Paris Digest
Paris city guide since 1997
Paris markets are picturesque shopping venues. Parisians go to the market next door on saturday or sunday morning. They buy there fresh vegetable, fruit, meat, fish, exotic products, clothes. Most markets are outdoor street markets often in busy pedestrian streets lined with food stores, cafés and restaurants. A few of them are top attractions of Paris. Shopping in Paris.
Paris markets are one of the true pleasures of the city. A century long tradition, they are good shopping venues. Most Paris markets are outdoor street markets and focus on food, including meat, fish, cheese, vegetables and fruit, bought the same day in Rungis, the largest wholesale food market in the world. Many local producers from the Paris region or other regions of France sell directly in the Parisian markets.
A few markets are specialized, sellling flowers, stamps or antiques. A few are famous shopping venues.
The street markets survive and even thrive in the face of hard competition by supermarkets and online distribution. Most retailers in the markets are independent family run businesses. They operate in a different market everyday and pay a reasonable fixed fee to get a space. Most people know their retailers and chat with them. All of this is a significant part of the social life in the city.
Wherever you stay, there is a market near by. The city administration provides the Paris market map. The market map is in French. Zoom in and click on the market anchor nearest to where you stay. Click on "Voir la fiche complète" to get all the details: opening time (horaires), address and map.
The top markets are indicated on Paris shopping map.
The Raspail food Market is famous for its organic vegetables. The Aligre Market in La Bastille district and Les Enfants Rouges, in Le Marais, are fashionable markets today.
Rue Mouffetard, rue de Buci and rue Montorgueil are lovely old market streets with food stores, cafés and restaurants. Go there in the morning Tusday to Saturday.
Paris metro: Ledru-Rollin station line 8. Web site
Open Tuesday to Saturday 9am to 1.30pm.
Sunday 9am to 2.30pm
Locate Aligre market on Paris map
Paris metro: Arts et Metiers station line 3 and 11. Web site.
Open tuesday to saturday 8.30am to 7.30pm, sunday 9.30am to 2pm. Locate Les Enfants Rouges market on Paris map.
Paris metro: Raspail line 12
Open Sunday. 7am to 2.30pm. Web site
Locate Raspail market on Paris map
Paris metro: Censier Daubenton station line 7
Open Tuesday to Sunday (closed Monday). Locate Mouffetard market street on Paris map
Paris metro: Mabillon station line 10
Locate Buci market on Paris map
Aligre market is one of the favorites markets in the city. A 10' walk from Bastille Opera, it is divided into two sections.
The covered market, inside 3 beautiful halls, is dedicated to food stalls and has a mix of stores. The uncovered market opens out onto the square and down rue d'Aligre. It includes a food section and antique shops.
Once you've finished browsing the market, enjoy a typically Parisian moment at one of the famous wine bars (Le Baron Rouge), or people-watch on the terrace of one of the cafes.
Behind an iron gate in Le Marais lies the Marché des Enfants Rouges, the oldest market in the city established in 1615. While an exciting destination for foodies, the choices and lines can be overwhelming. Not every stand is equally excellent. The covered market’s name, literally “market of the red children”, references its origins as an orphanage where the children were dressed in red, the color of Christian charity. Although originally a produce market for raw goods, the Marché des Enfants Rouges is now a dining destination. While you can shop here for ingredients, there are better markets for produce. This is an eater’s market. This isn’t a food court: each stall operates as a separate restaurant so eat-in diners should consume their food at a table at the stall where they ordered.
The rue Montorgueil is the most touristic market street in the city. As such, it is not the cheapest street in town. Pedestrian and ideally located near Forum des Halles, it was in the past living from the proximity of the very lively Les Halles wholesale food market wich moved to Rungis in 1969.
A few food stores and restaurants are very old. Stohrer at 51 was founded in 1730 and is a good patisserie. Le Rocher de Cancale at 78 was founded in 1848 and still serves oysters. L'Escargot Montorgueil at 38 was founded in 1832. Maison Collet at 100 is a good bakery. La Fermette at 86 is a cheese shop combining quality and a large choice.
Paris metro: Etienne Marcel line 4
Locate Montorgueil market street on Paris map
Flea market: the Flea Market in Saint-Ouen is one of the most picturesque districts and interesting shopping venues of the city. Take pictures, buy souvenirs, have lunch, find something unique. Paris Flea Market
Carré Marigny stamp market
Avenue Gabriel 75008 Paris. Open Thursday, Saturday, Sunday 9am to 7pm. Paris metro: Concorde station line 1. Locate Carré Marigny on Paris map
Paris flower market: The Marché aux Fleurs is located near Notre-Dame. Housed in iron pavillions, it is open 7 days a week from 9am to 7.30pm. Complemented by the bird market on Sundays. Locate Flower Market on Paris map. Web site.
Located at the base of the stairs to the Sacre Coeur in Montmartre, the Marché Saint-Pierre is Paris textile market and the largest collection of stores in the Paris region dedicated to fabrics of all kinds. Spread out over several streets, department stores like Dreyfus, Reine, and Moline delight couturiers the world over. Locate Marché Saint-Pierre on Paris map. Opening hours Monday to Friday 10am to 6:30pm; Saturday 10am to 7pm. Web site.
Considered the oldest form of commerce in Paris and France, the outdoor markets still attract many customers wishing to consume better or locally. They are a real institution and one of the most important opportunities for social contacts. Open air markets, managed by city councils, succesfully compete all over the country with shopping malls. One hundred new markets would emerge each year in France, driven by cities that are counting on them to revitalize their center. Eight figures that shed light on the importance of outdoor food markets in France.
There are 10,683 outdoor food markets in France.
6490 cities have at least one food market.
38.536 small entrepreneurs and family owned companies sell food products on the open-air markets.
16% of them are also producers.
35% of them sell fruit and vegetables, 18% meat products, 13% dairy products, 11% fish and shellfish.
