JillDavis

I was wondering where some fruit/food markets/grocery stores are in Paris? Also, what does a person do if they want a snack past 1 pm? Don't usually all the fruit stands close down around 1 pm? Is there one in every arrondissement? I will most likely be in the 1st, 4th, 5th, 6th, &7th and Montemarte. (whatever arrondissement that is)

I was just thinking of those hours between lunch and dinner that I will want a snack after all the hours of walking around. Here in the states, I eat mini meals and I am used to eating every few hours.

FrenchMystiqueTours

Well, there are grocery stores all over Paris so if you confined that question to 1 district you'd probably get a specific response regarding the specific location of a store. In general, there are small grocery stores within a 10 minute walk from just about anywhere you are in Paris and they don't close during the afternoon. Same is true for most of the small fruit store vendors. Lunch in restaurants is served from noon to 2:00 but there are brasseries, bistros, creperies etc. that serve non-stop, and take away food (sandwiches, pizza etc.) is everywhere at all times. I assure you, you'll have no trouble at all finding a snack between lunch and dinner.

JillDavis

What is a major grocery store chain in Paris? I will go to their website to find the different locations in each arrondissment so I can be aware of where I need to go.

Don't the fruit store vendors close down ater 2 pm or so?

adrienne

Jill - you can hardly swing a cat without hitting some place in Paris that has food. I promise you won't go hungry!

The grocery store web sites are in French so unless you can navigate a French site it won't be much help to you. The 2 main grocery stores are Monoprix and Franprix.

But you're more likely to find a sandwich chain, creperie, small convenience store as they are all over the place. Carry a plastic spoon with you if you want to buy a yogurt (some stores do provide spoons but others may not).

Most convenience stores open early and stay open late - until 11:00 or midnight.

There are also bakeries where you can get sandwiches or quiche or a slice of pizza.

http://www.franprix.fr/v2/site/
http://www.monoprix.fr/

adrienne

Some bakeries also have salads and provide forks.

You seem really worried about this trip and need to have every little thing accounted for. Please relax and don't worry!

Gretchen

The grocery stores are a treasure trove of things to snack on--and take home in your luggage.

moneyburns

Jill, we just returned from France. We never ate between 12-2, too much to do and see, and there was always something on every street opened after 2...it was the small towns outside of France where we thought we might starve to death (haha)

Do not worry, there is plenty of fresh, fabulous fruit and veggies in Paris! I left a few behind for you.

Moneyb

FrenchMystiqueTours

See, moneyburns didn't eat all the food. No, the fruit vendors don't all close around 2:00 (some might), especially in the touristy areas, which covers much of Paris. Trust us all, you'll have no difficulty finding food (even healthy food like fruits and vegetables) at any time during the day in Paris and never further than a few minutes walk.

JillDavis

Thanks everyone! Appreciate your responses.

StCirq

I've never seen anything that I would call a "fruit stand" in Paris, other than a stall at a market. But even if there were "fruit stands," they wouldn't close at 1 pm. Maybe you're thinking of outdoor markets, which have a LOT more than fruit - they tend to shut down early afternoon. But they're hardly the only place to find food in Paris (or anywhere else in France). There are Monoprix and Franprix and alimentaires and crepe stands and boulangeries and salons de thé and patisseries and sandwich shops and pizza places and a bazillion places to find food at any hour of the day or night. You'll never be more than 10 feet away from food.

WillTravel

I remember seeing a "fruit stand" of sorts in the Metro at Montparnasse train station. The seller gave me a good deal on some berries as it was the end of the day (I think around 5 PM).

tod

Jill, If you are staying at a hotel and splurging on the 10euro (or so) breakfasts, feel free to help yourself to their fruit bowl - even a little sealed yoghurt tub fits into ones purse for later use.

kerouac

Yes, there are special permits for a certain number of fruit stands in the metro -- but there are far more improvised fruit stands at metro exits in residential areas at the end of the afternoon.

Travelnut

A type of store you will find is called an "alimentation générale". Perhaps that is what someone above referred to as a 'convenience store'. They are also the ones that you see in city photos with fruit set out on the sidewalk. Inside, there are juices, boxed and canned goods, even wine and beer. I don't know when these guys close, as I've never been out walking around that there weren't any available.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ccarreter/4181628893/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/70414748@N00/108837783/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bladsurb/3526393004/

kerouac

In my own neighborhood, some of those grocery stores do not close until 4 a.m. but that is at least partly because I am on the road from Paris to CDG and it gets high traffic 24 hours a day. You can get kebabs all through the night as well, and that keeps the taxi drivers going.

jaja

Duck, Tod! There have been any number of threads about doing take-out from breakfast buffets and we for the most part say it shouldn't happen.

FrenchMystiqueTours

Travelnut - That is what I was thinking about when I was saying "fruit vendor". I was thinking exactly of the type of small store that puts the fruit on the street and inside is like what Americans call a convenience store. My French skills aren't great and I didn't know it was called "alimentation generale".

suze

I'm no expert but Monoprix seemed to be where I ended up.

As others have reassured you, you can find a snack in Paris in the afternoon if you want one

StCirq

Those alimentaires, which are ubiquitous and often open very late, are sometimes called djerbas, because so many of them are run by Tunisians from the island of Djerba.

annhig

jill, on our recent trip we found several little supermarkets just between our hotel near the jardins du luxembourg and the seine. plus all the cafes, restaurants, bars, take-ways, fast-food joints, bakeries, creperies, etc.etc.

as others have said, there is no prospect of starving.