Going to a market is probably one of the most exciting experiences when traveling in the Southwest of France. The colors of strawberries in the spring, the smell of cheese from local farms, and the fresh oysters from the seaside always get me thrilled. Luckily for us, Bordeaux has one of the best markets in France, which should not be missed on your visit here!
But the main market of Bordeaux is definitely not the only market worth a visit when you’re in the region. Due to the French people’s tendency to buy everything fresh from the market, there are plenty of open-air markets taking place in different parts of Bordeaux on a daily basis. Besides the small weekly markets in the different neighborhoods of the city, there are several big covered ones that are open daily and offer a great shopping and dining experience.
The Southwest is one of the most prolific agricultural regions in France, so visiting markets here is an absolute must. You have the most delicious strawberries from Lot et Garonne, tomatoes from Marmande, sheep cheese from the Basque country, and duck from the Dordogne. That’s just a tiny list of delicacies you’ll find in Bordeaux’s markets. In this article, I will help you discover the best food markets in Bordeaux, both in the city center and in the suburbs. Let’s start!
If you’re traveling in other parts of the Southwest, check out my article about the best markets in Toulouse, which is another foodie city in the region.
The BestFood Markets in Bordeaux city
Marché des Capucins – the central market of Bordeaux
The Capucins market is one of the most visited places in Bordeaux. It’s the city’s biggest daily market and has everything from fruits and spices to local sweets and plenty of oyster stands. This is the best place to discover the gastronomy of the southwest of France and if you’re a foodie, it might take you a few good hours.
After you stroll the market, upgrade your experience with a delicious lunch in one of the many restaurants in the market. If you need help choosing what and where to eat, check out my article about the best places to eat in Marche des Capucins.
This is a covered market so it can also be a perfect place to escape to on one of Bordeaux’s many rainy days. Weekends are especially busy at Marche des Capucins with locals meeting their friends for oysters and wine after their market run. So if you want to get a table on a Sunday be sure to be there before 11 am.
If you don’t have a lot of time, the best way to discover this huge market is by taking a food tour. You can join the great group food tour of the No Diet club or join a more in-depth private tour with Anne, who’s a chef, and an amazing food tour in Bordeaux. Check Anne’s website for details.
Opening hours: Open daily except Mondays, see opening hours / Address: Place des Capucins, 33800 Bordeaux
Marche des Quais – the market with the most beautiful view
Every Sunday morning dozens of food stalls with the best oysters of the region, fresh fruits, vegetables, cheese, fish, wine, and plenty of food trucks are installed on the Quai des Chartrons. It’s one of the most popular markets in Bordeaux for locals and tourists alike thanks to the quality of the products and the stunning setting on the riverfront.
Besides the local products you can buy at the market, it’s simply a very nice spot to have an early lunch. For many visitors, the main attraction is the oyster stalls, serving you a plate of six oysters with a cold white wine from the region. It kind of embodies the good life atmosphere in this region :). If you want to have a table be sure to be at the market no later than 11:30.
On Thursdays, a smaller market takes place at the same place. It hosts only a few stalls and doesn’t have the lively atmosphere of the Sunday market but if you need good organic products to cook at home, it’s a good market to go to.
For more info about the market and other places around it read my article about the best places to visit in the Chartrons district.
Opening hours: Every Sunday and Thursday morning / Address: Place des Capucins, 33800 Bordeaux
Les Halles de Bacalan – the posh market of Bordeaux
This fancy food market opened its gates in November 2017 and has been visited by more than 60,000 people in the first month. It’s no surprise, as Bordeaux is well known for its gourmand population.
This impressive 950m2 hangar is located just in front of the famous Cité du Vin and hosts many different artisans and merchants that were chosen for the quality of their products (85% of which are produced in the Southwest of France).
Most weekends the market hosts different events like pintxos evenings, cooking workshops, music concerts, and activities for kids. This is one of the best places to go for an afternoon drink and tapas with friends.
If you have time, you can stay a bit longer and explore one of the rising neighborhoods in the city. Read about it in my article about the Bacalan district. If you would also like to visit one of the best wine museums in the world, check out my article about visiting the Cité du Vin.
Opening hours: from Tuesday to Sunday (the market closes between 14:30 t0 16:30 on weekdays) / Address: 149 Quai de Bacalan, 33300 Bordeaux
Marché Royal in Saint Michel
Marché Royal is one of the biggest open-air markets in Bordeaux, taking place every Saturday morning at Place Meynard in the Saint Michel district. The surroundings of the church and bell tower are covered by tens of stalls, with merchants selling everything from fruits and vegetables to kitchen supplies, clothes, and even pillows :).
From my experience, this is the cheapest market in Bordeaux. However, if you’re looking for organic produce, this one is probably not for you. On sunny Saturday mornings, the market attracts both locals, doing their weekly shopping, and outsiders that come for the noisy market atmosphere and chic cafés.
On Monday mornings a different market is taking place in front of the church. You will find very diversified merchandise displayed on the stands of Marché Neuf, including books, house supplies, clothing, toys, and more. However, it’s not a food market and doesn’t have the vibe of Marché Royal. This market is composed of hundreds of stands but has a more local vibe to it.
On Sundays and Fridays, antiques and flea markets are also taking place on the same square so this place is always worth a visit.
Wondering what else is there to do in this neighborhood? Check out my article about the best things to do in the Saint Michel district.
Opening hours: Saturday for the food market, and Monday, Friday, and Sunday for the other markets / Address: Place Meynard, 33000 Bordeaux
Marché de Producteurs Saint-Seurin
The farmers market of Saint Seurin takes place every Friday morning at Place des Martyrs de la Résistance, about 10 minutes walk from the center of Bordeaux. It is a fairly small market with about 20 stalls but has a very cozy atmosphere and a variety of high-quality products from local farmers.
In addition, it’s located on a beautiful square next to one of the most impressive churches of Bordeaux, la Basilique Saint Seurin, so it’s definitely worth a visit.
Opening hours: Every Friday Morning (7:00-13:00) / Address: Place des Martyrs de la Résistance
Markets around Bordeaux Metropole
Les Halles de Talence – one of my favorite places in Bordeaux
The Talence market is the little brother of the Bacalan market, built by Biltoki in December 2018. This market has a more local vibe to it with people from Talence (the university town of Bordeaux) coming here for their daily shopping. The market offers stalls of meat, seafood, bakery, and more.
However, the fun part is that it also has a tapas bar and many other places to get ready food from. In the center of Les Halles de Talence, you’ll find the Biltoki Bar, where all the locals gather to have their morning coffee or afternoon apero. It also has quite a big terrace, where all the locals meet their friends, especially on weekends.
In the last couple of years, the market organizes plenty of cute events with live music and workshops for kids. See their Instagram for more info.
Like les Halles de Bacalan, this too has a bit of a posh vibe to it compared to Marche des Capucins. The prices are not very cheap, but it has everything you need, including a great atmosphere.
Every Wednesday there’s also an open-air market (in front of the covered market) that offers great products at much more reasonable prices. If you want to stay for lunch, a few nice food trucks are there to welcome you every Wednesday until about 14:00.
When: Daily except for Mondays, the market closes for a break between 14:30 to 16:30 on weekdays / Where: Place Alcala de Henares, 33400 Talence
Thouars Talence – Every Sunday
Let’s stay in Talence just a little bit longer as there’s another great market I must mention in this list. This one takes place every Sunday morning in the Thouars forest in Talence, just in front of the swimming pool.
This is the biggest weekly market of Talence with tens of stands with great French products. I particularly love going there for the big variety of fruits and veggies and for the deals at the fish stall (if you come towards noon of course).
This isn’t only a food market! You can also find other practical things like plants, clothing, and kitchen accessories. The market is located within a few steps from a lake within a forest so you can also make a nice picnic day out of it. It’s not the easiest one to get to by public transport but if you have a car it’s worth a visit.
When: Sunday morning / Where: the parking of 235 Avenue de Thouars, 33400 Talence
Le Marché du Centre-ville de Mérignac
Another market I really love visiting during the weekend is the Merignac city center market. A short ride on tram A from the center of Bordeaux will take you to one of the best markets in the city.
The market takes place every Wednesday and Saturday morning on Place Charles de Gaulle, just next to Mediatheque Mérignac, the city library. It offers stalls of regional wine, a huge variety of cheese, nuts, honey, pastries, and all the basics like vegetables, meat, and fish.
A few tables have been put in place for you to enjoy a nice cup of coffee from the market’s coffee roaster stall.
When: Wednesday and Saturday / Where: Place Charles de Gaulle, Merignac
Pessac center
A very nice market takes place in the center of Pessac every Tuesday and Saturday morning. Pessac is one of the more charming suburbs of Bordeaux and a market day is a good excuse to visit its lovely city center. The market isn’t big but the products are excellent, I especially love the cheese stall. And as a bonus, you can finish your market tour with a drink in one of the coffee places on the square.
You can reach it easily by public transport, just take tram B from the center of Bordeaux to Pessac Centre.
A much bigger market is taking place not far from the center every Sunday morning. Le marché Bourrec, on Avenue Pierre Wiehn is hosting more than 150 merchants and farmers coming from all the departments surrounding Bordeaux (Lot et Garonne, Dordogne, Landes…) with the best products of our region. This market also has stalls of clothing, art, and more.
When: Tuesday and Saturday and Sunday / Where: Place de la Ve République and Avenue Pierre Wiehn. Pessac.
Marché de Rochefort – Gradignan
Marché de Rochefort is a great option for those living in the Southern suburbs of Bordeaux. More than 70 merchands arrive here every Saturday morning selling everything from meat to cheese and fish, flowers, and more.
It’s a very local market with a cozy vibe to it. People are greeting each other and the customers share their cooking ideas and stories from their family dinners with the merchants who come here every week. It’s a very nice market if you’re looking for a calmer local vibe rather than a touristy atmosphere.
It’s located next to the central road of Gradignan, Cours du Général de Gaulle so it’s easy to get there by public transport from Bordeaux and Talence (bus line 10 stops next to it).
When: Saturday morning (8:00-13:00) / Where: rue de Rochefort ( between the cemetery and le collège des Fontaines de Monjous), Gradignan.
Marché de Bassens
The Bassens market is less known by most tourists but it’s actually one of the biggest markets in our region and one of the most popular among people on the rive droite of the Garonne. The market takes place every Sunday at Place de la Commune de Paris in Bassen, a town located just after Lormont.
Almost 150 stalls are waiting for you with some of the best products in the southwest of France. There are oysters from Arcachon and from Ile de Re, charcuterie from the Basque country, tarts from the Landes, and other produce from almost every corner of Nouvelle Aquitaine. Among them, there are quite a few food stalls like Morocain couscous, Portuguese grilled chicken, and a coffee place. You can spend a really fun morning here, strolling the many alleys of the market and tasting local food.
When: Sunday morning (9:00-13:00) / Where: place de la Commune de Paris, Bassens
If this list of the best markets in Bordeaux got you in a foodie mood you can also read my article about the most foodies streets in Bordeaux and the one about the sweet specialties of Bordeaux.
Is it your first time in Bordeaux? If it is you should definitely check out my ultimate guide to Bordeaux to get familiar with all the must-see places in Bordeaux. To help you choose a hotel in Bordeaux I’ve gathered a list of the best hotels in the center of Bordeaux as well as a guide to the districts of Bordeaux to help you find your preferred AirBnB location.
You can also get plenty of tips on things to do in the Southwest of France via lost in Bordeaux’s social media accounts and email list, check them out here:
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