Alyssa Jones is a student at The Ohio State University and an ISA Photo Blogger. She is currently studying abroad with ISA in Paris, France.
Paris is the shopping capital of the world and naturally, renders thoughts of top fashion houses and high end labels, but one of its most precious attractions is its outdoor markets. Paris has tons of markets held every day of the week. As a full-time student, I could only explore markets on the weekend. However, they are a great way to interact with locals, practice your French and find great deals!
Marché de Noel
It’s the Christmas season! Lucky there are Christmas markets all over Paris, the largest one is held on the Champs Elysées. Here you can find all sorts of food, hot wine, beer, desserts, handmade items, Christmas ornaments and Paris souvenirs.
How to Get There: Metro: Champs Elysées Clemenceau
This market is dangerous as there is good food around every corner: macarons, pretzels, crepes, cookies, chocolate covered fruit; so be careful or all of your money will be gone!
This market can get pretty crowded. I recommend going earlier to beat the crowds, plus it’ll be easier to see all the vendors. This market is huge, so you can keep coming back to explore!
Marché de la Création Edgar Quinet
The Marché de la Création is located in the 11th arrondissement on Saturday and in the 14th on Sunday. It runs from 9am to 7:30 pm. This is an art market displaying hand-made jewelry, paintings, drawings and some crafts. I visited the market in the 14th arrondissement which is located right in front of Tour Montparnasse.
How to Get There: Metro: Edgar Quinet (14th) or Bastille (11th)
The art market is much less crowded than the others, which was nice a change. You have time and space to really admire the work.
Overall, even though it’s labeled as a market, it seemed much more like an outdoor art gallery. It was more of a space to look and appreciate art rather than a space to buy it (at least for my student budget!). It wasn’t a problem as the paintings were gorgeous and often featured sites around Paris.
Marché aux Puces
The Marché aux Puces are Paris’ versions of flea markets. These flea markets are held every Saturday and Sunday from around 7am to 1 pm, times varying on location. The markets can be found in the 14th, 18th, and 20th arrondissements. Luckily, the Marché aux Puces in the 14th is only a 3-minute walk from my homestay. The pictures below were taken from this market.
How to Get There; Metro: Porte de Vanves(14th), Porte de Clignacourt (18th), Porte de Montreuil (20th)
You can find a bit of everything here: clothes, books, knickknacks, furniture, jewelry, paintings, the sky is the limit! If you are looking for a unique souvenir from Paris, I recommend searching at the Marché aux Puces!
One of my favorite things, is the range of books at the marché. You can find old books, children books or French comic books. Some can be expensive, but I’ve found books for a euro. Marché tip: There are a couple of vendors who sell similar items, so make sure to walk around to find the best deal!
Make sure to check out all these amazing shopping spots in Paris!
The world awaits…discover it.