A Weekend Market in Paris, A Panorama
Filed Under: Ever go to a market expecting one thing, only to find something refreshingly different? That’s how it was with our visit to the Saturday morning market near Pont de l’Alma in Paris’ 16th arrondissement. It’s only a stone’s throw away from the Eiffel Tower, Champs Elysee and a handful of Paris top ten sights. Given all this, we figured the market fancy, polished, and full of tour groups.
It wasn’t.
Instead, the market (also known as the President Wilson Market) was full of local neighbors doing their weekly shopping for fresh vegetables, honey, seafood, cheese, meat and herbs. People were friendly, even in response to our swooning over piles of aged cheeses. Vendors answered questions about coeur de boeuf tomatoes, foie gras (never get a foie gras vendor started on imports from the east!), and oysters.
Take a look for yourself by opening the panorama below.
Panorama: Pont de l’Alma Market, Paris
For best panorama viewing results, press fullscreen (four arrows) and navigate around with your mouse.
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Disclosure: Our accommodation in Paris was provided by Shangri-La Hotels in conjunction with its #LovingtheMoment Instagram campaign.
September 12th, 2012 at 1:19 am
Really there is a market like this near the Eiffel Tower? If I had known that President Wilson Market in existence, I would have gone here. I’m sure there are many local delicacies which I am craving for.
September 12th, 2012 at 6:20 am
Very cool panorama! And an awesome find! I definitely didn’t know about this market when I was checking out the big Paris attractions. It looks amazing.
September 13th, 2012 at 6:14 am
This is beautiful. And to think that this is actually near the Eiffel Tower. It is good to know that this market exists within the grandeur of Paris.
September 13th, 2012 at 10:32 am
Looks like the perfect place to gather the makings of a picnic to enjoy on a bench nearby!
September 13th, 2012 at 2:38 pm
@Michael: This market is on the other side of the Seine from the Eiffel Tower, but it’s still a few minutes away. We had expected stuffy and expensive given the location, so this was a nice surprise!
@Jessica: Not sure if this would make it onto a big Paris attractions list, but I’d recommend visiting next trip to Paris. We found out about it as we asked at our hotel about markets in the area. Really nice find!
@Tom: It’s always nice to find local, non-polished places in the midst of all the grandeur. A good balance.
@cosmoHallitan: Exactly!! We had to hold ourselves back from buying all sorts of stinky cheeses and sausages as we were driving back to Berlin with friends and didn’t want to pollute their car.
September 13th, 2012 at 3:09 pm
I just saw this full screen. The fish store is soooo enticing. So fresh….wow!
September 13th, 2012 at 3:35 pm
Always love your panorama shots.
September 13th, 2012 at 3:54 pm
@Sutapa: And the guys working at the fish stand were so sweet as well. The freshness of everything, from oysters to rock fish made everything look so great!
@Ava: Thanks!!
September 14th, 2012 at 9:50 am
What a wonderful looking market! I live just a stone’s throw from the US Capitol, an area you’d think would be tarnished by tourism as well, but it’s actually a charming neighborhood with a lot of local flavor. So you never do know!
September 19th, 2012 at 3:42 am
Well, the smell of the market in early morning is usually more than nostalgic for me to bear. As a kid I used to being dragged by my Mom to pry on the best catch. Looks different though in Paris by the look of it. It should be wet as what I recall a wet market should. ;P
September 20th, 2012 at 2:57 pm
So glad to see this post!! I studied abroad in Paris and I legit lived directly outside of this market. If I remember correctly it was every Wednesday & Sunday mornings? They had the most amazing things there – one time I even had rabbit wrapped with thyme. Thanks for posting this mostly unknown Paris market.
September 21st, 2012 at 2:40 am
When I travel, I always want to make sure that I come to market places where I can get some foods and even fresh fruits and vegetables that I can get. Well this is one of the best I saw and I hope when I travel someday I can look for different markets too.
September 22nd, 2012 at 6:10 am
I remember I and my friends went to this market for our afternoon snacks. We enjoyed eating waffles and bought some vegetables and meat for our dinner time at our inn nearby. Hope to be back here soon.
October 10th, 2012 at 2:11 pm
@Caroline: Love areas that seem like they would be touristy, but are instead full or ordinary and local life. Know that area of DC you are talking about – my brother used to live nearby. Wonderful area!
@Jesse: What a great memory of going through the market with your mother in the early morning. This is the best time of day to go.
@Sonja: At the moment the market is Wednesday and Saturday mornings. And yes, rabbit tied with thyme sounds about par for the course for this market. It was wonderful.
@Baska: A visit to the local market is usually our first stop as well whenever we travel somewhere. It’s the way we get grounded and meet local people.
@Mark: It would be a great place to go to pick up lunch or afternoon snacks. There is everything from foie gras to incredibly stinky cheeses.