Here are the best San Francisco Bay Area flea markets

Okay, so the Alameda Point Antiques Faire is a little outside of San Francisco (20 minutes drive, to be exact), but it’s well worth a trip. It’s open the first Sunday of the month, so plan in advance because this is the largest market of its kind in Northern California and you’re sure to go home with a load of new stuff. Browse through more than 800 booths selling everything from handmade pottery to jewelry and clothing to books and bric-a-brac. And here’s its unique catch: Everything sold here has to be at least 20 years old. Arrive early; crowds start queueing outside well before the fair opens at 6am. The admission price changes as the day gets older, starting at $20 and ending at $5; bring cash for this fee. Free parking and no admittance after 3pm.

What used to be called the Treasure Island Flea has transformed into the larger monthly festival TreasureFest. The pet-friendly market includes live music and a party atmosphere with cocktail bars and DIY workshops. Hundreds of booths are packed with vintage clothes, jewelry, antiques, art and crafts—some old, some new. The food trucks include favorites like Sam’s Chowdermobile and Respectable Bird. Tickets range from $10 to $20, depending on how early you buy.

Alemany is a no-frills flea market for deal hunters not afraid to do some digging. Folding tables and a smattering of tents pop up under the shadow of the highway every Sunday. The makeshift booths are filled with a hodgepodge of vintage and secondhand merch, including toys, knickknacks, furniture, records and books. The market requires that at least 50 percent of the wares must be vintage or antique—the other half is an eclectic mixed bag. The vendors here are generally open to haggling, especially if you arrive later in the day. Bring cash. Free parking and free entry.

The Inner Sunset Flea takes over a busy stretch of Irving Street between 9th and 11th Avenues, just south of Golden Gate Park, every second Sunday. The flea is organized entirely by the local community and has a real neighborhood feel, from the kids’ games to the craft stations. Though the market itself is comparatively small—it usually features around 30 booths—you’ll find a colorful assortment of handmade cards and pins, housewares, dishware, antique jewelry and kids’ clothes, plus local food vendors. Watch for occasional events like the Dog Days of Summer with a dog parade.

From the pounding drum circle to the homemade African food, the Berkeley Flea is a vibrant reflection of its community. Held in the Ashby BART parking lot every Saturday and Sunday, you’ll find vendors selling boho clothes, records, knickknacks and jewelry, among other items. Some of the wares are new—handmade pine shelving, silk pillows, soaps and fragrances—while others are delightfully retro. The market itself is practically an antique, celebrating its 48th year in 2024.

The owners of the West Wind drive-in theater chain operate a mini-empire of flea markets and swap meets throughout California, from Santa Barbara to San Jose. The best of the bunch is the Concord location, where you’ll find a mishmash of clothes, electronics, home goods, tools, second-hand toys and antiques in more than 500 stands. (There’s also a small farmers’ market.) In addition to the mid-century merch, there are food stands for tacos and hot dogs, live bands and beer stalls. Open Saturday (75 cents admission) and Sunday ($1.75 admission).

The White Elephant sale is Northern California’s oldest and largest rummage sale, a fundraiser for the Oakland Museum of California. It happens once a year in January, but it’s epic and well worth the wait. Over the course of a year, the organizers collect gently-used donations, even repairing them if needed, to amass a truly impressive haul, which fills a 96,000-square-foot warehouse. The sale has been supporting the museum for more than 60 years, to the tune of $30 million and counting. Compared with some of the Bay Area’s more down-and-dirty flea markets, the quality of the merchandise here is high: With the exception of vintage clothing, you won’t find anything dirty, damaged, torn, stained or broken. All goods are grouped into about 20 departments, from sporting goods and Asian collectibles to china and fine jewelry. The sale is free but ticketed until the last “blow out sale” at which time the doors are flung open. Free shuttles get you there from BART.

In 1960, George Bumb, Sr. wanted to make money off the perfectly good things he saw being tossed into the landfill. He started that year with a 20-vendor marketplace. Today, the San Jose Flea is like a small city with more than 6,000 vendors each week. The wide-ranging assortment includes antiques, books, electronics, fabric, vintage clothing, a quarter-mile long produce row, religious supplies, a beer garden, a barber shop and on-site restaurants and food booths—and check out the Night Market on Fridays. Set the kids loose at the vintage carousel and miniature Ferris wheel; there’s also a playground with inflatable slides. The live music makes it festive with everything from authentic mariachis to modern cover bands. There’s even a literary component, since the flea market’s mentioned in Khaled Hosseini’s international bestseller The Kite Runner. Best of all, the promise of sustainability continues with the fact that you can walk in from the Berryessa BART station. Walk-in entry is $3 to $5 depending on the day, while parking ranges from $5 to $20 and includes entry. Open Wednesday and Friday through Sunday.

What is the French Market? It’s a flea market meets France; live French music plays as you circulate through more than 140 booths of this outdoor vintage and antiques market held every second Sunday outside the Marin Civic Center. You can get a crêpe made to order, say “bonjour” to the vendor and bring your beret-wearing dog. Find beautiful décor, estate jewelry, collectibles, books and shabby chic items. Free admission and parking.

Every last Saturday of the month, the Park Market at Crane Cove waterfront park brings together residents for food, music, community booths and fun times. But an important component grabs the attention of the thrifters among us: the Garage Sale Extravaganza, where individuals and groups put out used treasures in a flea market format. This event happens May through October and is free.

The Electronics Flea Market is a boon for gear geeks—particularly collectors of retro radios. The market is organized by the nonprofit Association of Silicon Valley Amateur Radio Organizations, which facilitates the flea markets for the local ham radio clubs that run them. Fittingly, the monthly swap meet is a tangle of wires, screens and antennae, from vintage radio equipment to used TVs. This seasonal market has been around since the 1970s and runs March through September on second Sundays. It takes place at parking lot 3 of West Valley College. Free admission; parking $3.