Les Halles Covered Market

Every French city of any size has a covered market, and Les Halles is Avignon's. It stands on the Place Pie, in the southern part of the old town, and you cannot miss it from the street: one whole facade is covered by a huge living wall of plants, a green curtain that makes the building look like a hanging garden. Inside, around forty stalls fill a bright hall with the colours and smells of Provence. There are cheesemongers with goat cheeses and rounds of local varieties, butchers and charcutiers, fishmongers, bakers and pastry makers, stalls piled with seasonal fruit and vegetables, olive and tapenade sellers, and counters where you can eat a quick breakfast or lunch standing up. Chefs and locals shop here, so it is an honest introduction to what people really eat. The market opens in the morning and is closed on Mondays, and Saturday mornings are the busiest and liveliest, with cooking demonstrations by local chefs that visitors can watch. Entering is free, you can browse as long as you like, and a small purchase of bread, cheese and fruit makes the best possible picnic for the gardens above the river.

Les Halles rewards slow looking. Start by walking the full circuit before you buy anything, then return to the stalls that caught your eye. Ask for a taste if you are unsure, since vendors are generally happy to offer a sample of cheese or olives, and greet the stallholder with a bonjour before you start talking, which is the polite French habit and gets a friendlier response.

Timing matters. Morning is the right time to go, because the stalls are fully stocked and the atmosphere is lively, and by early afternoon the market has closed and the hall is quiet. Saturday is the best day for atmosphere, but also the most crowded, so go early. Because the market closes on Monday, plan around that in a short stay.

If you have a kitchen in your accommodation, buy ingredients for dinner, and if not, assemble a picnic of bread, cheese, charcuterie and fruit and carry it to the Rocher des Doms or the riverbank. A tote bag or a small cooler bag is useful, especially in summer, when cheese and charcuterie do not like a hot walk.

Fit it into a wider plan. The market is a ten to fifteen minute walk from the palace, so it works well as a morning stop before the Palais des Papes, or as a first activity on a day when the weather looks unsettled. If you enjoy the experience, a guided culinary walking tour goes deeper into local producers and gives you tastings and stories along the way.

Food lovers staying in an apartment may find that the market becomes part of their daily routine, and even a short visit gives a good feel for how the city lives. For those who like to shop for souvenirs, olive oil, herbs, honey and local preserves travel well, but ask the stallholders about packing for flights.