despite taking all precautions the pickpockets can still catch you unawares.

This all happened so quickly that Judith who was walking slightly ahead of me carried on & hadn’t even noticed what had happened.

Do you have a Madrid pickpocket story? Send it in to help others avoid the same trap!