Best Markets in the Dordogne & Aquitaine Region
 

DH & I will be traveling to the region for about a week to 10 days in September and I'm somewhat of a market junkie. This will be our first time visiting the area. Other than the market in Sarlat on Saturday, what are some other great not-to-be-missed markets?

St.-Cyprien on Sunday is one of our favorite markets in France.

It depends what you are looking for. St. Cyprien is a great market, even though when we were there, I would claim with a slight exaggeration that French was a minority language among the clientele. The Périgueux Wednesday and Saturday markets are great markets for everyday shopping, although the more touristy products (foies gras etc.) are also sold there.

Brive market is actually pretty awesome, much more "authentic" than St. Cyprien, or even Sarlat. Real French people doing their shopping. It's historically a big market town for it's region, and has a big, covered market with open air stalls outside as well. Very, very little in the way of knick-knacks, jewelry, tourist stuff.
Try the figs stuffed with foie gras. I never see these in Sarlat or St. Cyprien, but every foie gras vendor in Brive has 'em, as well as apricots and even pears.

Even George Brassens liked the Marche de Brive la Gaillarde
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EV9mHPHRG7k

There are often different vendors in the Correze and the Lot than in the Dordogne, even though they are so close. So we go to the Souillac market, where they sometimes have figs stuffed with foie gras, while they may not have them in Sarlat.

Every market is interesting, so you will not likely be disappointed.

Here are websites with market days:

Dordogne:
http://www.france4families.com/dordo...gneMarkets.htm

Lot:
http://www.france4families.com/Lot/R...LotMarkets.htm

Correze:
http://www.frenchentree.com/france-l...e.asp?id=30107

Thanks for your responses. I have a few lists of markets but, the problem is I haven't been to the area so I wouldn't know if one market was "better" than another.

There seems to be a lot more info out there on markets in Provence than for the Dordogne. Are the markets in the Dordogne similar to Provence? In Provence my favorite is Isle Sur la Sorgue because of the antiques market & shops. It's a great way to spend a Sunday! I also enjoy Apt & St Remy even though it's touristy. For slightly smaller markets I enjoy Lourmaron & Uzes.

The figs, and apricots and strawberries and prunes, stuffed with foie gras are available from a store on the rue Limogeanne in Périgueux, and also from a couple of stands. The store has also excellent <i>rillette de canard</i>.

You'll have to look for a <i>"journée des brocanteurs"</i> if antiques are what interest you.

I like to go to some of the smaller markets in the Dordogne, even though they don't have the selection of the big, popular ones. I go to Lalinde on Thursdays or Montignac on Fridays, and Le Buisson (can't remember the day of that, but there's a website you can google that lists every market in France with days and times).Of course, I also love "my own" market in Le Bugue, Tuesdays and Saturdays, even if English seems to be predominant.

There's no market I can think of in the Dordogne that's like the one in Ile-sur-la-Sorgue. There's always a chair caner or two, and guys with vegetable choppers doing demonstrations, and some other oddities, but the selling of antiques and second-hand stuff takes place at separate venues,of which there are many in summertime. But otherwise, yes, the markets are like the ones in Provence, except the products are regional, so often different.

One of my very favorite markets is in Caussade - south of Cahors. During cepe season, they had around 8 different vendors selling cepes from about 5 different regions in France. Not much English spoken. The market in Villefranche de Rouergue is quite picturesque (east of Cahors). We have purchased lots of Provence fabric in La Bugue & even St Cyprien in the Dordogne.

Get to St Cyprien no later than 9:00. I think the crowds are worse than they are at l'Isle sur la Sorgue.

Stu Dudley

I don't think you can go wrong with markets in France. we were in Souillac this morning, our favourite market because it's close to us, and we know the people - but not on anyone's list of the best markets.

But we sat under the branches of the huge wisteria, drinking coffee, looking at the vendors having a break before the real actions starts, and thought once again - what a great place.

Thanks to everyone, this information is very helpful. I assume the markets probably go from 9-1pm as they do in Provence?

I can't wait to go!

We preferred the Wednesday morning market in Sarlat over the Saturday one - was less "touristy" to us. We also went to St Cyprien and St Genies (near Salignac). The owner of the gite that we rented in Marquay also recommended the Le Bugue market.

Has anyone ever been to the market in Meyrals? It's near where my family is renting this summer, but it doesn't seem to make many "best of" lists. Too small? (Too grim?)

We'll be in the Dordogne in early July. Will we find apricots and cherries in the market, or is that too late?

I'm, beginning to worry about the crowds at that time of year, too. If we want to visit the markets, shall we simply plan to get there early? We were okay last year in Provence -- even at L'Ilse sur la Sorgue -- but I said if we didn't arrive by 8am, I wasn't going. And I was the driver....

In early July you should get there early - and leave early. We tend to arrive by 8 because we know that parking will get difficult, but 9 should be fine. By 10 or later it gets very crowded.

I didnt even know that there was/is a market in Meyrals. I assume you have seen the site for St Cyprien and surrounds. It indicates that the market is only in season,which means it will be quite small.:http://stcyprien-perigord.com/fr/rub...b88431d960c1f/

There may also be a March Nocturne (night market) in high season. These usually offer food from local people for picnics, barbecues, etc. May not start until later in July.

And at the end of July is the most famous event in Meyrals - le Festival des epouvantails - Scarecrow festival, with Scarecrows decorated, lots of festivities.

There's no such thing as a grim market in France. That said, there's nothing particularly special about the market in Meyrals. It's a lot smaller than the well-known ones, but perfectly adequate for local shopping. There won't be many tourists there, though, as there are two other larger Thursday markets.

Thanks for your responses.

Today, it's unusually snowy and cold where I live -- and the schools are closed for the third day in a row! -- and dreaming of a sunny French marketplace is giving me the will to live....

The Meyrals market, like the one in Audrix, only runs July, August, and September. I think that's the case for Les Eyzies, too.

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