Alight from the metro station and you will find the street market right there in the Place Monge.

Clearly the growers who sell their goods at this market know what they are doing. Everything looks beautiful, carrots and potatoes, greens, and wild mushrooms, a gourmet meal waiting to be assembled!

Marche Monge
5th Arrondisement
Metro: Monge
Hours: Wednesday and Friday 7am-2:30pm, Sunday 7am-3pm

The streets of Paris are indeed a moveable feast. To feel the pulse of the city, peruse the outdoor markets. Some are permanent rues commercantes (commercial streets) with a mix of stalls, cafes and shops selling specialty foods, and others are marches volantes (roving markets), set up on particular days only. Parisians shop daily for fresh bread, produce and the ingredients for meals cooked at home.

Each neighborhood, called an arrondisement, offers a great market experience. You don’t have to be a foodie, to find interest here. It’s a critical component of everyday life, the selection and purchase of the perfect provisions. Vendors take great pains to display their goods artistically and business is conducted with very specific protocol. Just watch how the business of marketing is conducted and follow suit.

Of course, if you have access to a stovetop and oven wherever you are staying, these market day adventures may yield some astonishing results. The simple preparation of best-available ingredients, can be addictive.