I%26#39;m taking my 18 year old daughter to Pais in June for her high school graduation. Can anyone suggest the best flea markets to visit. We want the ones with antiques and ephemera and lots of smalls......not the stuff with clothing and shoes and other such modern stuff. I am a book artist and want things I can incorporate into my art.
Thanks.....
Dana Smith
Fredericksburg, VA
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The markets at Porte de Clignancourt are the biggest but my personal preference is the weekend (morning - get there by ten as they start packing up after about 12) bric a brac markets at Port de Vanves.
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the saint-ouen flea markets are interesting for picking up something different ..like art or a collector%26#39;s piece...
metro station is porte de st-ouen or porte de cignancourt
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Hi Dana,
The flea market at Porte de Clingnacourt is enormous. It goes for blocks and blocks. When you exit the Metro, the first area you come to will be of little interest -- junky new items (everything from tires to luggage and shoes, etc.) If you walk down the main street and turn left onto Rue du Rosiers, you%26#39;ll come to the antiques area. There are lots of actual stores, as well as indoor markets with stalls, and off the street there are winding little trails with lots more stalls. The things you%26#39;ll find are not cheap, but still many bargains compared to US prices. You can find lots of small items here scattered about from place to place.
The flea market at Vanves is my favorite, too. It%26#39;s more like Mom and Pop drove the van up to the curb, opened up the back, and spilled the wares out onto the sidewalk. (Although I%26#39;m not naive enough to believe they%26#39;re not really pros.) This is not a permanent market -- when everyone packs up mid-day and leaves, there%26#39;s no sign of it left. If you%26#39;re looking for small items, this is the place. It%26#39;s also a much smaller market, although it stretches for quite a ways....(I%26#39;m no good at estimates, but maybe a mile or two?) You%26#39;ll find small items like buttons, lace, medals, thimbles, books, pins, etc. Go around 9AM, and you can easily spend the morning. You%26#39;ll find yourselves among French shoppers, but you%26#39;ll also overhear conversations of lots of people from the US -- some will be buying for their stores back home. You can buy for yourself without paying their big mark up!
You might want to go to a bookstore and look at a shopping guide to Paris. There are a couple that have detailed descriptions of the markets including how to get there and maps of the big market at Saint-Ouen (Porte de Clingnacourt). If you do a Google search, you can also find lots of information, including descriptions of various stores with addresses. Before you go, go to mappy.com or viamichelin.com and print out a map of the area so you%26#39;ll know where to go. The first time we went to Clingnacourt we wasted some time struggling to figure out how to find the good stuff. Also, the market at Vanves is not visible from the Metro stop so you%26#39;ll need directions.
I took my daughter to Paris when she graduated from high school, too. It was fabulous! I hope she has a great senior year and you both have fun planning your trip, and a wonderful time in Paris.
Aude
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I concur on the Vanves flea market. I find a treasure or two there every time I visit it. It is easy to get to, take metro line 13 south to the Port de Vanves station. Exit the station and head toward Avenue Marc Sangnier. You%26#39;ll see the vendors set up. Follow them all the way down and be sure and turn to the right, as the market continues along an adjacent street.
If you go to this market, be sure and bring CASH as the vendors do not take credit cards like they do at the larger Clignancourt market. Also try to bargain with them, as I have found most will come down on their prices if you are polite and firm.
www.pucesdeparis-portedevanves.com/index.php…
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As Aude mentions, St Ouen has a series of markets that lead off the rue des Rosiers. The best markets for small collectables would be Vernaisson (the first on on the right) and Dauphine (the second on on the left). For wild stuff to get your imagination going, head to Paul Bert (towards the end on your left). You can do St Ouen on Sat and Vanves on Sun.
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This is a tangent, but being a Paris-loving book artist, I had to reply. Check out Laura Davidson%26#39;s two most recent books:
http://www.lauradavidson.com/work.html
Please post if you find any bookstores/galleries that carry artists%26#39; books!
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