The 3 best flea markets for antiquing in Paris-2023 update

I originally published this post in 2022 based on our pre-COVID visit to what I think are the 3 best Paris flea markets for antiquing. I promised to update the information and photos below from our recent 2023 vacation. After visiting all three flea markets, I’m happy to say that these are still tops in my opinion.

My favorite past time when traveling is antiquing. I can spend hours everyday wandering through antique shops and flea markets constantly hunting for that vintage treasure I didn’t know I needed, until I discovered it that day. It’s an even more satisfying experience when I find a bargain or can haggle a bit for one. I often remember exactly where my purchases have come from, even years later which is why my flea market finds are the perfect souvenir for me.

My friends know that my favorite slogan about antiquing (or shopping in general) is “it’s only expensive if you don’t use it”. My philosophy is that there’s nothing I buy that’s for “display” only. I enjoy using every vintage and antique item I’ve acquired in my travels or purchased at home. Even if something gets damaged or broken from use, I’ve “gotten my money’s worth” enjoying and using my flea market finds. Since everyone knows that I’m a bargain hunter, they also know that I always pay a lot less than something’s value anyway 😊.

So, what are my 3 best flea markets in Paris?

Puces de Saint-Ouen

The first of my favorite Paris flea markets is located just outside of the city proper. This legendary flea market is known by several names: Le Marché aux Puces de Paris Saint-Ouen, Les Puces de Clignancourt, or simply Les Puces (fleas). It’s the oldest flea market in Paris with origins from the 1870s, although its official birthdate is listed as 1885.

Les Puces is declared the world’s largest antiques and vintage flea market covering 17 acres and over 10 miles of alleyways. There are 5-6 primary shopping streets, 12 covered markets, countless sidewalk tables of merchandise with 2,500+ stalls. On a typical weekend between 100,000-200,000 shoppers visit. So, that’s about 5-10 million visitors annually! Here’s a map with more details about what you might find in each market and where they are located.

Getting to Saint-Ouen flea market

In 2023, we discovered a different route to arrive at the flea market via Metro Garibaldi. It’s only 4-5 minutes longer than our usual route using the Porte de Clignancourt Metro.

This new route is much more scenic and pleasant and you avoid walking through the “not so nice area” mentioned below. This map is a section of the full map provided by the official flea market website I linked to above.

Top left of this map is the Garibaldi Metro stop. When you exit the metro, cross rue Kléber and walk through the very small park (Square Marmottan) adjacent to the church. There are street signs directing you to the Marché aux Puces. At the park exit is Rue des Rosiers. Turn right and this becomes the main street into the flea market. It’s about a 15-minute walk from the Garibaldi metro.

The Porte de Clignancourt entrance is at the bottom right of this map.

If you choose to arrive via the slightly closer Porte de Clignancourt Metro, you’ll walk about 10 minutes through a very ethnically diverse neighborhood crammed with street vendors selling cheap clothing, shoes, electronics, knock off merchandise and other trinkets before you finally enter the actual flea market. So don’t let this first impression deter you, but know that it’s not the best of areas, nor is it a part of the real flea market. Walk past this area and follow the crowd underneath the ring road (Périphérique) to enter the official flea market on Rue des Rosiers.

Whichever direction you arrive, follow general safety precautions to avoid standing out as a distracted tourist and a target for pick pockets. Of course, this can be said for any place with lots of people. See my Top 10 secrets for Paris flea market shopping and safety for a related article addressing safety and shopping.

Let the shopping begin!

Once you arrive on Rue des Rosiers, from here you may choose to seek out a particular market to find something specific or do what I do and enjoy the day searching for unexpected finds with no agenda or direction in mind. Prices are higher in the covered markets as these are professional vendors with high quality items. However, you can find some bargains lurking around at times and certainly on the merchandise tables along the sidewalks and the boxes on the ground are always fun to rummage through.

It’s easy to spend an entire day roaming around aimlessly and getting lost in the maze of alleyways and shopping galleries. It can be exhausting and overwhelming with so many locals and tourists alike, but there are plenty of places to take a break and eat should you get hungry along the way. Please check the flea market’s website for any updates on opening times, days, or maps.

What will you find here? Everything from top quality furniture, rugs, chandeliers, silver, crystal and collectibles to low to moderately priced antiques, decorative items, household goods, clothing, etc. You name it, you’ll probably see it for sale. While you’re here, don’t miss Futuro House (1968) in Marché Dauphine. It’s one of only about 60 remaining “UFO” houses which were originally built as portable chalets. This one served as restaurant in Paris for almost 20 years.

Recommended route 2023: Metro station Garibaldi (line 13)
Or Metro Porte de Clignancourt (line 4)

Weekend hours: Friday: 8-noon, Saturday, Sunday & Monday: 10-6 pm. Note that on Mondays there are fewer shops open than on the weekend.

Marché aux puces de la Porte de Vanves

Vanves is still my favorite Paris flea market!

This free, open-air market is located in the 14^th arrondissement. I think it is much more manageable, with fewer crowds and more friendly, casual vendors.

According to their website, this market was established in 1905. Today there are 350-400 vendors every weekend (rain or shine). The booths are lined up along several streets with tables, tents, stalls, blankets, and sometimes open car trunks to display merchandise.

My experience is that the prices here are still much lower and it has more bargains than what I find at the large flea market. However, the larger market does have more furniture and a wide variety of top-quality pieces with corresponding prices to match. I feel the Vanves market caters to more affordable, decorative household, and collectible items overall. You’ll just never know what goodies you’ll find here.

I always plan to get there early morning as some vendors start packing up around lunchtime. It’s primarily located in a more residential area. However, there are restaurants and bistros around to enjoy a meal or glass of wine. Of course, you can always bring a sandwich and picnic while you shop.

What will you find here? Antiques, vintage items, books, artwork, porcelain, kitchen ware, bar items, photos, records, silver, crystal, and lots of other assorted items.

Getting there:  Metro: Line 13: Porte de Vanves
Weekend hours: Saturdays and Sundays from 7am to 2pm

Rue d’Aligre Flea Market 

My third favorite market, but with a caveat

Located in the 12^th arrondissement, this is a more traditional, small flea market (35-40 vendors). It has an array of vintage and secondhand merchandise, mostly on the lower end of quality. It feels more like a “garage sale” event than a flea market. Although, on one trip I did find a few nice items mixed in with a bit of junk. There are usually lots of boxes stacked on the ground to rummage through, which is always a fun hunt for me. This year it seemed that there were more vendors with vintage and antique items than in previous years. There were lots of people shopping today, both in the square and inside the covered market. You’ll also find clothes, shoes, books and other household items.

The flea market is at one end of Place d’Aligre, sharing the space with an open-air produce market. It’s also the only flea market I could find that’s open during the week. So, if you’re looking for one mid-week, rather than a weekend, this is about your only option.

This market is adjacent to the historic covered food market Marché Beauvau, commonly called Marché d’Aligre, because of its location. Here you’ll find all sorts of specialty foods, gourmet cheese, meats, fish, and other treats. I probably wouldn’t make the trip just for the flea market alone, but visiting all three markets in one morning certainly makes the trip worthwhile.

Finding other Paris flea markets

You can also find other temporary and pop-up antique and vintage markets in Paris by checking the vide-greniers.org website. Vide Greniers means to “empty the attic”. These sales events last a day or weekend, but the site also lists brocantes. Brocante is the French word for secondhand merchandise, flea market, or vintage shopping. My favorite website to find antique markets all around France is Brocabrac. You can search by zip code using the first two digits and then choose brocante if you only want to find antique sales. Here are a few photos of pop-up flea markets I found online that we visited while in Paris this year. These antique markets are held in neighborhoods and public squares all over the city and are just as much fun as the permanent markets.

I often get asked about the types of things I buy and how expensive vintage items are at flea markets in Europe. Since I only buy what I can pack in my backpack or carryon, all my purchases must be small.

Here are some of my bargain finds. On the upper left is a Christofle silver and crystal cruet set I bought for €30. I found the French Limoges porcelain cups and saucers on a bargain table for €1 each. Likewise for the crystal liqueur glasses, €1 each. The small French porcelain bowls were €10 for the set of four. Since I collect café au lait bowls whenever I find them, I thought these would be a fun complement. As you can see, my “treasures” aren’t expensive, but they are things I like.

Happy treasure hunting!