a Curious Canadian in Provence : photography, art & renovation!
Every day is market day in provence! There are small and large markets in just about every single town or village here in the South of France. Some are only present during the warmer months, and some go all year round. I’ve included here an extensive list of the markets days in Provence. I haven’t included markets that are quite small (such as just a few stands) although they are important to patronise as well. Half of the joy of these is wandering into them by chance.
Visit this small market, just 35 minutes from Aix en Provence, as a starting point for visiting hilltop towns in the Luberon National Park.
You may recognise the beautiful basin of this small Luberon town from the film “A Good Year” starring Russel Crowe. (See the date scene). Every Tuesday, there’s a small market here around the Étang (a rather more glorious version of a pond, I can’t really find an English equivalent). The market is small but includes saucisson (cured meats), olives, produce from local producers and some artisans. The market will have less stalls in winter but still worth a wander even if it’s just an excuse to have lunch, or take a cooking class, as I did a few years ago, at La Petite Maison du Cucuron. These images are from the market in September.
…2020 update* This event is happening this year though of course you will have to wear a mask and there won’t be any homemade products for sale.
If I had to pick my favourite autumn festival in Provence it would be the Fête de la Courge in Rians. La Courge en Fête roughly translates to celebration of the gourd! The same weekend as Canadian thanksgiving, this fête gets me into the autumn spirit every year. You’ve probably noticed my absolute admiration for the French ability to have a festival in honour of each locally grown fruit or veggie (see fête de la fraise/strawberry festival, fête du gras/fat festival…duckfat!) The Fête de la Courge is no exception.
…*2024 update : market tours will now be exclusively available for our guests staying at La Picholine rental or anyone that would like to book a full day or half day photoshoot.
Provence Market Tours at various villages in the Bouches du Rhone region.
Curious about in the ins and outs of working in a market in Provence?
Do you want to taste the best Provencal ingredients and find out how they’re made?
Would you like to meet the market workers?
After two years of waking up early, driving to various locations all around Provence, heaving out of the truck gas bottles, setting up wonky tables, sourcing ingredients from the other stalls, making stuffed tomatoes from scratch in blistering hot weather or freezing Mistral wind, learning the hard way all the banter and French slang that comes with such a job, and eventually becoming a seasoned market worker, I’m still in love with markets.
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The Arles market is so big you’ll need a little map! Forgive my silly map-drawing skills…
The Saturday Arles market is one of the largest in Provence. Each of the 450 vendors have an average of 5-metre large stands. If you arrive early, you’ll see the jostling to get a place!
The market is twice a week, but it’s the Saturday market that is most impressive. With a walking area of 2,5 km, you’re sure to find whatever you’re looking for. The vendors in the alimentary part of the market offer the absolute best produce that Provence has to offer. The fruit and vegetables are unbeatable, so is the competitively priced fish market.
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Gordes, classified as one of the most beautiful villages of France. This famous hilltop town looks out over the Luberon National Park. You feel obligated to stop your car driving into the village as the village is arguably even more beautiful from the outside. The architecture here is similar to the bories village settlements where dry stone dwellings were made from rocks in farming land. You can visit some of these settlements nearby the town. All to say, Gordes Market is worth visiting if you’re in the area.
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Curious about in the ins and outs of working in a market in Provence?
Do you want to taste the best Provencal ingredients?
Would you like to eat breakfast at the market with the workers?
Tours are about 2.5 hours in the towns of St Remy de Provence and Eygalières. There’s lots of tasting to be done so come hungry! Tours are private and cost 70€ per person. Send me an email to ask about availabilities. curiousprovence@gmail.com
organic tomatoes
The quality of the produce is impressive here in Provence. However, all produce is not created equal. The first year I was here, I grew many of my own vegetables. I later wondered why I went through all that trouble. There are some producer’s markets where farmers sell their pickings from that very morning. How can you tell? They still have a heartbeat. Ok, not really but almost. All I can say is that after 4 years here, I can easily tell which veggies are exceedingly versus very fresh.
I go to these 3 markets when I want to make sure I’m getting the best quality for the best prices. Also, may I point out that these products are cheaper as well as better quality. Many of the stands at farmer’s markets (including cheese and meat) specialise in one product. A Farmer’s market is more of a buy your veggies and leave affair, but I’ve included possible days out as well. Here are 3 of the best farmer’s markets in Provence.
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Curious about in the ins and outs of working in a market in Provence?
Do you want to taste the best Provencal ingredients?
Would you like to eat breakfast at the market with the workers?
Book a foodie market tour with me!
Tours are about 3.5 hours in the towns of St Remy de Provence and Eygalières. There’s lots of tasting to be done so come hungry! Tours are private and cost 250€ for 2 people or 310€ with a picnic. Day tours and combined market tour and photoshoot experiences are possible. Send me an email to ask about availabilities. curiousprovence@gmail.com
Just about every village in Provence has a weekly market. Some villages have markets that occur twice a week or even daily! Markets are absolutely my favourite part of living in Provence.
We can easily spend a day wandering through the stalls and people watching as we sit at a wonky table with a couple glasses of rosé. The weekly market is a ritual that is truly part of living in Provence. On Sundays, you’ll see whole families shopping together as kids amazingly express great interest in the new vegetables of the season. Here are my 9 favourite Provençal markets.
Seasonal mushrooms at Le Thor market
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