Paris Life - Street Markets in Paris
Street Markets in Paris.
Paris is a romantic city filled with vibes, nostalgia, culture, and hidden gems galore as far as street or flea markets are concerned. For example, there’s the Marché aux Puces, which is a shopping experience and a half.
This market is filled with heirloom silverware and dishes galore along with jewelry, rare books, antiques, and vintage fashion.
It’s hard to paint a better picture in words compared to actually seeing the location in real-life. It captures what you want to see in a flea market though—treasure hunting for bargain deals in beautiful Paris.
Regardless, here’s a guide you can use in order to scour Paris’ most popular street markets along with which bus or metro line will drop you into this nostalgic labyrinth of the different eras of the city.
Recommendations for Treasure Hunting in the Parisian Street Markets.
In order to get the bargain of a lifetime, seeking every nook and cranny of different shops is half the fun of the experience. It’s like the destination or objectives are important, but the journey getting there is the entertaining part.
You can get things like vintage perfume bottles by Coco Chanel, an old Moulin Rouge poster, or Limoges for only a few Euros or less than the cost of a baguette because they’re all used. However, there’s value from these antiques.
Follow these tips to get the most out of your street market experience in Paris!
Go for Smaller Paris Markets and Shop at the Right Time.
Although the Les Puces Paris Flea Market at Saint-Ouen is much grander and bigger, their bigness might be detrimental for your bargain hunting. It’s better to go small when it comes to Parisian street markets.
Besides which, the ratio of treasures vs. junk at brocantes is much more favorable to your needs, so make sure to arrive early to get bargains at the top notch items at these smaller venues.
If the market has opened for a week, getting the best prices involves shopping an hour or two before the market closes on the last day.
Hold on to Items You’re Targeting Specifically.
Avoid returning an item you might want to buy because other shoppers might grab it from right under your nose. It’s instead more practical to put that vintage desk fan or mason jar in your hands and don’t let go until you’ve decided to buy it and pay for it.
On the other hand, if you’re more lukewarm about the item, feel free to return it and see if you’ll want it the next time you come across it and it hasn’t been bought by someone else.
Be Commonsensical with Your Fashion Sense and Get Down and Dirty.
Don’t wear your Sunday’s best when shopping at a flea or street market. Avoid wearing anything that makes you look like a stereotypical tourist though, like Americans being too casual with what they’re wearing (t-shirt and shorts with shades).
Be willing to get dusty and dirty as you sort through boxes and boxes of material. Sometimes, the best treasures are buried deep inside such boxes, right at the bottom like a hidden gem.
Learn to Bargain and Haggle with the Prices to Get the Best Value.
Let’s face it. If money is no object, then there’s little reason for you to buy at a flea market. Then again, you might want to buy rare antiques and old-timey appliances her that have sentimental value or actual market value in terms of rarity.
All the same, remember that you can negotiate the prices. Most of the prices in these street markets are quite reasonable though, so you can pay them at their actual price if you think you’re still getting a bargain. It depends on you.
Observe Proper Negotiating Etiquette for the Best Results.
Your luck in getting a bargain depends on having proper rapport with the merchant. When negotiating, for example, do so in a low voice that only the buyer can hear. This will lead to you two talking (preferably in French, usually).
They might even offer a discount themselves depending on what you two agree upon. Be polite but firm. Also, your chances of a great buy also rises if you’re purchasing multiple items (since you are at a flea market).
Be Prepared to Walk Away and Be Mindful of the True Bargains.
Don’t be afraid to walk away from a product if you’re sure you want it at a cheaper price. More often than not, the merchant is amenable to discounts or you paying for full price but you’ll get extra items out of it.
Then again, if you think the bargain price you’ve got for the Limoges porcelain bowl is a steal, don’t play hard to get to get it even cheaper or else you’ll lose it before you can negotiate buying it.
Payment Options in Parisian Street Markets, Flea Markets, or Farmers’ Markets.
Even though many indoor market vendors and some outdoor venders do accept credit cards too, you should be prepared with some cash or Euros for those who don’t.
Watch out for pickpockets as well during the super-crowded hours, which is usually the case for mid-afternoon shopping at outdoor flea markets. One way to avoid this is to not dress like a rich tourist and follow the code, “When in Rome, do as the Romans do” and dress like the locals.
Bring Euros of various denominations plus a credit card and probably a chain linking your wallet to your pocket. Or maybe just put it inside a backpack that you wear in front of you so that you can keep an eye on it.
Don’t forget to have plenty of 1€ and 2€ coins to make it easier for vendors to give you exact change. Don’t bring your passport along with you when shopping at street markets.
Your Detailed Guide to Specific Parisian Street Markets.
Before anything else, remember to master the words “Merci”, “Madame”, “Monsieur”, or “Bonjour” even if you don’t speak any French when doing polite negotiations or transactions with the street market merchants of Paris. Win them over with “S'il vous plais” (that is, pretty please) as well.
Let’s now talk about specific must-visit street market locations in Paris. Get your digital notepads ready and pay attention!
The Most Famous and Biggest Paris Flea Market Around.
Do you want to add a sense of classy old-timey style to your apartment? You can do so with shabby chic shopping at the Paris street market of Puces de Saint-Ouen Cligancourt.
Yes, we did recommend you start small and work yourself up, but once you’re ready for bigger markets, the world-famous Marché aux Puces de Saint-Ouen (18th Arrondissement) is definitely one of the more prominent street markets out there.
It’s so famous that many celebrities go there to get bargains of their own, even though in their case they’re willing to pay to the nose for the goods available here. You can also score cheap deals here at the luck of the draw.
Also known by the nickname of “Les Puces”, the Marché aux Puces de Saint-Ouen. It’s one of the largest street markets in the world, such that many tourists simply go there by default because they already have everything.
In fact, it’s the size of 16 football fields filled with over 2,000 shops and stalls. They offer everything from vinyl records to vintage clothing as well as the antiques that are mainly associated with flea markets.
Any big fan of Paris and Parisian culture will appreciate the treasure trove of retro appliances and fashion found here, particularly fashion designers yearning for the wonder years of Parisian fashion.
It might be a good idea to get a local or Parisian friend to help you out because savvy shoppers know most of the vintage items at the market and which ones are truly fairly priced or true bargains from the most knowledgeable of dealers.
Newbie shoppers might get intimidated by the labyrinthian passages of Les Puces, while their friends might recommend smaller flea markets instead like Aligre, Vanves, or Montreuil.
The Second Biggest Flea Market in Paris Makes a Name for Itself.
Bigger doesn’t necessarily mean better. This is certainly the case with Vanves Flea Market. It’s the second biggest flea market in Paris. This time, it houses 400 vendors and stalls, which is also intimidating as dealing with 2,000 stalls.
However, whether you’re a tourist looking for souvenirs or a new resident wishing to better blend in with the Parisians of Paris by enjoying their unique flea market and bargain culture, 400 stalls make little difference to 2,000 stalls.
It’s not as if you’ll be able to visit all 400 stalls anyway, much less 2,000 of them! Regardless, treasure hunting here is quite invigorating for first-timers.
Besides which, unlike the more mainstream Les Puces, the items found in Vanves Flea Market are more typical of flea markets. They’re not overpriced items sold to celebrities and tourists who don’t know better—they’re true treasures at an affordable price range.
Here, you can buy all sorts of stuff like vintage clothing, lacy lingerie, mirrors, French cutlery, vintage jewelry, fine dining china, glassware, silverware, vintage toys, linens, old fashion magazines, stamps, Asian and African art, old-timey posters old postcards, copper pans, medals, and so forth.
It’s also the kind of flea market you could hunt for Art Deco vases, various editions of books, rare paintings, and picture frames as well as mannequins and marionettes. Its everything but the kitchen sink (or maybe they even sell sinks there too).
The Vanves Flea Market can be found at the Porte de Vanves, at the edge of the 14th arrondissement. It’s only open every Saturday and Sunday, from 7:00 AM in the morning to 2:00 PM in the afternoon. You can access it through the Porte de Vanves Metro, about two blocks away.
Collectibles Galore at This True Flea Market with the Best Bargains.
The Rue d'Aligre Flea Market in Paris is the place to be if you’re a collector of various French culture or vintage collectibles. It’s described as a “true” flea market in the sense that unlike the more mainstream Puces de Saint-Ouen Cligancourt, it feels more like a flea market manned by the locals.
It doesn’t advertise itself as the biggest flea market or a tourist location galore either. It’s the place for genuine bargains for savvy shoppers and helpful vendors.
The huge open-air market boasts sales of fresh produce along with specialty foods, gourmet cheeses, fish, pates, meats, and more. The outdoorsy feel adds to its ambiance, of course.
It’s also filled with used and new clothing and apparel, shoes, household items, and various vintage or new appliances from many different eras. It also takes a bit to find the tables with collectibles or brocantes due to the variety of goods available in the Rue d'Aligre Flea Market.
This is the type of street market where the journey of shopping is half the fun of getting the goods you want, because you’ll be amazed as the amount of stuff available there being sold off by Parisian citizens.
The main downside of the Aligre Flea Market is crowd control through, especially during the weekends. Watch out for snatchers during such times! It’s also here that you should grab what you like and don’t let go until you pay for it because you might lose the item otherwise!
Get the best selections of things like rare fine china or golden dishes by coming to the area early. You know what they say, right? The early bird gets the worm!
This flea market offers the most bargain-basement prices on the items because, as mentioned, it’s a true flea market by citizens for citizens offering their garage sale of collectibles, vintage treasures, and even recent fashion.
It’s also open everyday except Mondays from 8:00 AM in the morning to 1:30 PM in the afternoon. You can access it via the Ledru-Rollin Metro.
The market shares its space with two other tup Parisian markets—a larger outdoor market that doubles as a space for major concerts and events as well as a large indoor market with covered ceiling.
The Smallest Yet Most Bargain-Filled of the Street Markets of Paris.
As for the Montreuil Flea Market or Marché aux Puces de Montreuil, it’s the smallest yet most accessible of the street markets of Paris. Here, you can buy things like inexpensive handbags galore or antique records as well as vintage fashion.
This flea market might be compact but as mentioned earlier with the Vanves Flea Market., it’s no about the quantity of the vendors and stalls but instead the quality of the goods being sold.
Yes, its offerings can be more hit and miss, but it’s the recommended small flea market or garage sale for first-time shoppers and visitors to Paris to get them more acquainted with street market culture.
If you’re only visiting France or Paris for a short time and wish to hunt for a cute souvenir instead of a whole wardrobe of Art Deco outfits and accessories like you’re Coco Chanel, Montreuil Flea Market is the place to be!
You can rummage through some real treasures here if you know where to look without being overwhelmed with the idea of going through a maze of 400 to 2,000 stalls. It has bargain-basement deals, like used handbags for 10 Euros.
This is the place to be when looking for antiques or vintage items. What’s the difference? You can get some really rare items if you know where to look!
You can also try your luck here when looking for items like clothing from Chanel and Givenchy, collectible toys, fine china plates, old silverware, household furniture and accessories, picture frames, cool leather jackets, car ornaments from decades ago, and the occasional copper pots.
Montreuil Flea Market is located at Avenue du Professeur André Lemierre, 20th arr and is accessible near the Nadaud Hote via 15-minute walk. It’s also open weekends from 7:00 AM to 7:30 PM.
The Oldest Covered Market in Paris.
The Marché des Enfants Rouge is one of the oldest markets in the city, right in the center of the Marais, with its main feature being covered with its own ceiling. The covered market isn’t so much as a Parisian garage sale as it is a farmer’s market.
Fair warning though, this market is closed on Mondays. Visit it during the rest of the week (preferably in the afternoon) so you can fill your pantry and refrigerator bins with the freshest of produce!
Various merchants from all over the city sell cheeses, fish, fruits, and vegetables at amazing prices. Another thing that separates the Marché des Enfants Rouge from the rest is it’s found on a permanent location in Paris (it doesn’t wander around).
In other words, the Marché des Enfants Rouge is a farmers’ market that is as vintage as many of the items and antiques sold in places like Aligre, Vanves, or Montreuil. However, it doesn’t sell antiques—it ironically sells fresh product instead!
It’s also an excellent location when you’re having lunch, with it being particularly renowned for its couscous from Morocco or various sandwiches along with a stellar menu of meals.
Ready for your Parisian shopping spree on a budget? Visit these street markets and get the best steals!
