Fodor's Guide Book-Clingancourt-One Poor Recommendation
 

Fodor's chat room is great. There is much to be learned on it. Generally,their 2001 Guide Book to France is also very helpful.<BR><BR>One Paris reference, however, is a real clinker. The book raves about the flea market in Clingancourt in north Paris. It even suggests "getting there early".<BR><BR>It is the only bad advice we received for our recent trip. Thankfully, the Metro quickly got us out of this hobo market. It has no charm. In a City with so many nice attractions to point someone to this place is really very unfortunate.

Anthony: We had the same experience as you did: just awful. When we came home, I made a specific point to look up Clinancourt on this forum.<BR><BR>Well, I think I should have read up on it on this site before we left. Methinks we didn't go far enough (although my husband will say we went too far!) because according to some experienced posters, there's pure junk, pure flea stuff on the way to the brocante areas (the classier stuff). According to these same sources, the stalls of the "real" market are works of art.<BR><BR>All I know is that this visit entailed the scariest subway ride out of seven trips to Paris, especially because we heeded the "get there early" advice you followed, too. The leftover drunks from Saturday night seem to love early Sunday morning metro rides. Each stop on the line seemed to bring on a shadier and shadier crew. <BR><BR>Therefore we not only got to Clingancourt early; we left it early and returned to our old favorite, the safe but bizarre bird market on Ile de la Cite (have you noticed how intense the conversations are there?--what are they talking about?).

Yes, this market is I-don't-know-how-many acres huge. The first 2-3 streets are typical flea-mkt cheap goods, keep on walkin'. Further in, there are numerous enclosed boutiques that specialize (more antiques, vintage items). Toward the back, there are the in-between types of stalls, better for browsing, more bric-a-brac, stuff laid out on blankets, tables, etc. Couldn't see it all in one day.<BR>Next trip, went to Puce des Vanves, loved that - totally street market atmosphere, doable in 1/2 day.

The Clignancourt market, as Alice says, is surrounded by the cheap junk street sellers ($2 folding knives, plastic dish drainers, plastic shoes, cheesy kitchen gadgets? That it?); the real market is permanent booths with some incredible antiques (like bombe front chests for 25 G's) as well as the more attainable. I've never found anything at Clignancourt to buy - what I like I can't afford; what I can afford I don't like.<BR><BR>I prefer Vanves, but even that has the cheesy street vendors after 1:00 - the flea market vendors pack up at one, and the plastic egg slicer and dayglo jumprope salesman take over. <BR><BR>Even the street markets like the one at the Bastille have cheesy vendors (not to be confused with the CHEESE vendors) at one end of the market. <BR><BR>You think that's bad - Montmartre has MIMES. <BR><BR>

Like several posters said, a lot of people mistake the various crap sellers near the main avenue with the actual market <BR><BR>Here's :<BR>http://www.parisparis.com/fr/shopping/puces.html#<BR><BR>the site of the flea market. The site is in french, but you can click on the map to view the complete map of the markets. You can notice than there actually several "marches" (markets) spread over a rather large area. It's very easy not to notice any of them if you exit from the metro and just walk along the main avenue, as you apparently did....