Les Puces (The Fleas) is what locals call Les Puces de Saint-Ouen, the largest antique market in the world at Porte de Clignancourt. Covering seven hectares it’s awash every Saturday, Sunday and part of Monday with a heaving mass of humanity. Go early to see it at its best, and to avoid too much of a struggle to see the rest.
Stalls, shops and street traders sell everything from cheap clothes to art nouveau mirrors, from ancient linens to Empire sofas, old books, ecclesiastical kitsch and vintage kitchenware. If you’re in search of a rococo armoire you may well find it here, or even a hussar’s chapeau. But you’ll need to know your subject.
Posted by Joseph Mathew