Well, as you may have noticed, I’m generally pretty excited & enthusiastic about the places we visit around Provence.
Admittedly, we visited one or two “mediocre” markets during our trip to the Vaucluse (by exceedingly gorgeous Provençal-market standards of course)… but the Les Halles market in Avignon was not one of them. Simply put, this market is awesome.
We arrived at Les Halles about 10am on a Saturday morning after following the signs in from the “outer walls” of Avignon, and let me tell you, we were thrilled to find the market has its own parking garage.
If you’ve ever spent time participating in the soon-to-be extreme sport of Driving in the South of France, you’ll know that finding a parking spot on any market day can be a headache at best… fight-with-your-husband-worthy at worst… (I’m looking straight at you Carpentras’ market, grrr..).
So, compact-wheels safely tucked away, we opened the doors to a burst of activity and a feast for the eyes & senses.
The market has about 40 stalls covering everything from an oyster bar to giant, homemade pretzels. In between, you’ll find an Italian stand with products I’ve yet to see in the South, a stall dedicated solely to potatoes (& garlic), and please oh please, let’s not forget the wine bar.
Where:
Place Pie, Avignon (follow the signs: Parking, Les Halles).
When:
Tuesday to Sunday, open mornings until about 1pm.
Special Interest:
Well, actually, we decided to skip a few nips at the wine bar since we had the whole glorious town of Avignon to visit. Of course, a must-do is Palais des Papes and the Pont d’Avignon. The tourist office has a small stand near the market entry for more information.
On Saturdays, you can find cooking demonstrations and there’s also a stall for cooking lessons in the market – find dates, times, and cooking themes on the Les Halles, Avignon website.
Belle Provence Travels 
We almost always park in the Les Halles parking garage when we go to Avignon. But to be truthful, I am not a big fan of indoor markets as I like wandering the streets and stopping at vendor stalls in between stops in cute shops that we pass. In addition to Carpentras on Friday, what other markets did you visit while you were in the Vaucluse?
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Hi Michel, we also went to both the antique and “regular” Sunday market in Isle-sur-la-Sorgue. I have to say that unfortunately I wasn’t a huge fan of the Carpentras market… we had a terrible time finding parking and it was really (really) crowded – so surprising given the time of year!
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I so loved this. What do I have to do to have you get me some of those beautiful bowls marked as “the colors of Avignon” or i think that is what it said. What a treat to “visit” this market with you!! Seriously I want those bowls. Let’s talk. I also want some other things to add to West of Italy, some sweet things from Provence, that maybe you could help me to find.
Ciao, Michelle
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Those bowls are from the market… I haven’t seen them anywhere else, but I’ll see if I can find some for you!
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I LOVE markets (especially in France!) Les Halles had been on my list last time we were in Provence in July, but we never quite made it. Thanks for the beautiful photos…I will put it at the top of my wish list for next time.
I am so happy that I found your blog, as I fell in love with Provence and I am counting on you to provide me with my regular South of France fix until I can visit again!
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Happy to see you here Shanna and thanks for your kind comment… the markets are really one of my favorite things here as well and was pleasantly surprised by the variety at the Avignon market… definitely one to check out!
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