Aix-en-Provence is a haven for any foodie with streets devoted to delicatessens, cafés, and bars. It is also home to a gourmet experience with markets. They are places where you can wander around, work up an appetite, socialise, and buy the finest quality ingredients for your favourite dishes.
The markets in Aix-en-Provence are lined with clothing, antiques, linens, fresh flowers, soaps, and so much more.
Aix-en-Provence Farmer’s Market
This is a daily food market that can be found in Place Richelme, a square close to Town Hall. The square is surrounded by bars and restaurants where you can grab a coffee in between browsing the fresh, local produce.
The Farmer’s Market is open every day from 8am to 1pm, including Christmas Day. It is a market for locals, but always catches the attention of visitors. You can take a market tour with local guides from the Town Hall, where they accompany you as you make your way around the stores, offering local history and information on the produce and the tradespeople.
This market is often the first market stop that can take an entire morning, as you view the delicious items, including mouthwatering treats. Most of the tradespeople offer tasters of bread and cheese to try before you buy.
Main Market Days
Main market days in Aix-en-Provence tend to be on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. This is when daily market opens its doors to more street sellers from throughout the area, spanning over numerous neighbouring streets and around the Cours Mirabeau boulevard.
Additional food sellers set up in Place des Precheurs, just in front of the law courts, providing a complete range of pre-prepared meats, herbs, and spices. Highlights include olives stuffed with garlic or chilli, local rose wine, and much more.
The market then spans into an arts and crafts area where you can find just about anything from handmade wicker baskets to pottery, along with Provençal soaps. Once you make your way to the Cours Mirabeau, you will find the stalls change to textiles, selling beautiful tablecloths, dresses, coats, and scarves. As the market spans to the Rotonde fountain, it turns into a flea market with books, antiques, and furniture.
Aix-en-Provence Flower Market
You will find the local flower market every day, except the first Sunday of the month, when it turns into a second hand book market. It takes place in Place de l’Hotel de Ville every day, offering pots upon pots of spectacular, fragrant, freshly cut flowers. You can relax at one of the cafés, as children play around the fountain, and the fresh smell of flowers fills the air. This market offers a picture-postcard French experience which hasn’t changed for many years.
Summer Evening Market
During the summer months, the evening market gets into full swing on Cours Mirabeau as the sun sets. This is where you will find the best local souvenirs, including jewellery, shawls, bags, sandals, and other items.
This market usually runs from early July to late August. It is open from Monday to Saturday from 5pm to midnight. On Sundays, it starts around 9am to midnight.
Christmas Market
The Christmas Market is held in Aix-en-Provence at the end of November. It comprises of log cabins that are erected at the eastern end of Cours Mirabeau, near King Roy Rene statue. The food section of the market spans around the famous Rotonde fountain.
Tips When Shopping at Aix-en-Provence Markets
The stalls offer local produce, often similar to what you find in the shops, but more reasonable in price. Prices are fixed in the daily markets when buying fruit, vegetables, and other produce, so there is no room for negotiation on fresh produce.
It is also recommended to bring cash with you on market days to avoid having to queue for cash machines. Keep your cash close as market days is a paradise for any pick pocketers, taking advantage of unsuspecting visitors to the delicious food markets.
Conclusion
Aix-en-Provence is a wonderful time to visit markets, lined on ancient squares and cobbled streets, with the most stunning backdrop. After visiting the fresh markets of the area, why not book a cooking class with a private chef in the comfort of your own holiday home? Get in touch with Cooking Classes in Provence to find out more.
