The Paris Saint-Ouen Flea Market, Episode 332
Join Us in France Travel Podcast
Annie Sargent
4.8 • 1.1K Ratings
🗓️ 11 April 2021
⏱️ 61 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Today Annie Sargent brings you a conversation with Eva Jorgensen about the Paris Saint-Ouen flea market. It is one of the biggest, most famous flea market in the world. This flea market gets almost 5 million visitors a year which is impressive because it’s only open 3 days a week!
In this episode of the podcast, we talk about vintage clothes shopping, antiques, and wonderful old items you could bring back in your suitcase. It's really about the thrill of the hunt, and the wonderful surprises you might find at the Marché aux puces de Saint-Ouen.
Eva is the author of Paris by Design
10 Pro Tips About the Paris Saint-Ouen Flea Market
- Go on a Monday if you'd like to see it on a quiet day.
- Fridays: Supposedly the flea market is ONLY open on Friday mornings for dealers. Eva went on a Friday morning and nobody asked if she was a dealer (she's not). So, if you can only go on a Friday, it's also a possibility, but only in the morning.
- It's best to AVOID the Porte de Clignancourt metro stop, even though that's the way Google Maps will tell you to go. If you go that way you'll run into the giant highway and all the people who setup on the sidewalk and sell junk and trinkets. Generally, Annie avoids any metro stations called "porte de" around Paris as explained in Episode 194 about Dicey Paris neighborhoods.
- You'll have a better experience going to the Garibaldi metro station on line 13. You cross the street and go through the garden on the side of the church (called Notre-Dame-du-Rosaire-Saint-Ouen, it's big, you can't miss it) and you'll exit the garden at rue des Rosiers (93400) turn right and walk 1 kilometer. You'll enter at the back of the Paris Saint-Ouen Flea Market.
- Part of Saint-Ouen is definitely sketchy, but if you take this way to the market, you'll walk through a quiet residential neighborhood. Eva walked there by herself and felt totally safe going that way, whereas she didn't enjoy going via the Porte de Clignancourt station. See map below.
- If you arrive at the Paris Saint-Ouen Flea Market via the Garibaldi metro station, you'll get to the Marché Paul Bert first. One way to make sure you don't miss it is to tell your favorite map app on your phone to take you to a restaurant called Ma Cocotte.
- Stick to the market itself, it is completely safe.
- At lunch time notice how several vendors will eat together around a folding table and maybe play some cards or something. It adds to the friendly atmosphere.
- At the Paul Bert café don't miss the chocolat chaud à l'ancienne (hot chocolate), Eva also likes the classic bistro lunch like croque-madame with a side salad.
- Le Comptoir des Puces is a little hideaway place inside of Marché Serpette, a great place for a break.
The official page for the Paris Saint-Ouen flea market in English.
The episode page for this episode is here: https://joinusinfrance.com/332
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | This is Join us in France episode 322. |
| 0:04.4 | Bonjou, I'm Annie Sergeant and join us in France is the podcast where we look around France |
| 0:09.6 | so you can really connect to France. |
| 0:12.4 | We talk about French lifestyle, food, wine, destinations, and travel |
| 0:17.0 | in general all over France because those conversations will help you have a better experience in France. |
| 0:24.0 | Today I bring you a conversation with Eva Jorgensen about the Paris Saint-Antoine Flea |
| 0:29.5 | Flea market. It is one of the biggest and most famous flea markets in the world. |
| 0:35.0 | They boast 5 million visitors a year which is impressive because it's only open three days of week, |
| 0:42.0 | Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays. I've been hesitant to recommend |
| 0:46.2 | it because it has a mixed reputation. I don't mean the market per se has a mixed reputation. The market has a great reputation. The issue is the neighborhood. I mean the |
| 0:58.9 | centwifly market and the centunice cathedral are both in the 4th-33th which is the 7th Saint-Dune department. |
| 1:08.8 | It is densely populated, younger than average, lowest average income in France, and if you follow French |
| 1:15.8 | news you hear problems about the 93rd department a lot and we call it |
| 1:21.7 | LeCatorventres because everybody knows what that means |
| 1:24.4 | okay? Should that stop you having talked with Eva and having been there myself I |
| 1:30.8 | don't think so but it is the sort of place where a little knowledge goes a long way. |
| 1:37.1 | There are public transportation options everywhere in Paris. |
| 1:41.1 | On the map, they all look the same. In reality some stops are not as advisable as others. |
| 1:48.1 | There is a right way to get to the St. Juan flea market and a wrong way to get to the cent when flea market, listen up, Eva will tell you how to navigate |
| 1:58.0 | this like a pro. |
| 2:00.2 | Also for those of you who enjoy the Join Us in France Close Group on Facebook, I am looking |
| 2:04.7 | for a few people to help me administer the group. |
... |
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