In brief
Shopping in Bordighera follows the rhythm of a small seaside town: no shopping centres, but shops in the town centre, a weekly market on the seafront, antiques and craft markets, and the produce of the Riviera to take home.
In this guide you will find the market days, where to shop in town, what local produce to buy and some practical information on opening hours and sales.
The weekly market on Thursdays
Bordighera’s market is held every Thursday morning, from 8 am to 1 pm, on the Lungomare Argentina: stalls selling clothes, shoes, household goods, food, fruit and vegetables, with the sea just a few steps away (market details). Local people go too, and it is worth arriving early, when the stalls have just been set up and the promenade is still cool.
During the redevelopment works on the seafront the stalls have moved several times from one stretch of the promenade to another: today the market occupies the part of the seafront west of the station.
On Thursdays the seafront is taken up by the stalls: if you are coming by car, bear in mind that parking is not allowed in the market area. When Thursday falls on a public holiday, the Comune decides each time whether to move the market or combine it with another day.
Antiques and craft markets
The antiques market, on the first Sunday of the month
On the first Sunday of every month, except January, from 8 am to 7 pm, the seafront hosts “Bordighera città d’Arte”, the antiques, collectibles and vintage market: period furniture and objects, vintage design, books, prints, postcards and curiosities. It is organised by two local associations, E20Free and AnticoDoc, and it is the right moment for a stroll among the stalls followed by a coffee by the sea.
The craft market on the seafront
On the Lungomare Argentina there is also a market reserved for artists and creative craftspeople: painters and illustrators, and work in glass, wood, leather, fabric, wax, metal and semi-precious stones, all under identical white gazebos. In summer, from June to September, the stalls are open almost every day until the evening; for the rest of the year mainly at weekends and on public holidays. It does not take place on weekly market days.
Creators & artists in town, on the first Saturday of the month
On the first Saturday of every month, from 10 am to 5 pm, “Creatori & artisti in paese” brings artists and creative craftspeople to the squares and alleys of Bordighera Alta, where they show their work and how they make it.
Fairs during the year
The calendar of trade fairs changes every year, but some events come round again:
- the Fiera delle Anime, at the end of winter on the Spianata del Capo, with craftspeople, farmers and street food;
- the food fairs in summer, in the historic centre and on the seafront, devoted to local produce;
- the Christmas market in Bordighera Alta, in the squares of the old village at the beginning of December, and the festive stalls in the town centre.
Up-to-date dates and programmes are in the Events section and at the IAT office.
Farmers’ markets
For freshly picked fruit and vegetables, olive oil, plants and locally grown flowers, Bordighera has two markets where producers sell directly.
- The CIA farmers’ market, run by the Confederazione Italiana Agricoltori di Imperia (the Imperia branch of the Italian farmers’ confederation), is held on Thursdays on the Lungomare Argentina, next to the weekly market, on the stretch starting from the via Noaro underpass, level with the Trocadero beach establishment. On Wednesdays and Fridays the stalls move to via del Capo.
- The Campagna Amica farmers’ market is held on Thursday and Saturday mornings, from 7:30 am to 12:30 pm, in the covered market in piazza Garibaldi, the first in the Ligurian Ponente: seasonal vegetables, citrus fruit, preserves, cheeses from the valleys, olive oil, honey and wine.
Where to shop in town
The heart of shopping is corso Italia, considered the town’s drawing room: clothes and shoe shops, delicatessens and cafés with outdoor tables.
Around it, the streets of the centre between corso Italia and the station, starting with via Vittorio Emanuele, where the IAT office is also located, complete the round with small shops, bookshops and shops selling local produce. In Bordighera Alta shopping gives way to caruggi (narrow alleys) and little squares: it is a place for a stroll rather than for buying.
What to buy: local produce
- Extra virgin olive oil. The Riviera dei Fiori is the home of the Taggiasca cultivar, and the oil produced here can bear the Riviera Ligure PDO with the designation “Riviera dei Fiori”. Everything you need to know is in our guide to Ligurian olive oil and Taggiasca olives.
- Taggiasca olives and preserves: in brine, in oil, as pâté, together with pesto, baby artichokes and other traditional Ligurian preserves.
- Wine. In the valleys behind Bordighera the Rossese di Dolceacqua DOC is produced, one of the best-known reds of Liguria; among the whites of the Riviera di Ponente are Pigato and Vermentino. To find your way, read Wines of Liguria and, if you want to go to the source, visit Dolceacqua.
- Bescuteli. Bordighera’s traditional biscuits, with raisins, pine nuts, fennel seeds and extra virgin olive oil, linked to the feast of Sant’Ampelio. They are one of Bordighera’s two products with the municipal designation of origin (De.Co.).
- Parmureli. The town’s other De.Co.: the hand-woven palm leaves of Palm Sunday, a keepsake that tells more than any souvenir. Their story is in The palms of Bordighera.
Other flavours to taste before you buy them are collected in Flavours of Bordighera.
Practical information
- Shop opening hours: opening hours are not regulated and vary from shop to shop. Many shops in the centre close in the middle of the day and reopen in the afternoon; in high season several also stay open in the evening and on Sundays.
- Sales: in Liguria the winter sales start around Epiphany and the summer sales on the first Saturday of July, and they last 45 days. The exact dates are set each year by the Regione (regional government).
- Tax free: if you live outside the European Union, you can claim a VAT refund on purchases above a minimum amount. Ask the shop about the procedure when you buy.
- Getting around: the centre, the seafront and corso Italia are easy to explore on foot; for getting to Bordighera and around the area you will find everything in Getting here.
Frequently asked questions
When is the market in Bordighera?
The weekly market is held every Thursday morning on the Lungomare Argentina, together with the farmers’ market. Local producers are also in via del Capo on Wednesdays and Fridays and, with Campagna Amica, in the covered market in piazza Garibaldi on Thursday and Saturday mornings. On the first Sunday of the month, except January, the antiques fair is held on the seafront.
When is the antiques market in Bordighera?
On the first Sunday of every month, except January, from 8 am to 7 pm on the Lungomare Argentina: “Bordighera città d’Arte”, with antiques, collectibles and vintage.
What is Bordighera’s main shopping street?
Corso Italia, considered the town’s drawing room, with shops, cafés and bars. Other shops are found in the streets of the centre, starting with via Vittorio Emanuele.
What to buy in Bordighera?
Extra virgin olive oil and Taggiasca olives, Ligurian preserves, wines of the Riviera di Ponente such as Rossese di Dolceacqua, bescuteli, Bordighera’s traditional biscuits, and parmureli, the woven palms of Palm Sunday.
Updated 10 October 2026
