Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
old, flea-infested clothes and discarded possessions of the wealthy at bargain prices to
eager peasants. Buyers were allowed to rummage through piles of aristocratic garbage.
Puces St. Ouen
Located at Porte de Clignancourt, Puces St. Ouen (poos san-wahn) is the mother of all
flea markets, with more than 2,000 vendors selling everything from flamingos to faucets,
but mostly antiques (Sat 9:00-18:00, Sun 10:00-18:00, Mon 11:00-17:00, closed Tue-Fri,
pretty dead the first 2 weeks of Aug, tel. 01 58 61 22 90,
www.st-ouen-tourisme.com
and
This market shows off Paris' gritty, suburban underbelly and can be intimidating (in
Paris, the have-nots live in the burbs, while the haves want to be as central as they can
get).Noeventbringstogetherthemelting-pot populationofParisbetterthanthiscarnival-
likemarket.Somefinditclaustrophobic,overcrowded,andthreatening;othersfindFrench
diamants
-in-the-rough and return happy. (Wear your money belt; pickpockets and scam
artists thrive in these wall-to-wall-shopper events—and don't use ATM machines here.)
The markets actually get downright mellow the farther in you go. You can bargain a bit
(best deals are made with cash at the end of the day), though don't expect swinging deals
here.
Getting There:
Take Métro line 4 to the end of the line at Porte de Clignancourt,
thencarefullyfollow
Sortie,MarchéauxPuces
signs.WalkstraightoutoftheMétrodown
Avenue de la Porte de Clignancourt, passing by leather stores and through blocks of stalls
hawking trinkets and cheap clothing. Your destination is just beyond the elevated freeway
(white bridge).
Other Flea Markets
Puces de Vanves
is comparatively tiny and civilized, and preferred by many flea-market
connoisseurs (Sat-Sun 7:00-17:00, best to arrive before 13:00—when the best stalls close,
closed Mon-Fri, Mo: Porte de Vanves).
Market Streets
Several traffic-free street markets overflow with flowers, produce, fish vendors, and
butchers, illustrating how most Parisians shopped before there were supermarkets and de-
partment stores.
Rue Cler
is like a refined street market, serving an upscale neighborhood
near the Eiffel Tower (Mo: Ecole Militaire).
Rue Montorgueil
is a thriving and locally
popularcafé-lined street,famousasthelastvestigeoftheonce-massive LesHallesmarket
(just north of St. Eustache Church, Mo: Etienne Marcel).
Rue Mouffetard,
hiding sev-
eral blocks behind the Panthéon, has an upper stretch that is pedestrian and touristic; the
