Cheese market · Ordizia
Ordizia Wednesday Market
Go on a Wednesday morning. Ordizia has held a weekly market since 1512, and farmers and Idiazábal shepherds still sell in the covered Plaza Nagusia. The D'elikatuz centre runs a guided market walk ending with a pintxo for €7.50. In September the town holds the most famous Idiazábal contest, with an auction of the winning cheese; in 2026 it was on 9 September.
- Market
- Every Wednesday morning
- Guided walk
- €7.50 with a pintxo
- Cheese contest
- September
- D'elikatuz
- 943 88 22 90
Market Dates
- 23 Dec 2026Christmas fair
The Market
After a fire destroyed much of the town in 1512, Queen Juana of Castile granted Ordizia a free weekly market every Wednesday, and it has been held ever since. Baserritarras, the local farmers, come down from the Goierri hills with vegetables, eggs, flowers and cheese, and in season you will find several Idiazábal shepherds selling their own wheels. Come in the morning, when the stalls are full.
Guided Visits From D'elikatuz
D'elikatuz, the food and gastronomy centre on Calle Santa María, doubles as the tourist office. Its walk through the old town shows where the market is held now and where it stood in the past, introduces the farmers who have come every Wednesday for decades and ends with a pintxo made from market produce, for €7.50 per person. A guided visit of the centre itself costs €3.20. Groups of ten or more can book a Wednesday route of the centre and the market followed by lunch in an Ordizia restaurant for €23 per person, and visits can be given in English. Call 943 88 22 90 to book.
Parking is hard on Wednesday mornings because of the market, so arrive early.
The Idiazábal Cheese Contest
Ordizia's contest for raw-milk shepherd cheese from latxa or carranzana sheep is the best known in the Idiazábal calendar. It is held at a special fair during the town's Euskal Jaiak in early September, organised by the town council and the Idiazábal cheese brotherhood of Ordizia, and the winning cheese is auctioned the same day. The 53rd contest took place on 9 September 2026. Ordizia also holds an "Ordizia Txapelduna" cheese contest in October and a Christmas fair on 23 December.
Nearby
The village of Idiazabal, with its cheese centre and two dairies that take visitors, is a few minutes south. See the Idiazábal cheese route.
Where to Stay near Ordizia
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Questions People Ask
What day is the Ordizia market?
Every Wednesday, in the morning, in the Plaza Nagusia. It has been held weekly since 1512.
When is the Ordizia cheese contest?
In early September, during the Euskal Jaiak fair. In 2026 it was on Wednesday 9 September, with the auction of the winning Idiazábal the same day.
Official site: delikatuz.com/es/turismo-en-ordizia. Dates, hours and prices checked 22 October 2026; confirm on the official site before you travel. See all cheese markets.