If you plan on visiting the Les Puces, allow yourself a good 2-3 hours to make it through the hundreds of different stands which are contained in several separate markets:

Les Puces - Marché aux Puces de Saint-Ouen, Paris, France

• Marché Dauphine: A two-story market, it consists of furniture, antique sports equipment, old books, prints and postcards.
• Marché Paul Bert: You can find old drunks, art, guns, and other random surprises like helicopter propellers.
• Marché Serpette: Similar to Marché Paul Bert.
• Marché Vernaison: This market is the most diverse of the group, with everything from paintings to pocket watches to trinkets of all sorts.

By far, my favorite market to walk through was Marché Vernaison, as it had the most interesting mix of items and reminded me much more of a flea market than an antiques shop, as some of the other markets resembled. It is also had a pleasant atmosphere, as it sits outdoors and consists of many attractive winding streets draped with ivy and other foliage.

While walking through the market I stumbled upon Chez Louisette, a traditional French restaurant tucked away down one of the alleys that was packed in the middle of the day. Music and loud conversation emanated from the restaurant and certainly made me curious and has inspired me to return.

All in all, Les Puces is definitely worth checking out, even for those that are not die-hard flea-market lovers. Though crowded at times, it makes for a pleasant walk during a lazy Sunday. Les Puces is open Saturday – Monday, 9AM-6PM (from what I hear, the best deals are to be made Monday).

Want to see pictures from my walk? Les Puces Photos

Want to see this location on a map? Map of My Visits

City Walks: Paris - Canal St. Martin

Canal St. Martin is a 4.5KM long canal in Paris, which connects the Canal de l’Ourcq to the Seine. Designed in the early 19th-century, this waterway’s purpose was to support the growing population of Paris by supplying fresh water and to help avoid disease such as dysentery and cholera. A series of footbridges cross over Canal St. Martin, where one can stop and watch boats rise and fall among the canal’s locks.

A series of cafes also line the canal, but many people choose to sit on the canal’s banks and have a beer or just watch the barges pass by. My favorite part of the walk, by far, was the Hôpital St. Louis, which was originally designed to house plague victims in isolation from the rest of the population. I won’t go into detail because I plan on following up with a separate post about this hidden treasure.

Overall, I found this walk to be very pleasant. The area was not at all crowded and is ideally suited for a leisurely stroll on any given afternoon.

Want to see pictures from my walk? Canal St. Martin