5 unmissable bric-a-brac spots!
Loire Valley, 5 flea markets not to be missed: Viarme, Sillé ...
Come and stroll or grab a bargain at the many car boot sales, bric-a-brac shops or flea markets in Atlantic Loire Valley. This little selection of unmissable places in each of the 5 departments should help you find that rare gem...
Les Puces Ligneronnaises (Vendée) - Rural atmosphere
Unearth a photograph, rummage through old postcards, dig out old books or crockery... Les Puces Ligneronnaises, set up on the grass in Saint-Christophe-du-Ligneron each third Sunday in July, is the largest flea market in the Vendée. 250 exhibitors, including collectors and specialists in vintage objects, display their marvels here. The event Arts & Saveurs takes over the second Sunday in August, combining crafts with food products.
Grande brocante de la place Viarme (Nantes) - A village feel in the city centre
When the end of September arrives, bargain hunters flock to the stands set up on place Viarme, the emblematic site in Nantes' city centre. Trinkets, furniture, clothing, posters, artworks and other little treasures sit on the tarmac or trestle tables overseen by 150 traders. Note that there is a flea market here every Saturday throughout the year.
La grande brocante de Sillé (Sarthe) - A festive event
This flea market is a joyful social gathering in mid-October of 350 exhibitors in the streets of Sillé-le-Guillaume. A few hundred yards away from the superb medieval château in the Sarthe's second-busiest tourist town, walkers come to pick out a bargain, the smell of roast pork in the air, musical performances and commentary from the microphone of the mobile host.
Grand vide-grenier du Nord Mayenne (Mayenne) - The small flea market that's on the rise
This flea market, held every first Sunday in July at Saint-Fraimbault-de-Prières, a charming little village with 1,000 residents, has been an amazing success, having grown and grown to become one of the largest in the region, with over 300 exhibitors! Professionals and private sellers rub shoulders in a good-natured atmosphere, near the sausage galette stall and the little funfair organised for the occasion.
Les Puces de Montsoreau (Anjou) - Rummage at the water's edge
The Puces de Montsoreau, held on the second Sunday every month, is the ideal occasion to discover this town with its majestic château and white tuffeau stone houses, classed as one of the most beautiful villages in France. 80 professional exhibitors set up at dawn on the banks of the Loire, still draped in mist, to welcome the 10,000 visitors. In the socio-cultural field, Le Plus des Puces brings together craftspeople who offer to restore the pieces bought by the general public on-site.