You’ll come across flea markets and brocante fairs all over France. The French have all sorts of different brocante fairs: vide-greniers, dépôts-vente and braderies. Their brocante is our bric-a-brac and going to a flea market or brocante sale is part of a summer holiday. The only slight drawback? You’ll have to be pretty quick to pick up the kind of fabulous bargain you might have found in the past.

The French have discovered the attractions of those old tins, quaint farm implements and Art Nouveau china. Everything is here, including items you don’t even know exist. Browse stalls from antique and Art Deco to tin signs and breakfast bowls, from china to old books, jewellery to glassware.

But don’t worry; flea markets and brocante fairs are great fun and you can pick up the odd bargain. If you see something you fall in love with and it’s a bit more than you budgeted, well go for it anyway. You may never see such an item again.

Flea markets and brocante fairs are all-year round affairs but come high summer and they’re joined by vide-greniers (literally emptying the attics) when whole villages become one glorious rummage sale.

Paris Flea markets (Marchés aux Puces)

These Paris flea markets are world famous, and very crowded in high season (and pretty busy all year round). They take place at weekends, and the major ones are on the Boulevard Périphérique ring road. 

Saint Ouen

The big daddy of them all is Saint Ouen, better known as the Clignancourt Flea Market or Puces de Clignancourt. Founded in the 19^th century, it’s an enormous site. 14 distinct markets offer, well…everything from paintings and tapestries to antique musical instruments, from old photographs to vintage garments.
If you haven’t been there before, go to Rue des Rosiers where most of the markets are set up. Be prepared for crowds; this is the 4^th large tourist attraction in France.
It’s open Sat, Sun 9am-6pm; Mon 11am-5pm.
Metro: Porte de Clignancourt (ligne 4) / Garibaldi (ligne 13)

Puces de Vanves

Puces de Vanves is less famous and smaller, occupying two streets. It’s easier to navigate but if you want the best and the bargains get there early, around 7.30am. There are plenty of places to pick up a coffee and croissant. Around 350 stalls set up in Avenue Marc Sangnier and Ave Georges Lafenestre, Paris 14.
It’s open Sat and Sun 7am-2pm.
Metro: Ligne 13 to Porte de Vanves

Puces de Montreuil

Puces de Montreuil is more of a flea market where 500 stalls are piled high with a mixture of objects and quality. It’s not as popular with tourists as the other flea market, so you might be able to find a bargain. Alongside antiques are second-hand clothes, and designer copies, hardware and the odd gems like posters and prints.
It’s open Saturday to Monday 7am-7.30pm.
Metro: Ligne 9 to Porte de Montreuil

Vide-greniers

Many small towns and villages hold vide greniers in the summer. Some are good; some not so good. But they’re always fun. They’re usually a mix of locals emptying their attics or barns, and professional brocante dealers. It’s easy to tell which is which – the dealers have large vans, renovated furniture, better items and the best spots. Families often have children selling their toys and parents getting rid of well…pretty much everything.

I’ve found many bargains (or what I think are bargains) in my local vide grenier at Paulhaguet in the Auvergne: bistrot glasses, a whole slew of lovely mismatched plates and crockery, and old kitchen equipment that given a quick clean and polish now takes pride of place in my house.

A week or two before, you’ll come across hand made signs on the roads around the villages announcing their vide greniers, which often come with very local festivals, and the odd rustic dance and fireworks. Or go to the local tourist office which will have information on the sales in your area.

There’s also an excellent French vide-greniers website giving most of the sales by department so they are easy to find. It also gives local Christmas markets and special brocante fairs.

Dépot-ventes

The French flock to dépot-ventes, shops or warehouses where you can buy second-hand goods. They exist all over France; just look for the signs outside buildings. Many of them are commercial ventures, individually owned, but there are a couple of organizations that fall into the depot-ventes category with outlets throughout the country.

Emmaus

We came across an Emmaus store in Le Puy-en-Velay in the Auvergne but there are Emmaus outlets all over France.

The international Emmaus Movement was founded by L’Abbé Pierre (1912-2007), a French catholic priest who was a member of the Resistance in World War II then became a politician. Emmaus helps the poor, the homeless and refugees. The shops collect donations and then sort, sometimes repair/renovate the items and sell them on.

The shops are run by volunteers and can be pretty chaotic. They can yield the odd treasure, but can also be depressingly full of junk. You just have to take a chance. Having said that, I’ve bought collections of cutlery for a couple of euros, a collectable small Pernod jug, and a chair that may be full of woodworm but which is very beautiful.

You’ll need to check with the local tourist office for locations of the Emmaus shops. The website advises you in French about your local store, but it’s not an easy site to navigate.

Troc.com

This is another organization with depots all over France. Again, you take pot luck. You have to sort through an awful lot of stuff and they take new items from bankrupt shops or stock as well.

My latest haul included a wooden cradle with basket, a set of butchers’ hooks which double as coat hooks and a wooden spice rack. I rejected a rather battered wooden statue of Serge Gainsbourg in his early years looking pretty disheveled and have regretted it ever since.

Check the nearest troc.com at the local tourist office or search online for your nearest. Their website is more geared up to buying/selling on line and not very helpful.

Annual Brocante Fairs

Brocante fairs have become famous in France. The best known is the 36 hour market in Lille, but there are brocante fairs in Amiens and the rest of France as well. Check them out, with their dates, in the Best Brocante and Flea Market Fairs.

Looking for antiques in Normandy

Le Perche in lower Normandy is a lovely area and less well known to visitors. But if you’re an antiques lover you must visit the area. It’s full of brocante shops so there’s a good choice. You’ll have competition; it’s a favorite area for Parisians who are always on the lookout for chic old items.

A really useful source for antiques in Normandy and Pays de la Loire is this facebook group. Lots of information on where to buy, what people are stocking etc. It was started by Cider Barn Brocante in Le Housseau-Brétignolles in Mayenne. Read the story about the founder and her move to France and a new life here.

Bellême has good antique shops and also holds an antiques and brocante fair each weekend. Check the shops at the tourist office.
Mortagne-au-Perche and Nogent-le-Rotrou have a good selection of antique shops.

Take the D923 south west of Nogent-le-Rotrou for 6.5 kms/4.8 miles and you’ll come to La Brocante de Brigitte. It’s one of the roadside barns full of tempting items in the area.

If you’re doing a serious antique shopping expedition to Normandy, take the car! Check out how to get to Normandy here.
More about Normandy
As you travel around France you’ll come across many more flea markets and brocante fairs, not to mention local vide-greniers. Happy rummaging!

More Shopping in France

Here’s information on discount and outlet shopping, as well as annual sales in France.

Provence Food Markets are some of the best in the world

More things to do in France in the summer

Events in France in July
Events in France in August

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Visiting the glorious Christmas markets in France is one of the great joys of the holidays, for both the French and for foreign visitors. These wonderful Christmas marchés de Noël fill cities, towns and villages throughout France from the end of November through December with some going on for a few days in January 2026.

Here’s my pick of some of the best Christmas markets in France. They run from Caen in Normandy to Avignon in the south. And in the east, the oldest Christmas market of all, in Strasbourg. If you know of a Christmas market you think I should include, please do tell me.

I have included times when I have them. Check with the local tourist office for more information. Christmas markets are closed on December 25 (except for Colmar and Toulouse); many finish early on Dec 24 and Dec 31. Some continue into the first few days of January 2026.

Here you’ll find the best Christmas markets in North France . The north France article also covers accommodation which I check regularly. So I hope you’ll find it useful. One of my favourites is in Amiens where France’s oldest Gothic cathedral provides the perfect backdrop.

North France

Normandy

Caen

Caen is a wonderful city to visit but it’s too often used only as a ferry entry port for holiday makers going south and visitors miss its glories. The Christmas market adds a great reason to visit Caen in the winter. Over 60 wooden chalets fill Place de la République and Boulevard Maréchal Leclerc, with the lit up château on the nearby hill providing the right backdrop. Traditional French items from nativity figurines to pain d’épices (gingerbread), and a grotto with Father Christmas. Eat good snacks, and take a glass of mulled wine (or Calvados – you’re in the heart of the area!)

On Saturday 6 December around 5.30 pm when it’s dark, the theatre company Les Quidams takes to the streets. The actors become ivory horses, prancing and dancing through the city centre with Santa Claus.

Caen Christmas Market Dates: Nov 29-Dec 28, 2025.
Closed Dec 25 and closes on Dec 24 and 31 at 4pm.
Caen Market Information

Rouen

The ancient city of Rouen and capital of Normandy always pulls out the stops. 82 wooden chalets sell all the great French goodies in the Place de la Cathédrale with the magnificent backdrop of the cathedral as an illuminated backdrop.

Skating rinks and Santa’s Grotto feature at Rouen Givré (Frosty Rouen). There’s plenty of street entertainment taking over the city’s historic streets (including of course the place where Joan of Arc was burnt at the stake).

Rouen Christmas Market: Nov 21, 2025-Jan 5, 2026
Open Mon 2-8pm; Tues-Thurs 11am-8pm; Fri 11am-9pm; Sat 10am-9pm; Sun 10am-8pm.

Rouen Tourist Office

Champagne

Reims

Christmas is the time for bubbly and Christmas so it’s appropriate that Reims, capital of Champagne, holds one of the biggest fairs in the region and it’s one of the best Christmas markets in France. It takes place at les promenades Jean Louis Schneiter, in front of the station and on the esplanades port de Mars. But you’ll also find a lot of smaller markets throughout the city offering gourmet experiences, children’s entertainment more. 150 chalets offer good quality gifts, glass, ceramics, food and wine.

Reims Christmas Market: Nov 26-December 28, 2025
Mon 2-8pm, Tues-Thurs 10.30am-8pm; Fri, Sat 10.30am-9pm; Sun 10.30am-8pm. Monday Dec 20 & 27 10.30am-8pm.

If you’re here visit one of the great Champagne houses in Reims.

And try to make the great Champagne and Christmas weekend in Epernay. I had a wonderful time at Les Habits de Lumière as the second city of Champagne lets its hair down in spectacular fashion. This year it’s Dec 12th to 14th.

Paris

You’ll find Christmas markets all over Paris. There are between 15 and 20 of them!

Paris Christmas Markets

Notre-Dame Cathedral Market

Nov 28-Dec 25, 2025
The Christmas market beside Notre-Dame promises an exciting mix of stalls selling arts and crafts and some very good gourmet delights. The great medieval cathedral of Paris re-opens on Dec 8, 2024 so time your visit later to see how far the restoration has got.
6 Parvis Notre-Dame
Pl. Jean-Paul II
Paris 1
Metro:  Hôtel de Ville

La Magie de Noël (Jardin de Tuileries)

Visit the Tuileries Christmas market just by the Louvre, where 100 or so stalls offer all the right treats. There’s a huge Big Wheel, plus carnival rides, an ice skating rink, and a Champagne bar if you’re fed up with mulled wine. It glitters and sparkles with all the magic of the season.
Nov 15, 2025-Jan 4, 2026

Jardin de Tuileries
Place de la Concorde
Paris 1
Metro: Tuileries or Concorde

East France

Alsace

Alsace first introduced Christmas markets into France from Germany so it’s a particularly rich region for the festive season.

Colmar

Colmar has 6 different markets in the old city. It’s mainly pedestrianised so you can stroll around them easily. 60 wooden huts in the Place des Domenicans sell decorations and gifts. In the Place Jeanne d’Arc you can stock up on local food and drink from cured meats to wines and eau-de-vie spirits. 50 more surround the Schwendi fountain by the canal. The indoor market in the medieval Koïfhus sells local artisans’ works. After you’ve bought to your heart’s content here, drop into the Decapole Hall for more in a museum setting.

A children’s market takes over Petite Venise where you can let the children loose on the merry-go-round before they post a letter to Father Christmas. Don’t miss the evenings when children sing carols from boats moored on the canal. There are skating rinks and many of the nearby shopsare open on Sundays during the Market.

Colmar really pushes the boat out with carol concerts and choirs all around the city as well as special events. The city describes itself as an ‘open-air theatre’ and for once, it’s true.

Colmar Christmas Market: Nov 25, 2025-Jan 4, 2026
Mon-Thurs 11am-7pm; Fri-Sun 10am-8pm. Dec 24: 10am-5pm; Dec 25, 26: 11am-7pm.

Metz

Metz is another of those fabulously popular and top Christmas market in France, rivalling Strasbourg. 5 different markets stretch out with over 120 chalets , from Place de la République with its huge lit up tree to the gourmet train in Place de la Comédie. Christmas tasting specialities are in Place Saint-Jacques; a big wheel in Place d’Armes that looks over the cathedral, and local arts and crafts in Place Saint Louis.

Metz Christmas Market Nov 24-Dec 30, 2024  
Place Saint Louis/Saint-Jacques/d’Armes/la Republique
Sun to Thurs 11am-9pm; Fri, Sat 11am-10pm.

Place de la Comédie Sun to Thurs 5pm-11pm, Fri, Sat 11am-11pm. 

Mulhouse

Make your way to the Place de la Réunion in the old city centre overlooked by the lovely city hall. Here you find around 90 wooden chalets, all decorated in a special fabric designed each year. It’s an appropriate thing to do; the Museum of Printed Textiles has the largest collection of textile images in the world. The textile industry, which enriched the city from the 18th century, began in 1746.

Again the city has special markets and events like the opening of the Advent calendar on December 1, concerts of Christmas music and bric-a-brac days.

Mulhouse Christmas Market: Nov 21 to Dec 27, 2025
Sun-Thurs 11am-8pm; Fri 11am-9pm; Sat 10am-9pm. Dec 24, 27 10am-6pm; Dec 26 noon-8pm.

Strasbourg

It all began, so the story goes, in Strasbourg in 1570. Today, the biggest city in Alsace welcomes around 2 million visitors to its Christkindelsmärik.

300 stands spread out from Place Broglie and Cathedral Square to other parts of the city. The highest Christmas tree in Europe occupies Place Kleber with a further two trees erected in Place des Hall, lighting up daily at 5pm. Over 300 stalls fill the streets with all sorts of goodies.

This is one of the great European Christmas markets and the city responds with a spectacular light display. Walk through the illuminated entrances on either end of the Grand rue. The rue des Tonneliers is appropriately decorated with 22 twinkling barrels. You can skate outside the cathedral and follow the Nativity Trail from the Bishop’s place in Rue Brulée, in windows of shops along Rue des Juifs, and the Place du Chateau. 

Strasbourg Christmas Market: Nov 26 to Dec 24, 2025

Franche-Comté

Montbéliard

Les lumières de Noël transform this delightful town into a glittering Christmas event. 180 stalls cluster around Saint Paul and the surrounding streets, selling high quality artisan good and gifts. There are exhibitions, concerts and street spectacles. For something different the good fairy Aunt Airie accompanies Father Christmas.

Montbéliard Christmas Market: Nov 22-Dec 24, 2025
Mon 2-8pm; Tues-Sat 10.30am-8pm; Fri 10.30am-9pm; Sat 1-am-9pm; Sun 10am-9pm except Dec 24 when it closes at 6pm.

South of France

Avignon

The Cour Jean Jaurès has 20 wooden chalets selling food and drink from the region and beyond. Stock up on chocolates, truffles, sausages, olives and more either here and in the Place de l’Horloge.

Or take home designer items like olive wood spoons and boards, jewellery and textiles, particularly Provençal fabrics. You won’t have to go far to find santons, little painted terracotta nativity figures. The best artisan ones are expensive, but will last a lifetime.

The town hall has an astonishing nativity scene. You’ll find jazz, concerts, exhibitions and more at the various museums and attractions throughout the city.

Midnight Masses and Nativity celebrations take place on Dec 24th and 25th.

Avignon Christmas Market: Nov 28-Dec 28, 2025
Daily 10am-7pm

Toulouse

Held in December in the centre of this lovely pink city, the market has a bit of everything from gourmet region food specialties (of course) to local artisans’ stalls. Over 100 stalls are in the spacious Place du Capitol square.

Toulouse Christmas Market: Nov 27-Dec 28, 2025
Sun-Thurs 10.30am-8.30pm; Fri, Sat 10.30am-10pm; Dec 24 10.30am-7pm; 25 2-8.30pm; 26 10.30am-7pm

French Atlantic Coast

Bordeaux

If you’re on the French Atlantic coast, the Bordeaux Christmas market is a definite must. Over 150 stalls sell great gifts, food and of course mulled wine. It mostly takes place in the Allées de Tournay but there’s also the Darwin Christmas Market which features socially and environmentally conscious artisans environmentally-conscious artisans there. This year try the new organic chocolate stand where they make and sell chocolate. The boat has its floating Christmas market; there are great light shows, a Christmas circus, concerts by candlelight and more.

Bordeaux Christmas Market: Nov 28-Dec 28, 2025
Daily 11am-9pm

Guide to Glorious Bordeaux
And while you’re there, don’t miss the Cité du Vin

If you’re in the Loire Valley or Paris, visit one of the châteaux that dress themselves up so beautifully over the Christmas holidays. A Christmas Châteaux.

And if it helps…here’s a bit more information

The best Christmas Markets in north France

How the French celebrate Christmas

Festive Christmas Food in France

Events in France in November 2025

Events in France in December 2025

Food Festivals in France

French Public Holidays

More Practical Information

More about Getting to France from the UK

Most of the towns have cheap hotels. Check the budget hotel chain options.

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The best brocante and flea markets in France offer some real bargains (and a great day out as well). They’re very popular with the French so there’s hefty competition for those bargains. Visiting one of the most popular and well-known markets requires some canny forward planning. Savvy visitors book hotels in advance, arrive with an empty car and leave triumphantly overladen.

Best Brocante and Flea Market Fairs in North France

North France is a particularly good hunting ground for brocante and flea market fairs which is good news if you’re in the UK and can get over the Channel easily. Many of the towns have two fairs a year – in Spring and Autumn. Here’s how to get to France by ferry.

Apr 19, 2026: La Grande Réderie d’Amiens, Picardy, Hauts-de-France. This is north France’s second largest fair with around 2,000 exhibitors and over 80,000 visitors coming to snatch up bargains. It started in 1909 and is always held on the second last Sunday in April and the first Sunday in October. It takes over 51 streets in the town and starts around 2am when the real bargain hunters turn up. 
If you’re driving there,  leave your car at the Parking du Coliseum in the centre of Parking du Port d’Aval around a 5-minute walk from the market.

Jun 21, 2026: Brocante de Maroilles. Maroilles, Nord, Hauts-de-France is known more for its smelly cheese than its brocante and flea market, but do try to come to this one. Over 600 stalls attract nearly 80,000 visitors who come for good antiques and bric-a-brac. There’s also a Salon Artisanale for local crafts over the weekend, and a lot of street entertainment.

July 14, 2026: Montreuil-sur-Mer, Pas-de-Calais, Hauts-de-France. Charming  Montreuil-sur-Mer adds to the celebrations on Bastille Day with its annual brocante fair. It’s a small affair compared to its big brothers, but there’s still plenty to buy here from the approximately 500 stall holders who fill the streets, and with fewer crowds it’s less manic. Then there’s plenty to see at around 10.30pm, as fireworks shoot off into the sky from the Citadel.

Sep 5-76 2026: La Grand Braderie de Lille, Lille, Nord, Hauts-de-France. This is north France’s largest fair with over 10,000 exhibitors displaying pretty well everything you could imagine and a whole lot more. It opens at 8am on Saturday and goes on all night then finishes at 6pm on Sunday. There’s a great tradition in Lille: during the fair people eat moules frites then pile up the shells outside the restaurant. It’s a local, unofficial competition to see which restaurant has the largest pile. 
If you’re staying at a hotel inside the central area, take note: you cannot move your car between 7pm on Friday and 6am on Monday.
Official parking arrangements

Best Brocante and Flea Market Fairs in the rest of France

Central France

Chatou, Yveline, Île-de-France
Mar 13-22, 2026: Foire de Chatou.  Originating from a centuries-old Ham Fair, it then became the Foire à la Brocante et aux Jambons (Flea Market and Hams Fair) in 1840. It still features food (and pork and ham) as well as oysters and wine but its main purpose is antiques, offered by over 700 dealers to 35,000 visitors. It’s one of the biggest, and most popular, antique fairs in France. It’s on the Ile des Impressionnistes, north east of Paris
Entrance €10 (free for under 15 years).

Houilles, Yveline, Île-de-France
Oct 4, 2026: La Braderie de Houilles is a major event, hosting around 2000 exhibitors and 300,000 visitors over 6 miles of stalls. Brocante items and a lot of ordinary household items from old kitchen appliances to toys.
Free entry; 7am-6pm.

Durtal,  Maine-et-Loire, Anjou
Sep 27, 2026: Brocante de Durtal is held around the château. The large outdoor fair has around 450 sellers offering everything old and antique to 20,000 or so enthusiasts. 
Free entry; 7am-7pm.

West France

Nantes, Loire Atlantique, Pays de la Loire
End of September/Early October 2026: Antique shops line rue Jean-Jaurès and there’s a great brocante market every Saturday in Nantes, but the annual October market is something else. The Grande Brocante de la Place Viarme in Nantes attracts over 160 dealers selling everything, but being Nantes on the Atlantic coast, look out for nautical items and Quimper ceramics among the furniture, textiles, glasses and more.
Place Viarme; 9am-7pm
The date is not yet fixed for the annual big event.

Bordeaux, Gironde, Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Apr 24-May 10, 2026: Foire à la Brocantes de Quinconces  is the oldest flea market and antiques fair in the region. Over 200 exhibitors and 180,000 visitors flock to the centre of the gorgeous city of Bordeaux for the fair which offers everything from top to bottom, plus 8 places to eat. 
Free entry; 10am-7pm. Tramway B and C to Quinconces stop.
Guide to Glorious Bordeaux

South of France

L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, Vaucluse, PACA
Apr 2-6, 2026: La Foire internationale Antiquités & Brocante is probably the best known (and the best organised) in France, welcoming bargain hunters from all over the world. The 3rd largest market in Europe has 200 exhibitors exhibiting in Gautier Park, on the quays of the Sorgue river. There are experts on hand to authenticate (or not) what you might be about to spend hundred, possibly thousands, or more likely 20 or 30 euros on. The stalls augment the 300 permanent antiques and second-hand shops set up in the town. Check out the Village des Antiquaires de la Gare, a former watermill now housing over 100 permanent dealers.

Pézenas, Herault, Occitanie
May 3, 2026: The two fairs called the Grand Déballage (Great Unpacking) take place on the first Sunday of May and the second Sunday of October each year in the town with around 100 antique and brocante shops. The fairs attract over 200 dealers who arrive with everything from pictures to glassware, old linen to African art. 
Free; 8am-6pm.

Jul 19, 2026: Les Puces Ligneronnaises in Saint-Christophe-du-Ligneron takes place each third Sunday in July. The largest flea market in the Vendée sees around 250 exhibitors selling all kinds of antiques and bric-a-brac. The event Arts & Saveurs takes over the second Sunday in August, combining crafts with food products.

Toulouse – Not to be missed

Every First Weekend of the Month: From Friday to Sunday, La Brocante des Allées flea market sets up in Toulouse, in Allée Forain-Francois Verdier. Browse from around 100 professional stallholders, antique and second-hand dealers for an inspiring mix. A knowledgeable reader alerted me to this one. But if you’re in Toulouse, well worth a quick look.

More about Bargain Buying in France

Other rather grander antique and brocante fairs take place all over France throughout the year. Many of them are in the main exhibition centres of the towns and cities. One of the best is in Rouen which takes place in January and October each year. 1

Jan 16-18, 2026: Puces Rouennaises takes place in the Parc des Exposition in Rouen; entrance is €6.80 and it lasts 3 days.

Such markets around France usually have experts on hand to check authenticity. They aren’t quite as much fun as the open-air markets with their bustle and camaraderie, but they do attract genuine collectors as well as antique dealers with their own shops.

Shopping for Antiques…and Bargains

Flea Markets and Bargain Shopping in France
Discount, Outlet Shopping and Sales in France
Check out the Top Markets in Provence

Geography of France

Regions of France
The Departments of France

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Food in Burgundy is part and parcel of life in this rich region. Burgundy has always been a gourmet destination, stretching back to the 14^th century when the extravagant, wealthy and powerful dukes of Burgundy ruled the land and the living was easy.

Burgundy is a glorious region to visit if you’re a foodie. It’s large, stretching from the fertile, gently rolling countryside of the north, just an hour’s drive south of Paris, to the land of Charolais beef and lush vineyards to the east and south.

What is Burgundy famous for?

Blackcurrants

These sweet, dark little gems are grown all over the region and are used in many dishes from sauces to sorbets.

Crème de cassis, the concentrated sweet, dark red liqueur made from blackcurrants, is added to white wine or Champagne to make the popular aperitif, Kir. Traditionally Aligoté is used, an AOC white Burgundy wine.

Bresse Chicken

This is known the world over for quality and unique taste. Bresse chicken is the only poultry given A.O.C. status.

Burgundy snails

Everybody should try Burgundy snails once in their lives. The French escargot (snail) is found all over France, but those from Burgundy are particularly prized as being larger and more flavorful than the farmed, petits gris (small grays).

Charolais Beef

Given an appellation contrôlée in 2010, the distinctive white cattle reign supreme. In the spring, summer and autumn months, the cattle feeds on the lush pastureland, particularly around Charolles which gave them their name. The beef is famed for its tender, succulent meat.

Mushrooms

There are some 150 different varieties of mushrooms in Burgundy. They grow in the forest of the Morvan and the limestone areas near Vézelay, in the Puisaye, Othe forest and the Châtillonais.

If you do find some, take them to the local chemist (pharamacie) to check they’re edible.  

Truffles

These ‘Black Diamonds’ produce pungent rich flavours. Growing just underground on tree roots, they were originally hunted by pigs. Today dogs are also used. It’s hard to farm them so they are very expensive. Around 50 metric tonnes are harvested in winter each year

Burgundy Cheeses

Burgundy’s notable cheeses date back to the medieval monasteries and their cheese-making monks.

Abbaye de la Pierre qui Vire

Located in the central  Burgundy Morvan forest in the village of St-Léger-Vauban, the Benedictine monks of the abbey first made this cheese from both goats’ and cows’ milk. It’s creamy and with a soft gentle flavor; you can buy it at the Abbey shop along with the pottery the monks make and in local shops as well. The monks no longer make the cheese which has been handed over to a local farmer, but it’s still produced organically.

The farm shop is open daily from 4.30-6pm; the Abbey shop is open Tues-Sun 11am-noon & 3-5pm. More information here.

Charolais is a cheese made from either cow’s or goat’s milk and sometimes a mix of both. The goat variety is nutty when fresh but can also be eaten when it is aged. It is at its best from April to December.

Chaource is made in both Burgundy and Champagne. It’s very pale in colour and is a creamy soft cheese with a white crust. It is in season in summer and autumn.

Chèvre Frais is fresh goat’s cheese. It’s best from spring to autumn when the goats feed outside on fresh herbs and grasses. Some of the best versions are the thick cylinders made in Burgundy, so ask in local cheese shops and in the various open air food markets for a good local goat’s cheese.

Cîteaux is made by the monks of Cîteaux Abbey in Côte d’Or but a small herd of cows means only 100,000 cheese are produced annually.

Epoisses is one of the best known cheeses. This pungent smelling cheese is so runny it’s often eaten with a spoon; it’s also used as a sauce on steak and in tarteflette. It’s called after the small Burgundian village directly east from Avallon though the cheese is made all over Burgundy. This raw cow’s milk cheese is aged slowly and washed daily with the local eau-de-vie known as marc de Bourgogne.

Epoisses

Its origins probably go back to the Cistercian monks at the Abbaye de Cîteaux in the 15^th century. It was called by the gastronome, Brillat-Savarin, as the ‘king of cheeses’.  Buy it locally for the best taste.

Other cheeses similar to Epoisses include Ami du Chambertin, Trou de Cru and Affiné au Chablis.

Montrachet is a goat cheese, wrapped with a chestnut or grape leaf and aged in cool cellars. The best Montrachet cheeses are made from raw goat’s milk.

Soumaintrain comes from the Yonne region. It’s a soft textured cow’s milk cheese with a reddish rind and has a strong smell and spicy flavour. Originating in Soumaintrain it, like Epoisses, gets runnier and smellier as it matures and can be eaten with a spoon. The richest version is made with lait cru (raw milk).

Other Burgundy cheeses to look out for include Saint-Florentin, Brillat-Savarin, and the Mâcon goats cheese, Bouton de Culotte.

Mustard

Dijon, a strategic city on the European spice route in the Middle Ages, is still well known for its mustard makers.

The best known company, Maille, was started by the vinegar maker, Antoine-Claude Maille in 1720. He opened in Dijon a year later and in 1747 opened another one in Paris. Today the old-fashioned shop sells mustards in a bewildering variety of tastes in both jars and from hand pumps. You buy your particular pot and go along to get it filled up.
32 Rue de la Liberté
Tel: +33 3 80 30 41 02
Website

My favorite mustard is Edmond Fallot. It comes in all sorts of unusual and delicious tastes and is more rounded than Maille. Founded in 1840, Fallot is still family owned and uses traditional methods to make its products. If you want to understand the secrets of mustard making, visit the mustard factory in Beaune for a tour.
31 Rue du Faubourg Bretonnièr
Tel: +33 3 80 22 10 02
Website

Burgundy Dishes to Try

Food in Burgundy is taken seriously. You’ll find the following in many local restaurants, so give them a try.

Boeuf Bourguignon is a rich, slow-cooked beef stew braised in red wine (which should be a Burgundy wine). It’s got onions, carrots, garlic and a bouquet garni. It comes garnished with pearl onions, mushrooms and bacons. Great for a winter’s day.

Coq au vin is a dish found all over France. It’s best made in Burgundy from Bresse chicken and cooked in Burgundy wine, then flamed with a splash of Burgundian marc.

Gougères are cheese puffs served with an aperitif before a meal.

Jambon persilleé: (potted ham with parsley) was originally a traditional Easter dish.

Les oeufs en meurette: Eggs poached in a red wine sauce, served with pickled onions, bacon and toast.

La Pôchouse is a dish like Bouillabaisse, made with fresh water fish caught locally. But it’s difficult to find.

Top Burgundy Food Markets

There are markets in every city and town in Burgundy, so ask at the local tourist office for dates and times. Here’s a list of the best food markets in the region by town in the various departments in Burgundy. For more about departments in France, check here.

Autun, Saône-et-Loire:  Wednesdays 7am-1pm in the City Hall and on the forecourt. Also large general market with food on Fridays

Auxerre, Yonne: Tuesday & Friday mornings at Arquebuse market hall
Wednesday morning : rue de la Draperie (greengrocers)
Saturdays morning : place de l’Hôtel de Ville (greengrocers)
Sunday morning : place Degas – ZUP (fruit, vegetables and clothes)

Beaune, Côte d’Or: Wednesday and Saturday mornings in and around the covered Les Halles, opposite the magnificent Hôtel Dieu, of Hospice de Beaune. Saturdays from March to November, there’s a small antiques market on neighbouring place Carnot

Chablis, Yonne: Saturday mornings in rue Auxerrois

Dijon, Côte-d’Or: Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday mornings in and around the covered market, Place du Marché

Chalon-sur- Saône, Saône-et-Loire: Friday and Sunday mornings in Place Saint-Vincent, opposite the cathedral

Joigny, Yonne: Saturday morning in Les halles

Mâcon, Saône-et-Loire: Tuesday to Saturday mornings in the Place aux Herbes, next to the Maison de Bois

Specialty markets and Special Events

Saint-Christophe-en-Brionnais, Saône-et-Loire: Charolais cattle market, held here since 1488, on Wednesday mornings

Noyers-sur-Serein, Yonne: Truffle market on two Sundays in November from local truffle growers. The truffles are first of all checked for quality, then a bell is rung to declare the market open

Gourmet Markets and Events

November 2023: International Gastronomic Fair in Dijon. Food in Burgundy doesn’t get much more serious, and exciting than at this annual festival.

November 17, 2023: Nouveau Beaujolais is released. The wine is produced mostly in Beaujolais, north of Lyons in the Rhone-Alpes region, with a lesser amount produced in the Saône-et-Loire department.

November 19 2023: The Great Wine Auction at Beaune takes place. This is one of the most spectacular charity wine auctions in the world and is conducted by Christie’s auctioneers in the Hospice de Beaune. Collectors taste some rare treasures and all the proceeds go to maintaining the Hospice de Beaune.

More about French Food

The intriguing story of Food in France from Gauls to vegans
Discover the top Food Festivals in France throughout the year
Best Regional French Food
French Christmas Food
Surprisingly, the artist Toulouse-Lautrec was a great cook. He followed the seasons and local produce. More about this unexpected gourmet and the Art of Cuisine.
Compare Burgundy with Food in Provence

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