The Loveliest Flea Market in France
France is riddled with flea markets; or Brocantes, as they are more romantically called. Name a town or city in France and you can pretty much guarantee there is a bustling market taking place most weekends where you can buy anything from a kitchen sink, a copper pan to wash up in it and even the food to go with it. France does flea markets!
With so many to choose from and each having its own unique flavours & characteristics - its jolly difficult to pick a favourite. Being a chap who loves the sunshine, the warmth and smell that Provence supplies in endless measures, its hardly surprising that the markets of the South of France have that magnetic pull that lures me every time.
We’ll cover some of them in other posts, but having just visited what has firmly become my favourite, I feel honour bound to share that with you. It is exceptionally rare for a dealer to share any of their sources with the outside world. Most of us spend our lives closely guarding our hard earned secrets - not wishing to share hidden wells that are the natural source of our stock… but there is something so beautiful about French flea markets that they simply cannot be kept secret and hidden. They are too good not too…
Villeneuve-les-Avignon rests on the opposite side of the river Rhone to its much bigger and grander brother, Avignon. Its a delightfully sleepy little town, with its roots dating back to the 11th century. It has a beautiful old fortress from the 14th century and lovely wine bars from the 21st. In fact, everything you could want! But, more relevant to this post, it has the proud honour of hosting a weekly flea market every single Saturday (from around 7am - 1pm).
To be fair, its much more than a flea market…its really an antiques market or ‘up market brocante’. The sellers are mainly professional dealers and one sees the same faces most visits. By 9am most are fully set up and smiling under the Provencal sun - or sheltering from its mistral winds - chatting away, tucking into a hearty mid morning snifter and sharing tales and stories of their latest finds.
Furniture, chandeliers, ceramics, pots and pans, paintings, prints and frames, mirrors, stuffed teddies and all sorts line the pavement and car park that host the 100+ plus dealers. There really is something for one and all. There is no need to worry about asking for directions - you cannot miss it!
One of the most common questions we are asked when friends hear we are in that part of the world - is where do we recommend to stay for the Villeneuve-les-Avignon market. Well, my dear friends, you have come to the right place - for we have tried them all and can happily recommend one or two!
If its extremely local you are after - ie: roll out of bed and into the market, then look no further than the Hotel De L'Atelier.
It is literally a stones throw from the hustle and bustle of the market - and you cannot really get any nearer, bar sleeping in the car! I have had many blissful nights there, checking in on the Friday evening before the market. There is usually a parking space nearby and being so close to the market really does mean you can have a lovely lay in. But let’s be clear - even if it were not even the closest, it really is jolly lovely - and dare I even add, excellent value too.
However, if you want to make a bit of a weekend of it - and let us face it, who doesn’t, then there are alternatives that I heartily implore you to consider. In fact, there are two…
First up, is Les Carmes…which is an utterly beautiful old Mas turned into a nine bedroom guesthouse just the other side of Avignon, outside the tiny village of Le Thor. I have been going there regularly for over 15 years and it remains one of my all time favourite ‘go to places’ of Provence, whether going to the flea markets or just wanting a few days away from it all. It is also just four miles from the beautiful town of L’Isle sur la Sorgue, famed for its many waterways and busy antiques market every Sunday….so Les Carmes really is the ideal base for a weekend of ‘antiquing’…. Villeneuve-les-Avignon on the Saturday morning….back to Les Carmes’s every so blue swimming pool for the rest of the day, scrumptious dinner in L’isle sur la Sorgue that evening followed by the market there on Sunday morning.
A quick word about the market in L’isle sur la Sorgue….a lot of dealers poo poo it as being over priced and just a place for tourists…. and yes certainly, some of the prices are on the high side but there are, as in all places, some bargains to be had and with some patience and perseverance it really can be an excellent source for the dealer and collector alike. We have had some cracking buys there over the years, but that’s another story…
Next comes the magical paradise that is Chateau St. Victor la Coste, which is nestled overlooking the small town in the Gard region, about half an hours drive from the market at Villeneuve-les-Avignon. Its worth the drive….
The Chateau has three charming little cottages tucked into the garden surrounding the main house, with the most entrancing and intoxicating pool you have ever seen. It is quite simply spell binding. Run by very good friends of ours, Alison and Costes, the chateau is available to hire on its own or you can just rent one of the little cottages for a few nights where quite frankly it is very hard to drag yourself away from and even contemplate going to flea markets! Alison and Costes also run local tours showing guests around the local area giving them a taste of Provence - and are often at the flea market themselves, so you could not wish for better hosts. To be honest, their beautiful home deserves a blog post all by its self - which I must get round to doing one of these days! But, this is meant to be a blog about the market at Villeneuve-les-Avignon, so we will save that for another rainy day.
So, you now know what you are doing next Saturday! Its about a 12 hour drive from the tunnel, or if you are much more sensible than me, you can take the train from Paris which is just under 3 hours - or even better, fly to Marseilles airport and its only then a very short drive. Do it…. you’ll thank me.
