Parisian Markets

While checking out travel blogs on the Blog Carnival, IT came across this list of ten recommended street markets in Paris. The writer of The Paris Traveler blog, expat Lynn Rodriguez, picks a street market to suit almost every taste, from organic produce to flea markets to flowers to art; markets that specialize in fresh pastries, antiques, cheese; those that deal only in books; and even one for stamp and postcard collectors. The photos and descriptions are pretty enticing.

A related list from travel blog Gridskipper touts some of the best street food in Paris, and conveniently maps the locations of each, mostly on the Rue des Rosiers in the Marais. If you’re hungering for the perfect pastrami sandwich, Gridskipper recommends Sacha Finkelsztajn, a deli that’s been serving "la gastronomie Yiddish" in its little yellow building since 1946.

And, plucking from our own archives, National Geographic Traveler published an interview in September 2006 with Susan Winkler, the author of the Paris Shopping Companion. She spoke mostly about local clothing and home furnishing shops, but she also raved about the Marché aux Puces de Saint-Ouen, the largest flea market in the world, where you can find "old trunks from Vuitton, Napoleonic objects, and other innumerable antiques."

And, as a side note: if you happen to be craving Parisian pleasures while in Washington, D.C., IT suggests visiting Bonaparte Bakery’s food stall at the Dupont Circle farmer’s market: "Their chocolate almond croissant is the best pastry I’ve tasted outside of Paris," says Emily, "in fact, they’re so good, I eat one every Sunday. Sometimes I get a palmier too." Also try crespelle, a crepe-filled lasagna and many-flavored quiches.