Shorter days and cooler evenings throughout France remind everyone that another year is fast drawing to a close. The more celebratory La Rentrée shows of September may give way to a less frenetic shopping experience in October, but don’t be fooled. Of the eleven fairs we’ve listed this month, two are huge city-wide events, including one of the largest flea markets in France. If you’re like us and love to get in the weeds, these shows are for you. Wear comfortable shoes and be prepared to sift through a wide range of … just about everything.

Our October listing ends with a lovely show in a charming town in Provence … one that’s well worth the trip.

Most of the fairs listed this month are “professional,” meaning the vendors are all dealers of antiques … versus garage sale finds.

Happy hunting!

TFE Insiders Tip: The French Experience has created an informational page on how to read this monthly calendar.

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This is the first release of items from our latest shipment that includes: an antique copper sugar or nougat bowl, a tea set for 10 from the 1930’s, and an antique Dehillerin roaster.

To see what is completely available, visit thepiggykitchen.com.

September is a very full month in Paris for antique fairs and rummage sales with a total of 16. You’ll find them arranged by date with the neighborhood (arrondisement) identified for each event, along with the corresponding Paris Metro stop.

At the bottom of the article you’ll also find two antique fairs that occur weekly.

Happy hunting!

TFE Insiders Tips:

• The French Experience has created an informational page on how to read this monthly calendar.

• Discover the difference between an antique fair and a rummage sale

Want to learn where to buy antiques in Paris? Buy a monthly or annual subscription to find out!

Subscribe now

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September is a big deal in France. While springtime in Paris has been the inspiration of many songs, La Rentrée, or the returning to life after the August holidays, is something of a month-long national event. Think one part back-to-school, one part New Year’s Day, and one part cultural season. There’s a palpable “fresh start” vibe throughout the country … and it’s definitely felt at the antique shows. In our experience, September is the time to shop.

In honor of La Rentrée we present this exciting list of 15 major antique shows in the month of September, including one that many consider the Queen Mother of all antique fairs. Several of the shows run multiple days, so plan your trip accordingly.

All the fairs listed this month are “professional,” meaning the vendors are all dealers of antiques … versus garage sale finds.

TFE Insiders Tip: The French Experience has created an informational page on how to read this monthly calendar.

Want to learn where to buy antiques in France? Subscribe now to find out!

Subscribe now

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There are around 40 antique stores in Pézenas, many of them open Friday through Sunday of each week. The majority of the antique stores in Pézenas are on Avenue Aristide Briand which turns into Avenue de Verdun, a very walkable set of streets with plenty of parking on the north side of Avenue Aristide Briand. There’s not much in the way of food available on Avenue Aristide Briand or Avenue de Verdun, but just a short walk away there are plenty of restaurant options along with additional shopping.

Individual Recommendations

When we shop Pézenas for antiques, these are some of the stores we visit:

Vion Antiquités Pézenas - Jean-Paul Et Maxime

Traditional French antiques, heavy on furniture and lighting, some art.

3 Avenue de Verdun, 34120 Pézenas, +33 6 49 54 75 83
https://www.antiquaires-pezenas.com/boutiques/antiquites-jean-paul-vion/

Au Chien Vert & Galerie Du Petit Prince

Almost all furniture and lighting, with some art and small items.

5 Avenue de Verdun, 34120 Pézenas, +33 4 67 98 39 13
https://www.instagram.com/galerie_du_petit_prince/

Galerie De Pézenas

Very large antique store with architecture salvage, tabletop items, cookware, furniture and a large collection of small items.

17 Avenue de Verdun, 34120 Pézenas, +33 6 10 66 89 80

Antiquités Koenig Jean-Louis

Almost all furniture and lighting, with some art and small items.

27 Avenue de Verdun, 34120 Pézenas, +33 4 67 30 65 86
https://www.instagram.com/koenigantiques/

Broc Et Fanfreluches

Housewares, tabletop items and cookware. Mostly small items.

5 Avenue Louis Montagne, 34120 Pézenas, +33 6 16 37 05 08

Brocante Eric Orsini

A curated selection of mostly French art with some furniture and objects.

4 Avenue Aristide Briand, 34120 Pézenas, +33 6 62 24 02 66
https://www.instagram.com/orsinieric/

Les Antiquaires De L’Hotel Genieys

Some furniture, with tabletop items and art.

21 Avenue Aristide Briand, 34120 Pézenas, +33 6 11 23 17 81
https://www.antiquaires-hotel-genieys.fr/

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Welcome to our new monthly calender of antique fairs and rummage sales exclusively in Paris! You’ll find them arranged by date with the neighborhood (arrondisement) identified for each event, along with the corresponding Paris Metro stop.

August is a slow month in Paris for antique fairs and rummage sales with a total of seven. At the bottom of the article you’ll also find two antique fairs that occur weekly.

Happy hunting!

TFE Insiders Tips:

• The French Experience has created an informational page on how to read this monthly calendar.

• Discover the difference between an antique fair and a rummage sale

Want to learn where to buy antiques in Paris? Buy a monthly or annual subscription to find out!

Subscribe now

Read more

There are 12 antique fairs throughout France in August, several of which have over 500 vendors. The Languedoc and Loire Valley regions in particular host groupings of fairs…making it easier to shop more and drive less.

If you’ve been following the news or our shopping adventures on Instagram (@piggy.kitchen) you know France has been experiencing a series of heatwaves that can make these outdoor fairs quite uncomfortable to attend. Go early, wear plenty of sun protection, and stay hydrated.

Next month brings cooler temps and la rentrée, when the French return from summer vacation. It’s also high season at the antique fairs!

TFE Insiders Tip: The French Experience has created an informational page on how to read this monthly calendar.

Want to learn where to buy antiques in France? Purchase a monthly or annual subscription now and learn how!

Read more

You’re in Paris with your friends, you decided to hit the flea markets in Porte de Clignancourt, and you’ve scored big time. Those treasures you’ve always dreamed of finding are just too good to pass up. The problem is they’re now piling up in your hotel room.

Hunting for deals in the Paris flea markets is as French as your morning croissant, something akin to sport, and not an activity to be missed when traveling to the city of lights. As many a seasoned shopper will tell you, if you see something you must grab it right then and there! On our first trip back in 2000, we bought a set of five copper saucepans that had to be carried through Europe for the next two months, then stuffed in an overhead compartment on our flight home!

What if your purchases are just all too much to conveniently check at the airport, but not enough to engage a transporter as we’ve written about in a previous article?

Well, if you’re an adventurous DIYer you have some options.

DHL Boutique

DHL is by far the more economical place in Paris to ship to the U.S. When looking for a location in Paris (access the locator here), be aware there are DHL Boutiques and DHL Express Service Points. A Boutique is a branded DHL store, while a Service Point is a third party affiliate, usually a market or phone repair shop.

Margot Mayer of Curio Shop in Brooklyn (Instagram: @curioshop_) recommends using DHL Boutique Opera to ship her packages door to door overnight.

As of this writing DHL Opera has moved to DHL Express La Boétie 30 rue la Boétie

• Open 10:00am - 7:30pm Monday through Friday (closed Saturday and Sunday)

• Packing materials are available in store for purchase

• You may present your items wrapped but not sealed in a box

• Duties, Tarrifs, and Taxes are determined at US Customs and are billed separately, usually after the shipment has been received

Using DHL’s estimator (access it here), a 20lb box measuring roughly 16” x 14” x 14” from Paris to Chicago was just under $200 for a five day delivery, excluding packing materials

FedEx

Although FedEx France boasts of 306 locations throughout Paris, The FedEx World Service Center located at 63 Boulevard Houseman in the 8th arrondisement is the only “branded” location. All others are third party affiliates that also sell things like mobile phones, phone cards, etc.

• Open Monday thru Friday 9:30am -7:30pm (closed Saturday and Sunday)

• Packing materials are available in store for purchase

• Ship Priority Express, Priority or Economy

• Shipping fees are typically more than DHL

• Duties, Tarrifs, and Taxes are determined at US Customs and are billed separately, usually after the shipment has been received

• An inbound processing fee of about $2.75 is charged to clear US Customs

Using FedEx’s online estimator (access it here), a 20lb box from Paris to Chicago overnight via Priority Express came to a whopping $558.00, excluding packing materials.

Carrying Them Home

Believe it or not, carrying your purchases home is a little easier than you might think! Research the costs of checking a second bag with your airline before you travel. When we’re in France, we bring a very lightweight nylon duffel bag — and use it to pack our clothes on the return trip, and use the carry on for antiques. If there’s still room needed, a canvas shopping bag can suffice as well! We’ve found this to be a tried and true method…however it might necessitate a trip to one of the dozens of Office Depots throughout Paris for bubblewrap. Click the link here to access the locator!

The Bottom Line

While carrying vintage treasures home yourself is ideal, sending them ahead via international carrier doesn't have to break the bank if you choose carefully. For most travelers, DHL comes out as the clear winner for value, offering reliable cross-Atlantic shipping at a fraction of FedEx's rates. Stick to official branded centers rather than third-party affiliates for the best selection of packing materials and customer support—and don't forget to budget a little extra for US Customs duties when your box arrives at your doorstep.

Summer is in full swing throughout France! There are many large antique fairs to choose from, and nine of the twelve listed are free. One in the north on July 15 and one in the south on July 26 are perennial favorites. Check the weather advisory beforehand for temperature — these events are mostly outdoors and a hat and sunscreen are essential.

TFE Insiders Tip: The French Experience has created an informational page on how to read this monthly calendar.

Want to learn where to buy antiques in France? Buy a monthly or annual subscription now to find out!

Read more

Welcome to our new monthly calender of antique fairs and rummage sales exclusively in Paris! You’ll find them arranged by date with the neighborhood (arrondisement) identified for each event, along with the corresponding Paris Metro stop.

July is a very full month in Paris for antique fairs and rummage sales with a total of thirteen. At the bottom of the article you’ll also find two antique fairs that occur weekly.

Happy hunting!

TFE Insiders Tips:

• The French Experience has created an informational page on how to read this monthly calendar.

• Discover the difference between an antique fair and a rummage sale

Want to learn where to buy antiques in Paris? Buy a monthly or annual subscription to find out!

Read more

Every time I go to France, I seem to be stumped about when to switch from bonjour to bonsoir. Bonjour translates to “hello” or “good morning” but it is still used during the afternoon when greeting someone. Bonsoir translates to “good evening” and the beginning of evening can seem variable in the north versus the south of France. In Paris, 6 p.m. see…

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Every month, The French Experience will publish a calendar of antique fairs that are “professional” markets, meaning the vendors are dealers of antiques — versus garage sale finds. Each listing is summarized with the following information:

• Entry cost and audience, along with the ti…

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Once you leave a city or large organized event and head into the countryside in search of antiques, you’re pretty much on your own. We’ve spent hours in the car chasing leads only to find a brocante is closed for the season, has gone out of business or … my personal favorite … has mistakenly listed their home as the store address.

Are you looking for an alternative to the Paris flea markets but don’t know where to start? Discover this largely unadvertised, dealers-only antique route between Chartres and Le Mans where dozens of brocanteurs are selling their wares.

Be one of those in the know with our fully researched and personally shopped itinerary!

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Spring is finally, slowly, taking hold in Chicago. As I write this article, having returned to a chilly zone 6A from a glorious 75 degree France, I’m reminded how Richard and I seem to always leave The States wearing winter coats, only to shed them upon arrival at the Charles DeGaulle Airport. I’m also reminded of the one Spring trip that changed it all.

Have you read our origin story? How we drove around France in the Spring of 2019 in a rental car packed to the roof with beautiful things, desperately searching for a way to get it all home? We eventually figured it out after a lucky break.

Consider the following article part one in a tutorial of how to “get it all home”, or how to simply navigate your way through an overwhelming first experience at the professionals-only deballages. When you finally get through the mystery of getting it all home, be ready for the thrill of the hunt!

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Salt

Not all salt is created equal! In France, there are 71 producers of salt, most located on the Atlantic Ocean in Brittany and the Pays de la Loire, producing two distinct products.

• Fleur de sel: a beautifully white, large flake salt favored by chefs as a finishing touch for meals, salads, and desserts

• Gros sel gris: a …

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For my 50th birthday, Richard took me to France and signed us both up for a week of cooking classes at the Kerrouet House, located in a very small village in the Brittany countryside. During the week we were there, in a 16th-century house we learned how to cook 37 dishes “a la francaise” — and for any t…

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Last fall on a shopping trip, I came across a Charlotte mold. The minute I picked it up, I noticed it was special — and different from those we’ve purchased in the past. It was heavier than usual, and the details more refined, so I looked a little closer.

This particular Charlotte mold had two distinctive stamps. First was the stamp of the maker: LeFevre…

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Lyon, the second-largest city in France, is a true haven for antique enthusiasts. Nestled along the banks of the Rhône and Saône rivers, this charming city boasts a thriving antique scene that will transport you back in time.

In the city, there’s a neighborhood where many antique shops are grouped, conducive for an afternoon stroll. In addition, just outside of Lyon, there’s a large flea market that stretches along the banks of the Saône River, a must-visit for serious collectors and casual browsers alike. We come back to Lyon several times each year to shop this flea market — and are never disappointed!

It’s easy to combine these two itineraries into a day of antiquing in Lyon. And because no day in Lyon is complete without good food — after all, this is France’s culinary capital — we’ve included a few restaurant recommendations along with our favorite hotel — all walkable within central Lyon!

Want the full itinerary? Subscribe now to find the details!

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The primary airport of France, Charles de Gaulle (CDG), is truly a spaghetti-like sprawling thing. Rambling across nine terminals (Terminal 2 is really seven terminals, 2A through 2G), finding your way from plane to train is a test of patience after a long flight and in a country where English is not the primary language. We’ll walk you through how to…

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