A Guide to the Markets of Provence: Must-See Provencal Markets and What to Buy
the markets of provence
There’s no trip to the Provence region of France without taking a morning to stroll through a village market. The weekly Provencal markets are the heartbeat of the region and where the colors, smells, sounds, sights and flavors of Provence are put on display for all to see and take part of.
Each Provencal village proudly puts on its weekly market, one designated day per week, and that day is where the village comes fully to life. The Provencal markets are the place where what’s been grown in the fertile fields of Provence and harvested most recently go from farmer to consumer.
markets in provence we’ve visited
Provence has seemingly endless breathtaking villages and as a result, seemingly endless Provencal markets to choose from. That being the case, it can feel a little challenging to determine which markets are a priority to visit, the overall feeling of the individual markets and what to expect upon arrival at a Provencal market.
After visiting the Provence region five times in the past five years, and having wandered through our fair share of village markets during our time in the region (11 to be exact), in this Guide to the Markets of Provence, I’ll be sharing my personal thoughts on each of the markets we’ve visited in the region, a categorized list of the markets based on size and what items to purchase at each market.
Unfortunately, we have not be able to visit every market in the Provence region, and if you’re looking for a specific market not included in our guide, you can find all the markets and their days here.
An Overview of the Markets of Provence
Almost every Provencal village has a market, and although they do offer similar products to one another, each market has unique vendors and a unique overall atmosphere. There are the larger markets in the larger towns that have 100s of vendors, and there are the teeny tiny markets in the smaller villages that have only a few vendors.
Whether large, medium or small, each Provencal market has something special to offer, whether you’re simply looking for produce for the week or are searching for special souvenirs to bring home for yourself and loved ones.
most charming market in provence: Lourmarin friday market
To kick off our guide to the markets of Provence, we will start with the best of the best. If you visit one market during your time in Provence, it should be the Lourmarin market. The Lourmarin market is held every Friday and is, in my opinion, the most charming market in Provence.
So what makes Lourmarin’s friday market the most charming market in Provence? The Lourmarin market draws over 100 vendors to this relatively small village. The vendors themselves are all top quality in the region, offering everything Provencal: cheese, bread, clothing, lavender, art, baskets, soaps, herbs, linens and more. The setting is within the lovely village of Provence, small - yet bustling over with activity and business, both new and traditional.
We’ve been to the Friday market in Lourmarin for the past five years and here are a few things we’ve purchased:
A watercolor painting of Lourmarin
A beautiful linen dress and a Provencal blazer
Bags of lavender
Provencal soaps
Food items - Bread (there’s a great bread vendor at the Lourmarin market) and produce
Be sure to spend the rest of your Friday morning / early afternoon wandering through the adorable village, grabbing a bite to eat and shopping the array of boutiques in Lourmarin.
The bigger markets of provence
Where the Lourmarin market is oozing with charm and likely to meet all of your market needs, there are plenty of other markets to explore in the Provence region, which includes a handful of “large” markets. These markets are often based in larger towns within Provence, and are often great spots to find that perfect souvenir you’ve been looking for, or to restock on your produce needs.
The larger markets of course draw larger crowds, so it’s always recommended to arrive in the morning before parking becomes more challenging. These larger Provencal markets might not feel as charming, but they are still enjoyable to aimlessly wander through and be overwhelmed by the colors, sights, sounds and smells all around you.
Below are all of the larger Provencal markets in or near the Luberon region that we have visited, what to expect at the larger markets and whether or not they are worth visiting.
L’Isle-Sur-La-Sorgue Sunday Market
Visit the L’Isle-Sur-La-Sorgue market in Provence for the best antique shopping as well as a melting pot of vendors offering anything and everything Provencal. On Sundays, L’Isle-Sur-La-Sorgue hosts both a “brocante” or antique street market alongside its normal Provencal market. Combined, the market sprawls through the streets and over the river Sorgue that runs through the village.
Truth be told, the Sunday morning antique “brocante” in L’Isle-Sur-La-Sorgue was a lot smaller than I expected, however, Sundays are when all of L’Isle-Sur-la-Sorgue’s brick-and-mortar antique shops are most likely to be open, so if you have Provencal antiques on your itinerary, L’Isle-Sur-La-Sorgue market is a must.
One thing I loved about the L’Isle-Sur-La-Sorgue Provencal market was just how over the top all of the vendors were with their displays. Mounds and mounds of cherries or olives or bread or cheese or spices.
At the L’Isle-Sur-La-Sorgue sunday market, we purchased some bread for the day and some spices. We also discovered a great Provencal soap vendor at the L'Isle-Sur-La-Sorgue market, Limpeto, so be sure to scout out that vendor and stock up on your Provencal soap needs.
Apt Saturday Market
The Apt Saturday market is the biggest Provencal market in the Luberon region, hosting over 300 vendors year-round. Similar to L’Isle-Sur-La-Sorgue, Apt’s large market draws plenty of visitors making it a little less charming than some of the smaller market villages.
Despite this, Apt has anything and everything you might need from a Provencal market, and is one of the best markets in Provence to buy souvenirs from. You’ll find vendors at the Apt market selling handmade soaps, baskets, olive tree wooden items, lavender, table linens and clothing.
The Apt market sprawls through the town center and you’ll want to arrive around 9 (or earlier) to get a good parking spot and beat the bulk of the crowds.
The town of Apt itself is really charming and has a lot of local boutiques worth browsing through, as well as a good supply of great restaurants to choose from for your post market lunch break.
If you plan to visit the Apt market, be sure not to miss the stunning hilltop village nearby of Saignon.
Saint-Rémy-de-Provence Wednesday Market
A bit outside of the Luberon region (closer to Avignon and Arles), Saint-Rémy-de-Provence has its own large Provencal market every Wednesday, with 100s of vendors offering all of the Provencal goods you’re looking for.
Saint-Rémy-de-Provence is a wonderful market to visit if you’re looking to shop for market clothing or baskets. I bought two Provencal straw bags at the small souvenir store, Cecilio, in Saint-Remy-de-Provence and there are more than a few vendors selling baskets as well. Additionally, Saint-Rémy-de-Provence has the best clothing offerings of any market I had previously visited.
The market sprawls through the lovely town center of Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, which also is home to endless charming boutiques and restaurants making it the perfect setting for a Provençal market day.
I personally think Saint-Rémy-de-Provence offers the best of both worlds: scale and charm. Lourmarin is still my favorite market in the region, but Saint-Rémy-de-Provence really provided a great market experience with wonderful vendors in a beautiful village.
Aix-en-Provence Daily Markets
Aix-en-Provence is one of the larger cities in the Provence region and with its larger size comes large markets that occur almost every day of the week. The markets in Aix-en-Provence are scattered throughout the town center and vary from a clothing market, to plant markets and traditional produce markets.
As the markets in Aix-en-Provence happen every single day, they lose a bit of their magic, however if you find yourself in Aix-en-Provence it is worth walking through the market vendors and seeing if anything catches your eye.
If you’re wondering whether to prioritize the Aix-en-Provence market over another market listed in this list, I would recommend prioritizing another market over the Aix-en-Provence ones. You’ll find more charm, and just an overall more enjoyable experience at some of the other larger Provençal markets listed prior in this post (or in the smaller market section below).
If you do plan to visit the markets in Aix-en-Provence, you can find details of the daily market happenings on the Aix-en-Provence Tourism website.
Arles Wednesday and Saturday Markets
A bit outside the Luberon region that most of the Provencal markets in this post lie in, Arles is another larger city in Provence, located near the Camargue and near the coast of Southern France.
Arles is an amazing city, brimming with history, culture, good food and good design. Arles also has its own large market on Wednesdays and Saturdays, and the real highlight of the market is the food portion. You can find vendors selling the most beautiful produce, smell the crispy fragrance of rotisserie chicken and sample as much French cheese as you can stomach.
When we stayed in Arles, we visited the Saturday market and purchased items for our lunch, such as a rotisserie chicken, baguettes, strawberries and French cheese.
Arles is another of the larger markets I wouldn’t necessarily go out of your way to see, but Arles itself is a wonderful Provencal town that you should set aside some time to explore if you’re ever presented with the opportunity to do so.
the smaller markets in provence
Every day of the week you can find a market to visit in Provence, and even the smallest of villages often have their own little market. In this section, I will highlight the smaller markets of Provence located in their equally small towns. All of the smaller markets in this section are great markets to restock on your essentials for the week, or to just feel out one of the smaller villages on market day.
Bonnieux Friday Market
We finally made it around to discovering the Friday market in Bonnieux on our most recent trip to Provence. On previous trips to the region, we always prioritized the Lourmarin market, however, on our most recent trip we had two Fridays in the region and spent the first one discovering the Bonnieux market.
The Friday market in Bonnieux climbs up the village and offers a great selection of traditional Provencal goods. It was substantially less crowded than the Friday market in Lourmarin, yet still had enough vendors to make it worthwhile. We personally purchased a lot of produce, dried meats, and cheeses to kick off our 9 days in the region.
Bonnieux is one of the prettiest villages to visit in the Luberon region, so be sure to give yourself some time after the market to explore the village and climb to L'église Vieille at the top of Bonnieux for amazing views. I especially loved discovering the antique store on Rue Voltaire.
Goult Thursday Market
Goult is a small village near Menerbes and Oppède and hosts its weekly market on Thursdays. The market has around 20-30 vendors set up in the main square of the village. This market is much smaller than the Bonnieux market, and offers a combination of produce and artisan products. We personally didn’t purchase anything at the Goult market, but absolutely fell in love with the quiet village and its windmill.
We combined a visit to the Goult Thursday market with a visit on the same day to the Thursday market in Menerbes (highlighted later in this post), and both markets are small enough that you could easily see both in one morning.
Saint-Saturnin-lès-Apt Tuesday Market
The village of Saint-Saturnin-lès-Apt is near the larger town of Apt and hosts its weekly market on Tuesdays. The Saint-Saturnin-lès-Apt market has around 20 vendors, mostly selling produce and French linens. This is a great market to purchase cherries from if you’re visiting during cherry season, and there is also a rotisserie chicken vendor which is a great Provencal lunch option (don’t forget the potatoes!).
While in Saint-Saturnin-lès-Apt, grab a coffee from the beautiful Le Saint Hubert hotel and take a beautiful hike to the church and ruins at the top of the village.
The VERY Small Markets of Provence
No two Provencal markets are the same, and in some of the smaller (or less populated villages) you will find very small markets. During our travels, we’ve come across two of these very small markets: the Lacoste market and the Menerbes market. Neither market should be top of your “must see Provencal market list,” however if you happen to be there on market day, they are of course charming and enjoyable to walk through. I just wouldn’t bank on finding exactly what you’re looking for at these smaller markets.
Lacoste Wednesday Market
The village of Lacoste is a small hilltop town in Provence which is now mostly a SCAD (Savannah College of Art and Design) college campus. The beautiful village hosts a very small market on Wednesday morning - maybe ten vendors at most. The Lacoste market isn’t necessarily the best one for finding your Provencal souvenirs, however, if you do visit Lacoste on market day be sure to enjoy this stunning village.
Ménerbes Thursdays Market
One of the prettiest villages in the Provence region, small and charming Ménerbes hosts its Provencal market every Thursday morning. The Ménerbes market is also really small, maybe 20 vendors maximum. The market features a produce stand, some clothing vendors, a little coffee bar, and some artisan products.
Although you should definitely go out of your way to visit the village of Ménerbes, I wouldn’t go out of your way to visit on market day. I think the Ménerbes market is a great option if you’re staying in or near the village and need to restock on your supplies for the week.
Despite its small size, we did end up purchasing a few more tomatoes for our travels as well as a small piece of art.
what foods to buy at the provence markets
If you’re heading to a Provencal market for the first time, you’ll want an idea of what produce to purchase - as the markets can be a bit overwhelming for game time decisions. Depending on the season you are visiting Provence, there will be different produce available. If you’re visiting in peak season (May-July), here are the food items I recommend purchasing and trying during your time in Provence.
Melons
Cherries
Tomatoes
Apricots
Peaches
Zucchinni
Strawberries
French Cheese
Olives
tips for visiting the markets in provence
Before you visit a Provencal market, here are a few helpful things to keep in mind:
Bring cash - most vendors more willingly take cash (although if you’re spending over 20 euros you can likely use a card - but not always)!
Arrive early - the markets usually kick off at 9 A.M. and last until around noon or 1 P.M. More popular markets will get very crowded and make it hard to find parking, so arriving at bit before they start should ensure you have a parking spot.
Don’t assume you will come across that “item” again at another market - the vendors do actually vary from market to market, so if you see something you love, buy it in the moment.
Some amount of French language is helpful - most of the vendors speak English, but if you know enough French to have the interaction, even better!
Bring a basket - if you plan on buying a lot of produce, bring your French straw bag along to carry the items back to your car or lodging.
Make a lunch reservation - if you plan to eat lunch in the village of the market you’re visiting, be sure to make a reservation in advance. Many French restaurants prefer a reservation and on market day they are often booked up!
planning for provence
Need help planning the rest of your trip to Provence?
We think you’ll like our other Provence posts, like our Complete Provence Travel Guide, the Best Hotels in Provence, the Prettiest Airbnbs in the South of France, our experience staying at Le Galinier in Lourmarin, and the guide to our favorite village in Provence: Lourmarin.
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In this South of France: The Prettiest Hotels in Provence guide, we’re sharing our curated list of the prettiest Provençal hotels to book for your next South of France holiday. Our list includes both stunning bastides or farmhouses in the countryside as well as quaint boutique hotels in the most beautiful Provençal villages.