Flea market chic in Paris

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  Clignancourt market, Paris

Clignancourt market – or, as it is officially known, Marché aux Puces St-Ouen de Clignancourt, on the northern edge of Paris, in the 18th arrondissement – is the biggest flea market in the world: a seven-hectare junk city.

It’s a warren of other people’s cast-offs made up of 15 to 20 separate markets here, each with their own speciality, with around 1,500 shops and stalls in all – doing it real justice could take years. Or it could take a morning or two, if you take the smart Ultratravel route, as I did, and hire a private guide - Stuart Paterson part-time guide Paris guide and longtime friend of mine.

The Londoner is an “antique trawler”: an eye who scours Europe for beautiful pieces with which to furnish smart British houses. Because he is in Paris every month, however, he knows precisely who has got what. And, once he has ascertained your style, he can lead you straight to appropriate dealers, negotiate in French (ensuring a good price), and then, as soon as your credit card has been debited, get your treasure shipped home.

Market dash

Two and a half days is not long to take in the antique markets in Paris, and finding real bargains necessitates getting up early to beat the dealers, I was firmly told and obeyed with a bleary-eyed 8am arrival at Clignancourt. Finding great buys also requires a shopping strategy. On our useful market map, Paterson marked out three within Clignancourt to target: Paul Bert (for stylish antiques), Vernaison (for a mix of fashionable pieces and bric-a-brac), and Jules Vallès (for good junk).

We whisked around Paul Bert before the dealers arrived, stopping if we spotted treasures, such as an industrial steel cabinet, which Paterson negotiated on my behalf (for €350). We methodically patrolled first one side, then the other, so nothing was missed. We shrugged off items that were clearly overpriced. And 90 minutes later, it was time for Vernaison: charming, fashionable bric-a-brac shops along cobbled alleys. “Definitely try to haggle here,” Paterson recommended. “Some stuff has been here years, and they’ll want to get rid of it.”

But nothing caught my eye. Prices seemed high, given the exchange rate, and I was storing energy (and credit) for the Porte de Vanves flea market the next day
(www.pucesdeparis-portedevanves.com).

With just 380 stalls set up on Saturdays and Sunday mornings, this southern Paris market in the 14th arrondissement is smaller, less expensive and more accessible than its more famous northern relative: a pavement corridor of makeshift stalls with the sort of objets décoratifs you dream of discovering.

The Japanese come here and buy up lace, antique shirts and rustic, hand-sewn farming clothes. Americans scour for the silver. And, thankfully, having again arrived at 8am, as stalls were still being set up, we also found all sorts of treats to cart home. I bought a dozen hand-blown 1930s glasses (€30), horn-handled knives (€20 for a dozen), embroidered linen sheets (€10 each), a set of six Finnish Iittala glasses (€20), and – a bargain – a beautiful 1938 French still-life in warm velvety greys and greens (€100), now hanging above my kitchen fireplace. 

On the train home, Paterson estimated that the money I had saved by buying at Paris markets rather than in London shops had almost paid for the trip. Plus, I had had the thrill of renting a bike through the brilliant, city-wide, self-service Vélo Liberté system and cycling along the Seine, whizzing past the Notre Dame by the light of a full moon. Even the horror of having to purchase an ugly nylon wheelie bag in order to get my smaller purchases home on Eurostar could not dampen those pleasures.

How to do it

Go early on a Friday to Clignancourt (Porte de Clignancourt Metro). Dealers go then, too, rather than on Saturdays or Sundays. Go to Vanves on a Saturday, from 7am, rather than Sunday (Porte de Vanves Metro).

Stay at Hôtel Pavillon de la Reine (28 Place des Vosges, 3rd arr., tel: 00 331 4029 1919, www.pavillon-de-la-reine.com), a charming, ivy-clad boutique hotel on the most beautiful square in Paris, in the Marais. From €380 a night for a double, room only.

Or try the Hotel Verneuil (8 Rue de Verneuil, 7th arr., tel: 00331 4260 8214, www.hotelverneuil.com), a quaint, tiny, very Parisian place to stay in the heart of the Saint-Germain-des-Prés antique district. From €174 for a double.

Be guided by Stuart Paterson, who charges according to length of stay and research required (07932 061951).

Eat on Friday night at L’Epi Dupin, 11 Rue Dupin, 6th arr. (00331 4222 6456, www.epidupin.com). François Pasteau’s inventive menus change daily. On Saturday night, try La Petrelle, 34 rue Petrelle, 9th (00331 42 82 1102) for seasonal dishes, laid-back atmosphere and faded grandeur.

Treat yourself to a wicked hot chocolate at the atmospheric bistro Le Paul Bert, 20 rue Paul Bert, in the Clignancourt market.

Get around by bicycle. Register with a credit card, then pay per half-hour until reparking at one of the many Velib bike-stands (www.velib.paris.fr).

Drop in to Astier de Villatte, 173 Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré (00331 4260 7413, www.asterdevillatte.com) for classic French white crockery.

Find inspiration at La Petite Maison, 10 Rue Paul Bert, Clignancourt (00331 4010 5669), for fabulous, one-off antiques, and next door at Colonial Concept (00331 4010 0071, www.colonialconcept.com), packed with exotic curiosities such as stuffed peacocks and ancient African masks.

Find vintage clothes at Les Merveilles de Babellou, Alley 1, Paul Bert (00336 8063 2689).

By Lisa Grainger, © Telegraph Media Group 2009

Location: Paris