Paris Digest

Trip to Paris
Sightseeing
Shopping
Visit France
Facebook

Paris Flea Market in Saint-Ouen is one of the most picturesque shopping venues of the city. Take pictures, buy souvenirs, find something unique. You can easily spend there half a day. Paris markets. Shopping in Paris.

Paris Flea Market hours

The Paris Flea Market is open from 8 a.m to 12 a.m on Fridays, 10 a.m to 6 p.m on Saturdays and Sundays, 11 a.m to 5 p.m on Mondays (fewer shops open).

Paris printable Flea Market map

The 11 covered markets of Paris Flea Market

Saint-Ouen has 11 specialized covered markets open to the general public, each with its own atmosphere.

Furniture and objects of 18th and 19th centuries

Asian arts, furniture of 18th, 19th, 20th centuries.

Charming market. Marc Maison antique fireplaces.

Antiques, books and art restorers.

Bulky goods: stairs, libraries, chimneys, ...

This market has remained very traditional, selling many specialties and often unusual objects, posters, old weapons, bronzes, books or records. It has remained faithful to the original spirit of Les Puces.

Antiques and decoration, from 17th to 20th centuries.

Clothes, furniture, old books, military effects.

Market trends, furniture, objects of art and decoration of 17th century.

Inescapable place for art lovers, from antiquity to the 70's. High-end objects.

Ancient objects, scientists, toys, glassware.

Paris Flea Market detailed facts

The Paris Flea Market is the largest concentration of antique dealers and second-hand dealers in the world, totaling more than 5 million visitors per year, including many foreign tourists and even very often celebrities.

Fifth tourist site in France located at a northern door in Paris in front of the 18th arrondissement, it is held every Saturday, Sundays and Mondays.

Seven hectares form the entire flea market, which is to date consisting of twelve covered markets open to the public (Antica, Biron, Cambo, Dauphine, L’Entrepôt, Jules-Vallès, Malassis, Le Passage, Paul Bert and Serpette and Vernison), five Childcare Shops (rue Jules Vallès, rue Lecuyer, rue Paul Bert, rue des Rosiers and rose. Simon) and merchant unpacking on the sidewalks, with each and everyone a clean identity, forming a picturesque and friendly set.

It is an original experience of popular Paris, a walk rich in surprises and a gold mine for lovers of vintage parts or antiques.

Paris Flea Market detailed history

After the Franco-Prussian war of 1870, the rag-and-bone men who had been ousted from Paris built the first merchant villages in Saint-Ouen. These wandering scavengers were nicknamed “bone pickers”, “rag grabbers” and “street grubbers”, and also, more poetically, “moonlight sinners” as they would roam through towns at night looking for discarded items or rubbish that they went on to sell at the markets.

The year 1885 saw the official opening of the Paris flea market. The town of Saint-Ouen rallied together to cleanse and secure the area. The merchants wishing to sell their wares there had to pay for the right to do business there. Newspapers published complimentary reports about the market between 1905 and 1914. More and more Parisians would come here on Sundays, in keeping with their tradition of going for a walk outside the city walls.

After WWI, the Flea Market became so popular that businessmen bought up the land surrounding the rue des Rosiers. They built streets and connected certain stalls with the water and electricity networks and sold these spots at a very high price. This is how the first four markets were established between 1920 and 1938. They were the Marché Vernaison, the Marché Malik, the Marché Biron and the Marché Jules Vallès.

From that time on, the flea market became a very fashionable place, famous for its cafés, bistros, restaurants and entertaining activities. At the time, the many bistros in the area were very popular with the new working population of Saint-Ouen. This community started to mix with that of the gypsies who were also living here in caravans. The gypsies brought life to the town with their music, the Gypsy Jazz. The famous Django Reinhardt was known to have played at Les Puces, as well as in many open-air cafés from here to Montmartre.

Between 1946 and 1991, 12 other markets were set up for trading.