Best Provence Markets

Can anyone tell me the which great food markets we need to go to in Provence and what days they are. This would be very helpful.

Thanks.

[teetytot]

I'd also recommend the Thursday morning Nyons market. Unlike some of the better known markets such as the ones in Carpentras and Vaison-la-Romaine, the Nyons market has a higher percentage of local artisanal vendors and farmers from the surrounding area. The market is quite large and sells everything from food, fresh and prepared) to soaps, lavender, clothes--new and used--jewelry, plants and quilts.

I highly recommend the markets in Apt and in Avignon. If you make it to Apt, look for the paella man and the "saucisson" counter. I also bought wonderful organic honey there.
I always found the Avignon market to be really lively and a great source of wonderful produce. Both markets are also great photo ops!
Have a great time!
Sara

Agde is maybe a bit out of your way being actually in Languedoc but if you get that far has a magnificent market on Thursdays, definitely worth a trip. Goes on for about a mile and has a huge food section where local people bring honeys, cheeses, etc. as well as produce. Go early as it disappears like magic at lunchtime. (If you have time to stay a week, check online Chez-Nous for reasonable houses rented in Agde by local resident of this unspoiled town: you can spend a happy week shopping and cooking then eating on your rooftop.)

Just returned from Provence. Hopefully will post a full report soon. I can say w/o hesitation that for food the market in St. Remy on Wednesday is beyond belief. Absolutely the most amazing collection of food I've ever seen, including the Les Halles in Lyon, which we also visited. Also great for soaps and table linens. Go early. There is a parking lot along the circle by the Brasserie du Commerce and the Carousel. The market spills into this lot, but I think there are some spaces. You can try donkey sausage if you like. The strawberries are amazing, as are the fishmongers' wares. I bought prawns as big as squirrels.

The market in Isle Sur La Sorgue on Sunday is also very nice. Good food but not as good as St. Remy. Loads of antiques.

Whenever we travel in Provence, we plan our trips to ensure a visit to the market at Arles on Saturday mornings. There's usually plenty of parking just outside the walls of the old city, after which you can walk by the arena towards and past the Forum where you'll find the entire main boulevard given over to IMO one of the best food markets in France. It closes at 12:00 at which point you can adjourn for lunch at one of the many restaurants nearby (L'Olivier, par example) and spend the afternoon roaming the Musee arlesienne and the cloisters at St. Trophime.

Save Sunday for a visit to nearby Isle sur la Sorgue where there's not only a fine antiquities/brocante market along a lovely venue but many retail antique stores open as well.

And if you're in the Vaucluse, one of the largest markets I've ever visited is in Vaison-la-Romaine on Tuesday mornings where the stalls seem to wind their way through the entirety of the lower city.

Enjoy.

Where in Provence are you going to be? Someone gave me a gift of a book called, 'Markets of Provence.' It's very helpful and easy on the eyes, too. It's also got recipes and I'm using it for our trip to the area around Saignon in September. Patricia Wells also has a section about markets in her book, 'A Food Lover's Guide to France.'

I second the recommendation of Markets of Provence. It's an invaluable planning tool for any trip to Provence. You can buy a used copy through Amazon for cheap -- be sure to click through from the Chowhound homepage to support the site.

We will be in Lourmarin. And then were thinking of spending a couple of night om the Core D'Azur.

Here's a list of nearby towns to Lourmarin - and some of the market days listed in Markets of Provence. Cadenet is the closest. I can highly recommend a Sunday lunch at Auberge de la Loube which is also close to you in Buoux.

Nearby: [ Aix-en-Provence 37 km | Ansouis 9 km | Apt 18 km | Avignon 55 km | Bonnieux 12 km | Cadenet 4 km | Cavaillon 31 km | Gordes 26 km | Lacoste 17 km | Luberon | Ménerbes 21 km | Pertuis 16 km | Plus Beaux Villages | Roussillon 25 km | Vaugines 5 km |

Cadenet - Monday
Tuesday - La Tour D'Aigues
Wednesday - St. Remy
Thursday - Aix
Friday - Bonnieux
Saturday - Apt
Sunday - L'Isle Sur la Sorgue

Happy Eating!!

Hi
I second most of the above, but would add that it is well worth visiting the covered market, Les Halles in Avignon itself (Place Pie, every morning) - it has fantastic and unusual fruit and veg, some deli counters with delicious home made pasta, great selection of cheeses, particularly goat and great mushrooms in autumn.

My personal favourite and a little off the beaten track is the farmers' market in Velleron - every night at 6pm, where lots of small producers gather to sell their wares - you'll find really ripe produce at great prices, and some really unusual varieties too.

By the way the market in Arles has great old varieties of tomatoes and squashes - really ugly, but great flavours.

A bit off the subject, but you should try the jam man at Oppede (can't remember the name, but it's signposted in the village (Confiture - Les Artisanales en Provence). He makes the most amazing varieties - pear and vanilla, strawberry, balsamic vinegar and mint - too many to name. I think there are about 24 varieties and you can taste them all. there are chutneys too and he makes sorbets.

hope you have a lovely time.
Lindsay

Lucky you -- we rented in Lourmarin a few years back and loved it. The book lists its market day as Friday but I vaguely remember it was a different day or there were 2 market days -- when you arrive you can check with your hosts. Anyway, we put ourselves on the list with the rotisserie chicken man early on, did our shopping, and came back to claim our chickens at the end of the morning and had quite the most delicious lunch on the terrace of our apartment that day! I've had rotisserie chickens from markets in other parts of France but the ones from the Lourmarin market were particularly good.

The Thursday market in Aix and the Friday one in Lourmarin were my favorites.