Food markets in Paris*

A tradition dating back to the middle ages, shopping at open air markets or marchés is still a popular and fun way to find the freshest food in town. In country towns, the old place du marché si still the meeting place on market day. More than 84 open markets are located in Paris and the surrounding suburbs. These markets are open 2 or 3 times a week, usually between 8am and 1pm, and are excellent sources of fresh fruit, vegetables, fish, meats, cheese, and flowers.

A stroll around a French food market is a gastronomical education itself. When you see a stall holder squeezing camemberts, pressing avocados or pinching melons you'll be witnessing a precise and incontestable philosophy in action. Parisians shop daily, as produce is fresh and the timing of its consumption must be perfect. Keep that camembert too long and it will walk off the table; eat it too soon and you miss its essence.

Apart from the circulating markets, which set up on sites and days all over the city, there are permanent daily markets such as the Marché d'Aligre, the rue Poncelet, rue de Montorgueil, rue Mouffetard or rue de Buci. These unveil their waves around nine in the morning and pack up toward seven, sometime with a break between 1 and 4 pm. Sunday afternoons and Mondays finally give market workers time to recuperate from the weekend onslaught, when even the most ardent restaurantgoers indulge in a serious return to their culinary sources.

Some open Markets in the Paris area:

- Maubert, 5th, Place Maubert, Metro Maubert-Mutualité, Tuesday, thursday and saturday

- Bastille, 11th, Boulevard Richard Lenoir, Metro Bastille, Thursday and Sunday

- Grenelle, 15th, Boulevard de Grenelle, metro La Motte-Picket Grenelle, wednesday and sunday

Read more about French food!