Pillar 08 · Practical Info

Markets and Shopping in Żejtun: A Local Guide

A practical local guide to shopping in Żejtun — the small grocers, the morning produce van, the supermarkets at the edge of town, and the weekly markets in the neighbouring villages.

This article is a stub. Names and locations to follow.

How shopping in Żejtun actually works

The everyday shopping for a Żejtun household is split between several small shops in the historic core (a baker, a couple of corner grocers, a butcher, a fishmonger when there’s been a good catch), a slightly larger mini-mart or two, and the supermarkets on the outer edge of town for big weekly shops. Most days, a produce van — fruit and vegetables, sometimes fish — stops in particular streets at predictable times and announces itself with a horn or a recorded jingle. The system works astonishingly well if you live in the centre and don’t have a car. For everything else — clothes, electronics, hardware — most residents drive to one of the larger shopping centres elsewhere on the island.

The Marsaxlokk Sunday market is the most famous market reachable from Żejtun on foot — fresh fish in the morning hours, then a longer-running general market through the day. The smaller weekly markets in the surrounding villages are often where you’ll find the best bargains on household goods. [LOCAL FACT — Mattew to name 4–6 specific shops in Żejtun and confirm the supermarkets at the outskirts, the produce-van schedule, and the weekly market days nearby.]

How to do the Marsaxlokk market well

The Marsaxlokk Sunday market is the regional shopping event of the week, and it’s worth doing properly. Arrive early — by 8am — for the fish, which sells out by mid-morning and is the reason locals come. The general market continues through the day with everything from clothes to household goods to honey and olive oil and capers from southern producers. Bring cash; many of the smaller stalls don’t take cards. Bring a sturdy bag. The walk from Żejtun takes about 30 minutes downhill, and the bus back up the hill in the afternoon is the right move when you’re carrying.

What this article will cover

  • Named small shops in the historic core
  • The supermarkets on the edge of town
  • The morning produce-van routine
  • The Marsaxlokk Sunday market and how to do it well
  • Weekly markets in nearby villages
  • Where to buy local olive oil, capers, honey, and wine

Read more on this pillar

Part of our Practical Info pillar. Pair with where to buy olive oil, banks and ATMs, and moving to Żejtun.

Mattew Cassar

Resident · Writer

Mattew writes zejtun.com from a flat above his grandfather’s old workshop on Triq San Girgor. He has lived in Żejtun for twenty-three of his thirty-one years.