Second Sunday of the month and the Saturday before, 8am–8pm, about 180 stalls under the arcades: 2026 dates, route, tips and how to get there.
The Chiavari antiques market is one of the biggest and longest-running in Liguria. It has been held every month since 1984 in the arcaded streets of the old town, with around 180 dealers, many from France and Germany, setting up along the carruggio dritto and the lanes around it. Here is when to go, how to get there and what to expect.
The calendar always follows the same rule: the second Sunday of the month and the Saturday before it. The 2026 dates are:
The market can be cancelled in bad weather or moved for holidays and other events. Before you travel, check with Promotur Chiavari, which runs it (tel. +39 0185 323230).
It is a mixed market: proper antique dealers alongside second-hand traders and vintage sellers. Expect antique and mid-century furniture, ceramics and porcelain, silver, old prints and books, postcards, period jewellery, textiles and lace, paintings and nautical objects. On Sunday, craft stalls and street artists set up in piazza Mazzini.
Keep an eye out for Chiavari chairs. The town is where they were invented in 1807, and you may find period examples on the stalls, singly or in pairs. Check the woven seat, the most fragile part, and the joints: a good restoration is worth more than a low price. If you are flying home, think about how you will carry it before you buy.
The heart of the market is the carruggio dritto, via Martiri della Liberazione, the arcaded street that runs through the old town. The stalls sit under the arcades, so the market works in light rain or August sun. From there it spreads into via Vittorio Veneto, via Bighetti and via Vecchie Mura.
Allow two or three hours to see everything. A simple route: walk in from the station, enter the old town from the marina side, follow the carruggio to the end, come back along the parallel streets and finish in piazza Mazzini.
Saturday morning is best if you are looking for something specific: the stalls are complete and it is quieter. Sunday has more atmosphere, bigger crowds and the artists in piazza Mazzini. Trade buyers arrive early, from 8am. Late in the day, sellers who do not want to reload the van are more open to offers.
Bargaining is normal, as long as you are polite. Bring cash: not everyone takes cards. For larger pieces, ask whether the dealer can deliver or hold the item until the evening.
The train is the easiest option: Chiavari station is on the Genoa–La Spezia line and you are under the arcades five minutes after leaving the platform. It is an easy day out from Genoa, Rapallo or even the Cinque Terre. Drivers should leave the A12 at Chiavari. On market weekends the central car parks fill early: try corso Assarotti, near the station, or piazza Cattaneo, and expect to pay for blue-line parking.
The market is a perfect excuse to discover Chiavari. A few steps from the carruggio are the cathedral of Nostra Signora dell’Orto, with its great columned portico, and Palazzo Rocca with its park. On market Sunday the National Archaeological Museum, in the palazzo’s former stables, is open 9am–5pm, with finds from the Iron Age necropolis discovered in town.
In the afternoon, walk along the seafront to the Colonia Fara, or hop on a train to Lavagna or Sestri Levante, just minutes away. With an extra day, the train also takes you in minutes to Rapallo and Santa Margherita Ligure.
FAQ
Every month, on the second Sunday and the Saturday before, from 8am to 8pm. The next 2026 dates are 10–11 October, 7–8 November and 12–13 December.
Yes, all year. The stalls are under the arcades, so cold weather and light rain do not stop it; only severe weather can cancel it.
No, entry is free.
In the old town, along via Martiri della Liberazione (the carruggio dritto), via Vittorio Veneto, via Bighetti and via Vecchie Mura. On Sunday also in piazza Mazzini, with the street artists.
Yes, period chiavarine do turn up on the stalls. Check the seat and joints and ask the dealer about age and origin.
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