The markets of Paris

Saint-Ouen Flea Market

An afternoon at the Saint-Ouen Flea Market is certainly one of the must-do experiences in Paris. Spread over 6 hectares and comprising 15 different markets and 2000 stalls, it is the largest market in the world.

It is a unique experience to be lived with your camera at hand, to capture the thousands of picturesque views, stalls full of merchandise and curious characters you will find there.

Its unique atmosphere even inspired Woody Allen, who filmed the movie Midnight in Paris here.

Marché Monge

A stone’s throw from Rue Muffettard you will find one of the gems of the Latin Quarter, the Monge market.

Mixing with Parisians, inebriating yourself with the scents and colours of a market is the best way to discover the soul of a city and this picturesque market is a good example.

Here you will find everything: meat, fish, vegetables, fruit but also wine, cheese and flowers, a true kaleidoscope of colourful merchandise.

Meet every Wednesday, Friday and Sunday morning at Place Monge from 07:00 to 14:30. Obviously the early hours are the best: fresh produce, stalls full of goods and all the traders active.

Marché des Enfants Rouges

Founded in 1615 at the behest of Louis XIII, Le marché des enfants rouges is the oldest covered market in Paris, a unique and unmissable place for those who like to mingle with the locals and browse among the stalls of fresh, colourful merchandise.

The market owes its name to the colour of the uniforms of the children from the Hospice des Enfants-Rouges, the nearby orphanage created by Marguerite de Navarre, and has been considered a historical monument since 1982.

Losing yourself among the colourful stalls is a real experience, an itinerary through French cuisine: you can admire the best fresh products belonging to the culinary tradition of France such as fruit, vegetables, fish, meat, wine, oil and other products from the different French regions.

But at the same time you can also taste the cuisine of other cultures in the various small restaurants scattered around the market: from Japanese bento to Moroccan tajines, from the colourful dishes of the West Indies to the exotic flavours of Lebanon.

A veritable culinary journey and a glimpse of Parisian life: the inhabitants of the neighbourhood call this market place du village, to indicate its associative and convivial function, for which they fought bitterly in 2007, when the municipality had put forward a plan to transform the market into a library, kindergarten and car park.

For a truly Parisian experience, do some shopping at the market, browse the stalls that also sell flowers, spices, vinyls and knick-knacks and try some of the succulent ethnic specialities of the small restaurants, to be enjoyed strictly on the long wooden tables.

The flower market in Place Louis Lépine

If you love the smells and colours of markets, don’t miss the one held daily at Place Louis Lépine, one of the last remaining flower markets in Paris.

Here you will find a wide range of flowers and plants, ideal for a relaxing and rejuvenating break after a busy morning of sightseeing and museums.

You can wander among the multicoloured stalls, chatting with the owners and discovering exotic flowers and plants.

On Sundays, the flower market closes its doors and makes way for the bird, small mammal and rodent market.