Poking Around Les Puces de Paris – Our Guide to the Biggest Paris Flea Market

Poking around les Puces de Paris is one of our favourite things to do in Paris. And we all love to have a good poke around a great flea market once in a while, don’t we? Paris certainly satisfies any inclinations to rummage with its profusion of puces or ‘fleas’ dotted about the city, but Les Puces de Saint-Ouen, not far from our home away from home here in Montmartre, is probably the most fun.

Sprawling over some seven hectares, Les Puces de Saint-Ouen is the largest of the many flea markets in Paris, and it’s not far from our home away from home in Paris here in Montmartre. It’s also the largest market in Europe and the oldest market in Paris, officially starting in 1885 when the authorities decided to clean up the area to give order to the chaos that had reigned there.

A temporary market had operated on the spot for far longer by ‘rag-and-bones men’ who rummaged through piles of rubbish at night for anything worth salvaging which they’d sell from their makeshift stalls they’d set up the next day in the dingy area outside the city walls.

These days Les Puces de Saint-Ouen is the place to head in Paris to shop for antiques and art of all historical periods, all kinds of bric-a-brac, retro collectibles, vintage clothes, accessories and jewellery, and all sorts of pre-loved things, from second-hand cookware to old books and magazines. This is our guide to Les Puces de Saint-Ouen.

Poking Around Les Puces de Paris – Our Guide to the Biggest and Best Paris Flea Market

Les Puces de Saint-Ouen does in fact consist of 12 markets and market streets, including Marché Antica and Marché Cambo (antiques, paintings, mirrors, porcelain); Marché Biron (everything from gilded Louis XV pieces to rustic wooden country furniture); and Marché Dauphine (all sorts of stuff, from second-hand clothes to carpets).

There’s also Marché Serpette (furniture, mirrors, paintings, second-hand clothes, kitchen gear, etc); Marché Paul Bert (the place for retro finds from the 1950s and 60s); and Marché Jules Vallée (plenty of junk bric-a-brac, with more of a thrift-store vibe than the other markets).

Our favourite market is Marché Vernaison, which is actually the first market you’ll come to when you arrive at the corner of the Rue des Rosiers, the main thoroughfare. We like Marché Vernaison for its laidback atmosphere as much as for its eclectic offering of antique and bric-a-brac shops.

Shop owners break out the wine and picnic baskets and lunch together in their stores or on tables set up in the market lanes. A few were so well set-up for sipping and grazing we actually thought they were atmospheric cafés when we first spotted them and were terribly disappointed they weren’t.

As you wander the quiet, winding lanes you’ll come across a wide array of shops, specialising in everything from antique maps, old airline posters and retro magazines (#9) to fantastic printer’s lead type (#103), which can be used to create funky signage or arty cryptic messages for your walls.

A visit to our favourite shop (#92), however, is as much about enjoying the aesthetics of collecting as it is for browsing the collections of kitsch that fill the wooden boxes in this dimly-lit store: everything from miniature plastic pink baby dolls to tiny religious trinkets that are perfect for charm bracelets.

On the walls above the boxes, the owner has charmingly displayed his finds in symmetrical patterns that make you want to purchase dozens of these delightful little bits and pieces and replicate the artful display back home. Ah, but if only we had a home…

Tips for Visiting Les Puces de Saint-Ouen Paris

These are our tips to visiting the largest flea market in Paris, Les Puces de Saint-Ouen.

How to Get to Les Puces de Saint-Ouen

Les Puces de Saint-Ouen is located in the 18th arrondissement near the ‘north door’ to Paris, Porte de Clignancourt. You can take the Metro line 4 (to Porte de Clignancourt), line 13 (Garibaldi), and line 14 (Saint Ouen).

I found Porte de Clignancourt the most convenient as from Porte de Clignancourt Metro station, you just follow the crowds through the cheap clothes market (selling everything from Indian hippy clothes to fake Ed Hardy t-shirts), and head under the concrete overpass to Rue des Rosiers, from where you can access all the markets.

If you’re taking a bus, line 85 takes you to Marché aux Puces and line 95 to Porte de Montmartre, while the tram is also an option: you’ll want line T3b and the Porte de Clignancourt stop. More information about getting from public transport to the markets on the official website.

When to Go to Les Puces de Saint-Ouen

The markets are open from 8am-noon on Friday, 9am-6pm Saturday, 10am-6pm Sunday, and 11am-5pm Monday, but the earlier you go the better to catch the owners in a bright mood (remember, everything is negotiable), and to avoid the crowds. The markets can get very crowded so if you’re claustrophobic, best to avoid them altogether in favour of smaller neighbourhood flea markets

What to Take to Les Puces de Saint-Ouen

Aside from totes or recycled carry-bags if you’re planning to shop, take very little! Hide your wallet in an inside jacket pocket or bury your purse deep in a handbag as the area is notorious for pickpockets. You don’t need to take lots of money, as many dealers accept credit cards, although most preferred cash when we visited.