For a quiet, charming and authentic antique hunt, the weekly Carpentras flea market is the place to be; some antique hunters even consider it one of the best flea markets in Provence. The Carpentras flea market is a relatively modest and medium-sized flea market, with the number of stallholders fluctuating slightly with the seasons. But year-round shoppers are greeted with friendly faces, relaxed company and an incredibly pleasant little market to experience.
Set up in a parking lot, the Carpentras flea market, at its largest, hosts around 200 stalls offering a lovely range of antique and second-hand goods for sale. There's no need to set the alarm and get up at the crack of dawn to rummage through the offerings: the Carpentras flea market opens late in the morning and doesn't have the frantic atmosphere that accompanies the opening of so many flea markets. Vendors and shoppers alike are relaxed and enjoy each other's company, and vendors are quick to engage browsers in conversation about the origins of their artifacts and any other interesting information at hand. For those who love a story to go with their sales, the Carpentras flea market is a must!
The Carpentras flea market is known as a Puces-Brocante, which means that it offers higher quality items than the average garage sale, but is not quite classified as an antique fair. However, there are often items of real quality to be found here, and many antiques are indeed scattered around. The variety of goods and prices is huge, although the majority of the goods are standard second-hand bits emptied out of someone's house rather than fine decorative objects. But it can always be worth the time to search for that hidden treasure.
In addition to the weekly flea market, the town of Carpentras hosts a larger flea fair several times a year. Known as the "immanquables" (unmissable), this flea market extravaganza gathers up to 900 professional and private antique dealers who spread their wares over 40,000 square meters of exhibition space. Only vintage goods and antiques can be sold during the "immanquables".
There is always at least one food truck among the stalls at the Carpentras flea market, and usually cheap and tasty wine is available, which makes the shopping experience all the more enjoyable!
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