Riviera markets are vibrant and authentic places where you can truly feel the essence of the South. They appeal to all the senses: the scent of basil, the touch of a ripe fruit, the rustle of a fabric, or even the dry sound of a crate placed on the pavements at dawn. Each market is like an open-air theater, and each stall an ephemeral staging.
Menton: the taste of Italy
Facing the sea, under the Belle Époque arcades of the hall, the covered market in Menton is brimming with character. People come very early, with the light still low, to find the best products. Citrus fruits are king: IGP lemon, cedar, rosé pomelo, sold by local producers. The barbajuans (“Uncle Jean” in the Genoese dialect), small fried slippers filled with chard, rice, onions and cheese, are still warm in their parchment paper, the golden Soccas await their perfect crust, and the flower stalls rival those of vegetables. Here, everything exudes a double culture, Nice and Italian, raw and warm. Outside, on Sundays, the farmers' market extends the experience with an unfeigned sincerity.
Covered market, Quai de Monleon
Every day, except Monday, from 6 am to 1 pm
Open air farmers' market on Sundays
Monaco: elegance in the shade of the halls
In the heart of the Condamine district, between Port Hercules and the streets of the old town, the Monaco Market cultivates discreet elegance. Under its Italian-style covered halls and on the sun-drenched Place d'Armes, Monegasques, regulars of the Rock, palace chefs and curious visitors meet. Home-made focaccias, fresh flowers, Riviera products and neat stalls... everything is perfectly calibrated without ever losing its heat. A few steps away, the terraces extend the experience over a coffee or a glass of rosé, in a chic atmosphere, but without ostentation. A lively, well-established market where authenticity takes on a hushed air.
Place d'Armes and Halles de la Condamine
Every day, from 7 am to 1 pm
Nice: the Cours Saleya, a vibrant postcard
It is the best known, perhaps the most photographed, but it continues to surprise. The Cours Saleya, in Old Nice, alone concentrates all the vitality of the Nice country. The market, as we know it today, combines flavors and colors, but its roots are floral: the flower market was officially created there in 1897, inaugurated as the first wholesale market for cut flowers in the world, even if bouquet sellers already animated the place as early as 1861. It is now recognized as one of the exceptional markets in France. The stalls are bursting with freshness: sun-drenched tomatoes, basil in tight bunches, AOP Nice olives, zucchini, fiddle, bouquets of herbs. Specialties from Nice pass by like on a gourmet stage: pissaladière still steaming, generously filled pan bagnat, fresh pasta à la Niçoise, prepared the same morning. Socca crackles when taken out of the oven, sliced with a spatula and served hot on kraft paper. Trucchia, this rustic chard omelette, awaits insiders at the famous “Chez Thérésa” stand, dating from 1925. The Mége family's flower stand, run for several generations, perpetuates the floral soul of the Cours: armfuls of Nice carnations, fragrant mimosas, generous peonies or bright sunflowers. On Monday everything changes. Fruits disappear, replaced by second-hand dealers, bargain hunters, collectors and lovers of forgotten treasures. In summer, every evening until midnight, the night market takes over. Jewelry, local crafts, works of art and scents from the South are installed in the open air, extending the magic of the place.
Old Nice, Cours Saleya
Every day, except Monday, from 6 am to 1 pm
On Monday, antique market
In summer, night market every evening until midnight
Antibes: the Provençal soul between the ramparts
On the Cours Masséna, under the thick arcades, the Antibes market deploys its vision of an earthy and iodized Provence every morning. Sea salt is never far away, but here, people mostly come here looking for the taste of the hills: dried herbs, goat cheeses, herbal sausages, olive oil in cubes or in precious bottles. The flower stands are among the most generous, and the merchants are friendly and easy to smile. It speaks loudly, it is pleasant, it exchanges like a separate language, that of a living South. Nearby, in an alley in old Antibes, the Véziano bakery, founded in 1924, extends the experience with its orange blossom fougasses, its sweet chard pies, and its sourdough breads made as before.
Cours Masséna
Every day, except Monday, from 6 am to 1 pm
Cannes: Forville, the beating heart
Forget the glitter of La Croisette. True chic, in Cannes, is played out inside the Halles de Forville. At the foot of Suquet Hill, the Forville Market has been home to the best of local produce for nearly a century. Originally installed in 1884, it took its current form in 1932, with its Art Deco hall in pink concrete signed by the architect Henri Bret, now classified as a 20th century heritage site. Since 2024, the structure has been under renovation, to improve its facilities while respecting its popular and Provençal soul. From Tuesday to Sunday morning, the producers, fishermen and florists of the region unpack a fresh and sincere selection: catch of the day, vegetables from the Grasse region, olive oils, goat cheeses, aromatic herbs, cascading flowers. There is also something to snack on the fly: focaccias, homemade tapenades and other sweets. On Monday, a change of scenery: the market becomes a flea market, populated by bargain hunters, patinated objects and old books.
Halles de Forville, Suquet district
Tuesday to Sunday morning, 7 am to 1 pm
On Monday, flea market
Valbonne: a Friday under the plane trees
Every Friday morning, Valbonne wakes up to the rhythm of its Provençal market. From Place des Arcades, one of the few medieval squares with a grid plan in the region, the stalls unfold under the hundred-year-old plane trees. In this city founded by the monks of Lérins Abbey in the 13th century, each stone seems to keep the memory of the centuries. The paved streets, the arched passages, the houses with pastel-colored shutters create a warm decor. The market extends into the heart of this old village steeped in history, following an orthogonal layout inherited from Roman bastides. Around a hundred exhibitors offer sun-drenched fruits, mature cheeses, olive oils, socca, but also old-fashioned soaps, pottery, handmade jewelry or clothing made from natural linen. We leave with a bouquet of country flowers, a crumpled linen dress, herbal soap or a piece of jewelry made by hand.
Place des Arcades and medieval streets
Friday morning, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Mouans-Sartoux: The right taste
The Mouans-Sartoux market embodies a sustainable model supported by the city since 1999. The town created its certified organic municipal farm in 2010, supplying 85% of the vegetables in school canteens in 2016, creating a direct link between producers and inhabitants. Behind each stall, there is a know-how and a requirement: seasonal vegetables, breads, eggs, jams, mushrooms, all grown or processed by those who talk to you. The ambiance? Authentic and friendly. The market is less of a show than a meeting place. Recipes and beliefs are exchanged there. Enjoy homemade ratatouille or ready-to-cook tomato coulis. Nestled between Cannes and Grasse, Mouans-Sartoux is home to a 17th century castle, now Espace de l'Art Concret, a world-famous contemporary art center located in the former magnanerie. The market then becomes the anchor point for a visit where art and agriculture get along at the same pace.
Place Jean Jaurès and surroundings
Tuesday and Thursday mornings from 8 am to 1 pm
Wednesday afternoon from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Saint-Tropez: Raw luxury on the Place des Lices
Every Tuesday and Saturday morning, the famous Place des Lices becomes the living theater of a chic and typical Provençal market. Under its century-old plane trees, more than a hundred exhibitors display stalls selling seasonal fruits, fragrant vegetables, olives, cheeses, woven hats, hand-sewn espadrilles, jams and bouquets of fresh flowers, all in an atmosphere that is both elegant and unpretentious. People come there as much for the products as for the atmosphere: Tropezians complicit with Parisians passing through, starlets in white dresses leaving with a bunch of sage or a basket of figs. The square can be reached on foot from the port by going up the ochre and pink streets of old Saint-Tropez, lined with galleries, workshops and shutters washed out by the salt and the sun. The rest of the week, the square returns to its other vocation: an open-air petanque court, where the balls clap in the shade of the trees, in a friendly atmosphere. Here, tradition endures, between elegance and popular spirit. And when the basket is full, the next step is almost ritual: sit down at the Café des Arts, order a quick coffee and a slice of Tropezienne pie, and enjoy this suspended moment where life passes by to the rhythm of comings and goings, discussions and smiles.
Place des Lices
Tuesday and Saturday mornings, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Cover: Menton, the old town © Côte d'Azur France Tourism - Camille Moirenc
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