The Biggest and Best Flea Market in Malta
Birgu flea market is one of my favourite ways to spend a Sunday morning. Birgu is a beautiful town to spend time in, anyway, but the flea market is so filled with treasures that you’ll feel magical, mystical and nostalgic all at once. They're not really widely advertised and the kind of thing you have to just hear about or stumble across so I wanted to let you all in on the islands best kept secret: Birgu flea market in Malta!
Opening hours: Sunday 5AM - 12PM
Location: Fuq il-Fortini, Birgu, Malta
Payment: cash only
Advice: get there early
What to Expect at Birgu Flea Market in Malta
Despite the lack of actual car-boots, this is what I'd call a car-boot sale back in England. A small carpark type area is stuffed full of stalls with people selling everything from tools, to car parts, to house plants, to vintage cups, glasses and brass-wear. There are clothes, questionable used old makeup and more characters packed into one small space than I've ever seen before.
They mostly only accept cash so make sure you have plenty on you, and small denominations- don’t try to pay for a €3 trinket with a €50 note.
We've seen people dressed like 14th century noblemen, women in full on Saturday night club gear, complete with stilettos, people pushing their dogs along in a pushchair, hippies, goths and just about everything you can imagine in-between.
Birgu Flea Market Opening Hours
The flea market in Birgu, Malta seems to only be open on Sundays these days, opening from 5AM (apparently) until noon, but if you turn up after 10AM many stalls will be empty or already packed up. It’s best to get there early, not all stalls stay open for long and all the best treasure will get snapped up, so head over around 7AM - 8AM. There is some parking nearby so make a bit of a morning about it- head straight to the flea market, then to Cafe Riche nearby for breakfast, then wander the lovely, small, winding streets of Birgu for a while.
The people are fascinating. The way they hunt and barter. The way they'll shove you out of the way, as if you're invisible, despite there being plenty of room to walk around. The way they'll scream and shout at the vendors, but eventually close the sale. Then, the items for sale are even more exciting. I mainly head towards old school cups, mugs, glasses, bottles and trays (desperately looking for vintage Kinnie memorabilia) but you'll find 4 foot high dog statues, chairs that you'll remember from your own grandparents houses, creepy dolls, even creepier mannequins.
The place is fun, freaky and full of hidden treasures if you give yourself the time to really look around and dig amongst the piles of abandoned junk. Whenever I walk around it reminds me strongly of my childhood as so much of the style is the kind of thing we had in our house and my grandparents houses when I was growing up. It's a feeling of nostalgia that brings a smile to my face every time I go.