A walking or cycling holiday in France is never complete without a trip to a local market. They’re all just, well….so French. They also haven’t really changed in centuries, with slow food just part of the French way of life. As a result, it’s impossible to know where to start when creating a menu of marchés. But there are a few that jump out as perfect for the beginning or end of a trip, so that you can pack a pannier for a picnic or seek out some last minute presents before you leave. Many of these holidays are also accessible by train and so, if local delicacies and artisan crafts bring you joy, you can carry jars of olives or artichokes, bottles of wine or cider back on the train without a problem. Check out our list of the best markets in France and, in the meantime, bon appetit et bon voyage.
Les Halles, Avignon
Make your debut day a delicious one on our walking holiday through Provence’s hidden gems or cycling tour through Provence, both of which start off in Avignon, a city that’s one big fest of foodiness. Les Halles covered market is a local institution, open every day except Monday between 06.00 and 14.00. It’s home to 40 stall holders selling their local produce, from olives to oysters, local cheeses and tapenades, lavender sea salt and soaps. Luckily the market is open all year round, so you can also make the most of it on our winter sun walking holiday. Although you won’t find the region’s celebrated Cerise des Coteaux du Ventoux at that time of year, now protected by PGI (Protected Geographical Indication) designation.
There is also a cave de vin in Les Halles, which means that you can treat yourself to some fine wines on the last day of our cycling the Provence wine route holiday. Giving you a good reason to travel there by train if you can, which you can easily do, arriving into and leaving from Avignon train station. One last tip – don’t miss taking in the stunning green wall on the northside of Les Halles, created by botanist Patrick Blanc, famous for his living wall at the Musée du Quai Branly – Jacques Chirac in Paris.
Le marché aux fruits et légumes, Aix-en-Provence
This chic city at the heart of Provence has a reassuringly traditional food market every day of the week, between 08.00 and 13.00 in Place Richelme. No wonder Cezanne loved to paint plates brimming with fruit in his nearby studio, as this market is illuminated with the fruits of the earth at every turn, which you will discover on our walking holiday that follows in the footsteps of the Great Master. This holiday is also reachable by rail, so leave some room in your luggage for Provençal presents at the market, with bags of lavender, local honey, sumptuous soaps just a few of the goodies on offer. There are many picnic spots to be found in Aix too, but sitting under the plane trees in Cours Mirabeau is pretty as a picture.
Marché Victor Hugo, Toulouse
Our idyllic cycling holiday along the Canal du Midi between Toulouse and Sète is topped and tailed with foodie feasts à la française in both cities. So leave some room in your pannier for cheese and charcuterie, patisserie and pain from Marché Victor Hugo, Toulouse, which dates back to 1896 and is the oldest covered market in France. Take your time enjoying it on your arrival day, or plan a picnic on your first day of cycling at the foot of the Montagne Noir, the highest point along the canal. The market is open every day except Mondays, between 06.00 and 14.00.
Halles de Sète
At the other end of the Canal du Midi cycling holiday in Sète, if you plan your arrival into this famous fishing port on a Wednesday, the whole town transforms into not one, but three markets: textiles, food and flowers. However, fear not if you arrive on a different day because the covered market, Halles de Sète is an epicurean extravaganza, where you can celebrate the end of your trip with oysters, bubbly, tarts and so many other treats. Such as the Zézette de Sète, which is a traditional local biscuit. Open everyday except Monday, from 08.00 to 13.00. .
Marché des Halles, Menton
Menton is a Mediterranean joy of a town, its multi-coloured houses perched on a hillside overlooking the waves. It also makes a fine French finale to our walking holiday through the perched villages of the Côte d’Azur or you can feast your eyes on the finish line in Menton on our mammoth grand crossing of the Alps cycling holiday. Menton is also perched on the border with Italy, so you will find influences of both cultures at its Marché des Halles, open seven days a week, 08.00 to 13.00. It’s a traditional and quite simple covered food market, painted in a typical shade of Provence yellow, and just two minutes’ walk from Plage de Fossan. Which is perfect for a picnic of local cheeses, charcuterie, sun-kissed apricots or strawberries. You can even buy hand-made baskets to put them in and bring home as gifts. Menton is also a stop-off on our walking holiday from the Alps to the Riveria. All of these holidays are reachable by rail, so fill your boots (and bags) with Mentonnais marvels.
Marché des Capucins, Bordeaux
There is more topping and tailing with treats on this holiday cycling along the Garonne Canal, which starts in Bordeaux and ends in Toulouse. Your eyes may be bigger than your stomach when you visit Marché des Capucins in Bordeaux, which may be why its nickname is the ‘belly of Bordeaux’. Fill your belly (and your pannier) from bouchers and boulangeries, chocolatiers and charcuteries, with over 80 market stalls in this iconic Bordelaise beauty that dates back to 1749. Open Tuesday to Friday between 06.00 and 14.00, Saturday and Sunday from 05.30 to 14.30, don’t be put off by the modernist architecture. It’s a feast inside. The proof is in the pudding – in particular the Bordelais specialty of canelé rum-soaked cakes or puits d’amour meringue marvels. Wishing you bon appetit à Bordeaux, with more treats waiting for you at the end of this holiday in Marché Victor Hugo in Toulouse, as above.
Marché Sarlat, Dordogne
Our walking holiday through the hilltop villages of the Dordogne Valley starts with a day in Sarlat, the capital of the Périgord Noir region, a name that derives from the dark colour of its evergreen oak forests but also the dark soils where black truffles thrive. Epicureans also thrive at Sarlat’s markets but, if it’s truffles you’re after, then you want to come to the Saturday market in winter. Luckily this holiday runs as late as November, so you can pack a truffly treat to bring home with you. During the rest of the year, Sarlat’s markets capture the Dordogne at its most delicious, located in the medieval Old Town on a Wednesday morning and all day Saturday. There is also a dedicated organic market on Thursday afternoons at Place de la Poste. Local specialities, in addition to truffles, include walnuts, chestnuts, strawberries, honey and, of course, wine. Sarlat is so very sweet.
Do please send us photos and tales of your best markets in France and we can add them to the list. You can do so by tagging us on our social media channels on Facebook and Instagram. And, as train travel works so well for foodies who want to bring some of their purchases home, you may also enjoy our blog, Top French holidays by train. Our local representative on the ground will also give you some local market information when you arrive, as will your accommodation providers along the way, of course. In the meantime, if you have any other questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us. We may not have a stash of truffle recipes, but we will dig deep for anything you want to know about our holidays!
