One of the things many people like best about a trip to France is a visit to a local market. Each market has its own flavor, reflecting the style of the region or the neighborhood. The markets give an authentic taste of everyday French life, as well as a snapshot of French culture.
(market at Palaiseau)
(fun-fair atmosphere at Rambouillet in summer)
Paris and its suburbs boast more than 60 roving markets and 20,000 vendors, plus many open-air and covered fixed markets and street markets. This explains why Paris ranks as one of the best food-supplied cities in the world.
(market street in St Germain des Pres in Paris)
Many people say that “Paris is always served first”, which explains why you can eat fresher seafood in Paris than on the coast, or why prices are often lower at food markets in Paris than in the provinces. So, where do the vendors, chefs, restaurateurs, and other food professionals of Paris and Ile-de-France shop? At Rungis. Situated close to Orly airport, Rungis (which was built to replace the once-famous Les Halles wholesale market in central Paris) is considered the largest wholesale market in the world for fresh products.
(on Ile de la Cité near Notre Dame, the Flower Market is next to the Metro entrance. On Sundays it becomes a Bird Market, below)
But, it’s not only about food—many markets reserve some space for non-perishable items, such as arts and crafts. And of course there are flowers, at every market in every season. As much as the French people love good fresh food they love flowers. One of the oldest and most famous markets in Paris is the Marché aux Fleurs on Ile de la Cité, not far from Notre Dame. Besides flowers, they also sell plants and gardening stuff. On Sundays, this becomes the Bird Market, also fun to browse.
(which one shall I choose?)
(very photogenic)
Coming Next: 2. Market Streets 3. Our Local Market
Very nice! I have a cousin who lives and Paris and she continues to invite me to visit. I think your blog convinced me even more to go.
Hi Rodrigo,
Thanks! Please grab the opportunity to visit Paris—you won’t regret it.
Vivienne
There’s also a ‘French Market’ tours the south of England every summer …
Great blog! I’ve enjoyed the photos and the unique perspective you bring as an ex-pat, a new citizen, and as would appear to be now a former resident of Paris. Whew!
Some advice from you regarding where to stay in Paris would be well-heeded. My wife and I are in our 30s and are both fit. My mom is 64 and not in the best of shape. She walks fine, but probably not for long, at least not without lots of breaks. I’ve got the Hotel Grandes Ecoles, 75 Rue Cardinal Lemoine in the 6th in mind as being centrally located and easy to walk to/from/around, as in it is relatively flat. But this is the first and maybe only visit of her life in Paris and the more romantic side of me wants to book all of my girls–oh, yes, I’m bringing my 37 year old sister, too(!)–into Hotel des Arts Montmartre and give them the feel of “living” eating and strolling in that neighborhood at day and night.
QUESTION: Will the hills around Montmartre be too much for my older mom? And even if so, do the pros of staying in Montmartre outweigh the cons? I spent a year living in Noisy LeGrand (yikes!) in 1993 and remember thinking the Latin Quarter was slightly overrated, overpriced, a lot of the food fare just okay, and the student-y vibe a bit much.
Thanks for your time to read this and reply. Like I said, I respect the work you’ve displayed on your page, and have no doubt I could trust your advice.
Thank you, RJ
Dear RJ,
Thanks for the compliments and glad you like the blog.
I’ve written you a long email with comments and suggestions, so I hope you got that okay. Let me know if you didn’t.
Vivienne