I bought the book Markets of Provence and am looking forward to visiting some of them when we are in France this March. Does anyone have any suggestions as to their favorites? I'd appreciate any input you could give me as to the best days to go (least crowded) best buys, etc. <BR>Thank you!

Just got back from a wonderful week in Provence. The busiest market we experienced was St. Remy on Wed. - and alot of Americans too! The water colorist mentioned in the book was there - good prices for his work. For anyone who enjoys antiques, L'Isle sur la Sorgue on Sunday is superb - but the prices aren't cheap. The food's great as well. Aix on Thursday was my favorite, because of the beautiful flower market, and the town itself is so lovely. There's a booth in the flea market area with nice water-colors and prints. We stayed in Aix - and would do so again! <BR>

<BR>Definitely the market in Arles which is on Sat. mornings. Be sure to get there very early as everything disappears by noon.

FRANCE magazine (an English quarterly publication with super articles and incredible photos for the "Francophile") publishes market days of all French towns, usually spread over a couple issues. It is very handy. They have a web site.

FRANCE magazine (an English quarterly publication with super articles and incredible photos for the "Francophile") publishes market days of all French towns, usually spread over a couple issues. It is very handy. They have a web site. Avignon has a huge market.

FRANCE magazine (an English quarterly publication with super articles and incredible photos for the "Francophile") publishes market days of all French towns, usually spread over a couple issues. It is very handy. They have a web site. Avignon has a huge market.

<BR>Julie, <BR> <BR>Isn't the "Markets of Provence" a beautiful book? My suggestion would be Sunday market in L'isle-sur-la-Sorgue and the Saturday market in Apt as a second choice. I bought beautiful fabrics in both places that I use for table cloths. Just walking around watching the people and looking at all the vendors is a wonderful experience. Buy your lunch at the market and go off somewhere quiet afterward for a picnic (if it's not too cold). <BR> <BR>Great souvenir items I found were Provencal soaps. They're very portable and reasonably priced. When I got home I wished I had bought more to give as gifts. <BR> <BR>Whatever market you go to be sure to arrive early to get a parking spot for your car and put up a posting about your favorites. Have a great trip.

Friends who live in Denmark go to the south of France each year. They buy locally-grown mixes of spices which they send to us. Marvelous for adding zip to soups, spaghetti sauce, lasagna, etc. Make a light-weight, inexpensive gift to bring home. They are sold in little cloth bags in the markets of Provence.

I agree with L'sle sur la Sorgue, it was a great market. We got up early, drove over, shopped frantically. Around 11:30, we were hungry, we decided to go eat and come back. Imagine our surprise when we returned one hour later and the entire market was gone! So, the moral is, don't go eat until you are absolutely finished with shopping. There were ATM's around, the town is small and we were afraid we'd run out of money and not have access since it was Sun. Have fun and good shopping. <BR>