Bordighera market: Thursday market, antiques and local food

The Thursday market on the Lungomare Argentina

On Thursdays the stalls line up along the Lungomare Argentina, a promenade of about two kilometres opened in 1947 and named after Evita Perón. It is a morning-only market: available sources give roughly 8am until lunchtime, but no updated official timetable is published. Aim to arrive by mid-morning.

It is smaller and calmer than the big market in Ventimiglia. You will find a bit of everything:

• seasonal fruit and vegetables;
• clothes, shoes and accessories;
• bed linen and homeware;
• deli food: cheese, cured meats, olives, baked goods.

The setting is the real draw: shop with a sea view, then stop for a coffee on the promenade or head down to the beach. The market can move or change day because of roadworks, events or public holidays, so if you are travelling specially, check with the tourist office first.

The "Bordighera Città d'Arte" antiques fair

On the first Sunday of the month the Lungomare Argentina hosts “Bordighera Città d’Arte”, an antiques and second-hand fair. Expect vintage furniture and objects, ceramics, prints, books, postcards, costume jewellery and small collectables. Unlike the Thursday market, it runs for most of the day.

It has been a regular fixture for years (in 2026, for example, it was held on 5 April), but some months may be skipped, especially in winter. Check the date with the tourist office before you go. Polite haggling is normal on pricier items.

The covered market in Piazza Garibaldi

The municipal covered market is in Piazza Garibaldi, in the town centre. Since May 2025 it has also housed a Campagna Amica farmers’ market (run by the Coldiretti farmers’ association), the first in western Liguria: local growers selling seasonal vegetables, citrus fruit, cheese from the valleys, extra virgin olive oil, honey, preserves and wine.

Official opening days and hours are not published, so go in the morning when there is most on offer. There is a car park beneath the market which, under a September 2026 order, is becoming free with a parking disc for up to one hour.

What to buy: local produce

If you want to take home something genuinely local, look for products from the coast and the valleys behind it:

• Extra virgin olive oil from Taggiasca olives, and the olives themselves in brine;
• Citrus fruit and seasonal vegetables from western Ligurian growers;
• Wine: Rossese di Dolceacqua, Liguria’s first DOC, plus Vermentino and Pigato whites;
• Honey and preserves from the inland valleys;
• Cheese from the nearby valleys.

Traditional Bordighera dishes include brandacujun (salt cod creamed with potatoes) and panissa, made from chickpea flour: look for them in restaurants and some delis in the centre. If you are self-catering, check your luggage allowance before buying oil or wine to fly home.

How to get to the market

On Friday: Ventimiglia market

If you are staying a few days, compare it the next day with the Friday market in Ventimiglia, which is far bigger and just a few minutes away by train. Bordighera suits a relaxed morning; Ventimiglia is the place for clothes and leather shopping.

After the market

From the Lungomare Argentina you can walk on to Capo Sant’Ampelio and up to Bordighera Alta, the old town. In summer the beaches of Bordighera are right next to the stalls. For everything else see our Bordighera guide; nearby, Dolceacqua and Sanremo make good day trips.

If you are looking for a place to stay near the centre, there are also the Bordighera Suite Apartments, holiday apartments a few minutes’ walk from the seafront; for more options see where to stay in Bordighera.