Paris has a very famous flea market. It is called “Le marché aux puces de Saint-Ouen". It was inaugurated in 1885 and extends over six hectares. It welcomes every week 70 000 visitors during its opening days. The Puces de Saint-Ouen has 2000 shops selling everything from stylish furniture to old postcards and including clothes. In the fifties and sixties, the Puces de Saint-Ouen had a status as a place where one could buy nice and old furniture at very cheap prices. Though it is not so, it is still a very interesting place to visit. The choice is large and the prices are moderate to high. The Puces de Saint-Ouen is located on the edge of Paris in a popular and mostly ethnic neighborhood.

The history of the flea market dates back over two centuries, when rag and bone men scoured through the garbage of Paris at night to find valuable junk to sell on. They were called ‘crocheteurs’ or pickers. The romantic term was ‘pêcheurs de lune’ or fishermen for the moon. Many set up their temporary stalls within the Paris walls, in sleazy neighborhoods but because these neighborhoods were full of pickpockets and thieves, they were chased out of the city walls to Clignancourt, Montreuil, Vanves, etc. The largest of these flea markets is the one at Clignancourt but the other two continue to this day.

The Montreuil markets are fairly rough-and-ready with numerous unauthorised street hawkers. Although second-hand goods dealers are becoming increasingly sparse, there are still bargains to be found - hats, glasses, 70's shoes, post-cards and odds-and-ends are almost given away in throwaway price.

There are four flea markets in Paris. Saint Ouen, the most renowned, is the biggest antiques market in the world with 2,500 stands and 12 different sections, spread over 7 hectares. Vernaison, created in 1920, has become the most popular with bargain hunters. Located amidst a maze of narrow little streets, in the shade of overhanging trees, the 300 stands that make up this astonishing ‘treasure hunt’ takes one back to the days of the original Flea Markets. Extraordinary objects, jewels, dolls, fabrics and furniture are all sold as they are. The Antica gallery, just nearby, plays host to a dozen high-end antique dealers that specialise in the 19th and 20th centuries.

The Malassis market, opposite, has 140 boutiques covering different themes like the dinner-table items, nautical articles, watches, post cards etc. There is also a wide selection of furniture from the Thirties through to the Seventies. Dauphine is the most recent market. 180 professionals all propose merchandise of excellent quality, certified by experts - Primitive art, gilded wood from the 18th century, regional furniture etc. It also has numerous second-hand book stalls as well as stands specialising in vintage articles, corsets and naughty underwear.

At Vanves, the 350 dealers display their merchandise on the pavement itself or in wooden boxes perched on trestles (trinkets, lamps, cutlery, household linen, clothes etc). The atmosphere is friendly and the prices are reasonable. The Aligre Flea Markets are very lively, although a little difficult to find the first time round. Although clothes take pride of place, you will still nevertheless find a few second-hand goods stalls in Vanves or Montreuil at the weekend.