cmcfong

I have booked my flights to France and will be arriving in Lyons on Friday morning. I can either overnight in Lyons or take the train to Arles. I have a rental in Arles which begins on Saturday.
I have been told the Arles Saturday market is extraordinary. Has anyone been? What can you tell me about it? Is it a must see or will there be other markets equally appealing during a week in Provence?

thank you.

mamcalice

We've been. It is indeed extraordinary. We like food markets and it has a large food market which has everything and then some. It also has a flea market which we visited very briefly.

There are some very nice markets in Provence. What time of year do you plan to go?

cigalechanta

It's a favorite of mine. There's also a green market on Wednesday on the Blvd Emile Combre (sp?) Gifts to buy at the market for friends who cook are the fleur de sel and the herbs de Provence. Each market in Provence may be differnt. Some sell fresh fish, others don't, some sell wine, I love them all big and little and stopping at them gives you a flavor of the village and its people

StuDudley

All the markets we've visited in Provence (perhaps 15-20) are morning markets - closing up & gone by 1PM. From early June to late Sept, most markets get way too crowded for us - so we visit them early (8:30-9) and are gone by 10:30.

Sat markets Apt, Uzes, Aix, & Arles (and many others)
Sun l'Isle sur la Sorgue
Mon Bedoin
Tues Gordes & Aix
Wed St Remy
Thurs Aix
Fri Carpentras.
These are some of our favorites.

Stu Dudley

Myer

In my opinion you have a choice; see the market or see the town.

We were in Aix part of two days. The market took place on the second day and wasn't too bad. Aix is fairly large so the market only dominated the opposite side of Cours and a few squares. I preferred the day prior to the market so we could enjoy the town.

We went to Isle sur la Sorgue on market day. The town was overrun by the market. We enjoyed a few minutes but didn't get to see the town. Too bad. It had potential.

Due to scheduling we happened to be in Uzes in the afternoon of market day. The main square was taken over until almost late afternoon. By the time we really got to see it the clouds had rolled in. Again, too bad for such a beautiful town.

cmcfong

Thank you for the helpful responses. Our trip is in late May,mamcalice. I look forward to it!

macanimals

We've stayed overnight in Arles on several occasions--fun town. The last couple of visits were prior to weekly rentals in the nearby areas. We always prioritize gathering supplies for the coming week on Saturday so we can take advantage of our kitchen and the local produce and product.

I suggest you take the train to Arles and overnight there. The market on Saturday would be a great opportunity to stock up and make some meal plans for the coming week. You will have plenty of time to see the town with and without the market atmosphere during your weekly rental. No question that the market will break down and be gone by 1 pm so mornings are best. Lyons has its attractions too, so its your call--Have fun.

cigalechanta

Myer, too bad you missed the Uzes market , it splills over from le Place des Herbs onto the other streets. Great pottery
and other things besides food

Myer

cigalechanta,
Too bad the market was still in progress when we were in Uzes.

In most towns it would be nice to see the market and to also be able to enjoy the town. That doesn't usually work out as the cleanup takes several hours.

Given that we didn't spend more than a day in any one place (except Aix and Avignon (our base)) after seeing one market I would have much preferred being able to enjoy each different town rather than seeing a similar market in each.

If we're in the vicinity in the next few years we'll make an effort to stop in Aix (possible if we arrive in Marseilles) and Uzes (if we're in Languedoc) again. This time on a day other than market day.

I don't think Isle-sur-la-Sorgue will work out. Too bad.

StCirq

I've been to the Arles market many times. I wouldn't call it extraordinary, just huge. It's certainly worth visiting, though, so if your only opportunity to get there is the day after your arrival, I'd continue to Arles the day you get there (noting, though, that Lyon is hardly a food wasteland).

Ackislander

Myer, the market is the town. Without the market, all you have is a bunch of buildings. It's like going to look at Stradivarius instruments and never hearing the orchestra play!

Myer

Ackislander,
I beg to differ. Are you implying that without the market these towns are not worth visiting?

We were in Arles on a non-market day and had an excellent time. We spent the afternoon wandering the town and seeing the sights. Then while my wife did a bit of shopping I walked over to the Van Gogh Bridge. It was a lot further than I thought but still did it. We were quite pleasantly surprised with Arles.

A fodorite described Montpellier as one of the most underrated cities in France. This piqued my interest and I definitely have to agree. Within a couple of minutes of leaving the train station we realized this place is special. And no market while we were there.

We're considering using Montpellier as a base for a future visit.

We would have much preferred Uzes without the market that dominated the main square.

And on.

StuDudley

I totally agree with Myer. We have visited around 50-75 different markets in France to purchase food & supplies for the 85 weeks worth of Gites we've stayed in. If we want to visit a city/town - we never go there on market day. Sarlat (for example) is a totally different experience on a non-market day. In fact, I urge people to go to Sarlat on Monday morning & Sundays when shops are closed and vendors don't have umbrellas set up outside - which detracts from viewing the lovely building architecture. I have expressed this point to many people here on Fodors.

Stu Dudley

starrs

Are you going down to Cannes? I loved the market there, but can't compare it to others. We also loved the red rock town of Roussillon - so much we could barely tear ourselves away and made the drive to Cannes late at night. I can't wait to return to both some day.

cmcfong

We are definitely planning a day trip to Nice so may go over to Cannes. I haven't been to Cannes since I looked good in a bikini...so it will be much changed!