One of the questions we’re asked all the time is – how do I find a brocante, antique shop, flea market or auction in “somewhere” in France? It seems that the French national love of browsing the second hand markets (French: brocantes), flea markets (marché au puces or vide grenier, second hand and antique shops [...]
Want to know where to search for great one off pieces, unique finds, a piece of vintage French paraphernalia in Paris? Look no further – we tell you the locations of the best second hand markets in the city, where the fashionistas and designers shop for that indefinable je ne sais quois piece for [...]
Each year the town of Amiens in the region of Picardy holds two grand flea markets known as Réderies. Held on the last Sunday of April and the first Sunday of October and starting for those who are keen at 05.00. With some 2,000 exhibitors selling everything from antiques to spare car parts this is [...]
The weekend of the first Sunday in September is when the Braderie de Lille, Europe’s largest flea market, is held With some 2.5 million visitors to the town, its a busy time so make your visit go smoothly with some practical information. Car Parking at the Braderie de Lille You cannot access the town of [...]
The first weekend of every September sees the annual Braderie de Lille take place – the biggest flea market in Europe! History of the Braderie de Lille The Braderie de Lille has an ancient past – historians seem to agree that it goes back to the 12th Century when employers allowed their servants to sell [...]
Every 14th July for as long as anyone can remember, there has been a market in the lovely town of Montreuil-sur-Mer. The picturesque cobbled streets of this hill top village are filled with stalls for the annual antiques market and as darkness falls there is a big fireworks display. On Bastille Day the town becomes [...]
Brocantes and braderies in France – a way of life and a national passion. The flea markets, second hand markets and car boot sales are very popular in France especially in the summer and before Christmas, in fact, that’s an understatement – it seems to be the national pastime to spend weekends visiting the different [...]
Abbeville (Somme area): Thursday – Place du Grand Marche and the Market Hall A very big market almost exclusively in the Market Hall, lots of clothes stalls, food stalls, household goods and much else – very traditional. The outdoor market is open until early afternoon and the Market Hall closes at lunchtime. Well worth a [...]
Shopping at a street market is a way of life in France – and for a very good reason, markets can be fun, colourful, traditional and you can find bargains and seasonal products made or grown locally that you can’t always get in the supermarkets. Buying a locally produced foie gras or Saucisson from [...]
ARDRES Market – Champ de Foire (Calais area): Thursday morning Quite big, lively atmosphere, lots of choice and worth a visit. Food produce, household products and clothes – visited by lots of locals and you might find parking close by a bit of an issue. Quite a nice location, a Ville de Fleurie so lots of [...]
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The papers are currently full of news about proposals to mount wind turbines on the beaches of Normandy – including at least one of the D-Day landing beaches. Some newspapers are calling it an “invasion” – emotional words, and this is a very provocative subject. The proposal is to erect 75 of the huge [...]
The Good Life France talks to Roger St Pierre – an award-winning writer who has visited every one of France’s 94 metropolitan departments as a cyclist, journalist, author and Francophile… Roger, who The Good Life France is honoured to include amongst its very talented group of writers, tells me he taught himself French by [...]
Well, it is with a heavy heart that I must tell you that the sheep across the road has gone to the great pasture in the sky. When I bought my house nine years ago it came with a sheep! The lady who owned the house before me had let the man across the road [...]
The allure of the good life in France and the charms of the beautiful town of Beziers ensnared British expat Mark Binmore who runs the highly successful Maison de l’Orb, a beautiful B&B. Mark told us that he lived in London since the early 1990s, worked as a pub landlord for several breweries, is the [...]
Expats in France Donna and Dave Faulkner fell in love with Deux-Sevres in the Poitou-Charentes region when they visited friends who lived there. When Dave was unexpectedly offered a job – they said goodbye to Britain and jumped head first into life in France in their new home which needed a bit of renovation as [...]
British expat Sue Aitken lives in south west France and runs Blackhen Education – a business that she set up after planning to move to Spain to be a teacher. She and her partner travelled through France on their way to jobs and a life in Spain but they fell in love with [...]
How two Brits met and changed their lives with a move to France… Chris was a veteran of 30 years in the Metropolitan police, running his own outdoor activity business specializing in mountain biking, walking and climbing, father to three grown-up children and mentor to many more. Charlotte was a classic single “Social Butterfly”, [...]
I was recently asked to write about expats in France, people who leave their homes in all areas of the world to go to France to live. I thought back over the years about the many expats I’ve met, interviewed (I am a journalist not just a crazy person going round firing questions at [...]
