FLEA MARKETS IN PARIS!

Paris has some of the best flea markets in the world!  We obviously can't tackle all of them, but we'll peruse at least one while we're there.

nytimes

The most famous flea market in Paris is the one at Porte de Clignancourt, officially called Les Puces de Saint-Ouen, but known to everyone as Les Puces (The Fleas). It covers seven hectares and is the largest antique market in the world, receiving between 120,000 to 180,000 visitors each weekend.

Best for: Antiques and oddball items, discounted and vintage clothes and shoes
Getting there: Metro Porte de Clingancourt (Line 4) or Garibaldi (Line 13)

ST.-OUEN

Marché aux Puces

Porte de

Clignancourt

MONTMARTRE

Paris

Seine

Puces de Vanves

2 MILES

The Saint-Ouen flea market (or "puces"-- literally, "fleas") is the city's largest, and dates to the 19th century. Located at the very northern tip of Paris, les puces are an essential shopping stop. Come here for a few hours to browse the antique furniture, odd objects, or vintage clothes. You may not come away with a masterpiece painting (as once was the case), but a find you are likely to make. Weekdays are preferable to avoid the inevitable crowds, though. There are also several other flea markets around Paris worth browsing.St.-Ouen is so big (1,700 dealers in 14 markets spread over 750,000 square feet) that the only way to get around is with a map.

nytimes

Some things one might find at a flea market (per the NY Times):

Hermes vintage scarves

Paintings: Post-Cubist gouaches in oak frames by the little-known painter Jacques Marly (1885-1965) start at 950 euros. Marly painted only for pleasure during his life; his grandniece Josette Revellin has begun to sell a few at a time at Marché Serpette.

Old kitchenware: Call on François Bachelier at Bachelier Antiquités at Marché Paul Bert for enamel scales, heavy copper pots, enameled metal animal prize medallions, tin molds, advertising signs, kitchen utensils, southwestern French pottery jugs and pitchers and winemaking paraphernalia. At 350 euros, the three-foot-high, cast-iron apparatus in fire-engine red to cork wine bottles was a steal.

Old paper: Take a detour to Paul Maurel in Marché Vernaison at St.-Ouen. For 35 years, the shop has offered old travel posters, maps and flower and animal prints.

Costume jewelry: If you’re longing for native English speakers, also in the Marché Vernaison is Au Grenier de Lucie. Jason and Heidi Ellis gave up their jobs as sports coaches, sold their London home to move to Paris and opened up a vintage jewelry and accessories shop five years ago.

Old postcards and photographs: Take another detour up an escalator to the Marché Dauphine and call on Philippe Rault just inside the entrance. Try out his stereoscopes for a look at early 3-D. And at 15 euros apiece, you might walk away with the perfect gift: a 60-year-old aerial photo of a Paris neighborhood. If you’re not worn out, head into the main Dauphine area for some of the market’s best bargains.

Here's a directory (from discoverparis):

Directory of Flea & Antique Markets

Marché d'Aligre Address: Place d'Aligre, 75012 Paris One of the city's most interesting markets, made up of the covered Marché Beauvau (open since 1777) and an open-air market in the surrounding square with produce as well as flea-market stalls. Aligre is both well supplied and typically Parisian. It's a great place to get an insight into life in the capital, and shows off its cosmopolitan side with numerous Asian and North African shops located around the market. Don't get there too late, or you'll find all the good things have gone. Hours: Tues. - Sat., 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and 4:00 to 7:30 p.m.; Sun., 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.       Ledru Rollin (line 8) Marché aux Puces de Montreuil Address: avenue de la Porte de Montreuil, 75020 Paris / 93100 Montreuil-sous-Bois Like one vast car boot sale, this market disgorges mountains of second-hand clothing, engravings, jewelry, linen, crockery, old furniture, appliances, car parts, and a jumble of miscellaneous rubbish from its dusty, grungy bowels. You'll find little pre-1900, but there are fun collectables like branded pastis water jugs. Hours: Sat. - Mon., 7:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.       Porte de Montreuil (line 9) Marché aux Puces de la Porte de Vanves Addresses: avenue Georges Lafenestre & avenue Marc Sangnier, 75014 Paris Phone: (+33) 06.88.64.82.77; E-mail: pucesdevanves@free.fr Every weekend of the year, 350 stall holders await you: furniture, trinkets, paintings, fabric, glassware, time pieces, jewelry, military objects, photography, music, and curios. In the heart of Paris, an exciting place that will capture your imagination. It's the place to visit for flea market enthusiasts. Hours: Weekends; avenue Marc Sangnier until 1 p.m.; avenue Georges Lafenestre all day.       Porte de Vanves (line 13) Les Puces de Saint-Ouen Address: 48, rue Jules Vallès (Marché des Antiquaires), 93400 Saint-Ouen (between the Porte de St-Ouen and Porte de Clignancourt, just outside 18th arrondissement) The world's biggest flea market welcomes 200,000 visitors each weekend. You name it, this place has it: furniture, pictures, new and second-hand clothes — all at rock-bottom prices (especially if you're adept at haggling). There's a jovial fairground atmosphere, with the aroma of food wafting in the air and people crowding round the stalls, hoping to pick up a 1970s leather jacket or rare Louis XV chest of drawers. Make sure to bring cash, as stallholders seldom accept credit cards and the nearest available ATM always has a line. Hours: Sat. - Mon., 7:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.       Porte de Clignancourt (line 4), Porte de St-Ouen (line 13) Different markets within the Puces de Saint-Ouen complex: Antica Market Address: rue des Rosiers, 93400 Saint-Ouen E-mail: antica@parispuces.com A miniature market, with a wonderful selection of objects in a hushed atmosphere. It is an elegant gallery that lies alongside the Vernaison Market. There are only a dozen or so stands here, inviting you to discover their beautiful objects, tapestries, ornaments, Art Deco, Napoleon III, etc. Biron Market Address: 85, rue des Rosiers, 93400 Saint-Ouen E-mail: webmaster@marchebiron.fr A veritable treasure trove, with its paintings and other objects signed by their creators. The market is a favorite with professionals from both France and abroad. Whether you are an interior decorator, a theatre or cinema star, a politician or simply an art lover, you are certain to find your heart's delight here. Cambo Market Address: 75, rue des Rosiers, 93400 Saint-Ouen E-mail: cambo@parispuces.com In a completely restored area on two floors with twenty dealers, you will discover a very high quality selection of furniture and fine arts from the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries. Dauphine Market Address: 140, rue des Rosiers, 93400 Saint-Ouen E-mail: dauphine@parispuces.com Inaugurated in December 1991, the Dauphine offers a profusion of genuine antiques, all certified by experts, where you are sure to find something original: from a Renaissance-period dresser to the rarest texts from the Torah, collections of saucy corsets, thousands of rare books, Vintage and industrial art. L'Entrepot Address: 80, rue des Rosiers, 93400 Saint-Ouen E-mail: entrepot@parispuces.com The traders here specialize in out-of-the-ordinary, outsized items — exhibiting classical pieces of extraordinary dimensions: monumental staircases, bookcases and woodwork from stately homes, not to mention a garden pavilion and a castle gate! Jules Vallès Market Address: 7-9, rue Jules Vallès, 93400 Saint-Ouen E-mail: julesvalles@parispuces.com Here you will find a number of specialities and some often unusual objects, posters, antique weapons, bronzes, books or records, military uniforms and a host of other things. The market, with its no-frills stands, is entirely without pretension, looking more like attic space than anything else. Malik Market Address: 53, rue Jules Vallès, 93400 Saint-Ouen E-mail: malik@parispuces.com With more than 100 traders' stalls, this market is a mecca for clothes, attracting a young and colorful clientele. Here, you can find military surplus, leather jackets, trainers, incense, make-up etc. The atmosphere is more like that of the Forum des Halles in Paris than that of a second-hand goods market. Paul Bert Market Address: 18, rue Paul Bert or 96, rue des Rosiers, 93400 Saint-Ouen E-mail: paulbert@parispuces.com Always in line with the latest trends, Paul Bert certainly has the most relaxed atmosphere of the Flea Markets. Some of the world's famous decorators come here regularly in search of that rare piece. 220 dealers offer Parisian bistro furniture, decorative ornaments, Renaissance objects, Primitive Art, and more. Rosiers Market Address: 3, rue Paul Bert, 93400 Saint-Ouen E-mail: rosiers@parispuces.com Created in 1976, this little treasure of a market contains around 10 stalls, specializing in light fixtures, Art Deco items, Art Nouveau lithographs by Alphonse Mucha, glasswork and bronzes from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, lacquerware by Dunand, and furniture created by Majorelle. Serpette Market Address: 110, rue des Rosiers, 93400 Saint-Ouen E-mail: serpette@parispuces.com Situated in the former garage of France's first Citroën dealer, Serpette has developed a reputation for fashionable goods and art nouveau of the highest quality, at prices regarded by some as excessive. Connoisseurs and antique lovers will find the 130 dealers only too happy to discuss their latest finds. Vernaison Market Address: 136, avenue Michelet, 93400 Saint-Ouen E-mail: vernaison@parispuces.com With lower rents than in neighboring markets, you can find everything here — a veritable bric-a-brac heaven. It is a real maze of alleyways — some covered, others open to the elements. Casual bargain hunters will feel comfortable, as the traders welcome you with open arms. Le Village St-Paul Address: rue St-Paul, rue Charlemagne and quai des Célestins, 75004 Paris Spread across small interlinked courtyards, this colony of antique sellers is a promising source of 1930s and '50s furniture, kitchenware and wine gadgets. Hours: Mon. - Sat., 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.       St-Paul (line 1), Pont Marie (line 7)

Other Markets

Marché du Livre Ancien et d'Occasion Address: Parc Georges Brassens (under the pavillon Baltard) - 104, rue Brancion, 75015 Paris Started in 1987, between 60 and 80 bouquinistes (book dealers) gather every weekend underneath the former horse slaughterhouses of Vaugirard. Hours: Weekends, 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.       Convention (line 12), Porte de Vanves (line 13); Bus: lines 48, 62, 89, 95 Marché aux Oiseaux Address: Place Louis Lépine, 75001 Paris This picturesque market on the Ile de la Cité sells houseplants, flowers, orchids, and on Sundays, birds and other assorted household pets (anything from guinea pigs and goldfish to ferrets and potbelly pigs). On the plant front, shop around as prices seem to vary greatly, and make sure you get the appropriate papers if you decide to buy one of the more exotic birds or anything that claims to be a pure-bred. Hours: Mon. - Sun., 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.       Cité (line 4) Marché Parisien de la Création Address: At the foot of the Montparnasse Tower, between rue du Départ and rue de la Gaîté, 75014 Paris Phone: (+33) 03.86.96.80.93 Original open-air venue for 120 artists and designers who exhibit and sell their works: paintings, sculpture, ceramics, photography, jewelry, and other crafts. Hours: Sundays all year, 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.       Edgar Quinet (line 6), Montparnasse Bienvenüe (line 4, SNCF)