Paris Markets: Flower Market and Bird City:
An interesting Paris market to visit in the 4th arrondissement is the Marché aux Fleurs et aux Oiseaux Cité. This City Flower and Bird Markets have been operating at the Place Louis Lépine on the Ile de la Cité since 1808.
As the name indicates, the Marché aux Fleurs et aux Oiseaux Cité is a combination of two markets – one that specializes in plants and flowers and the other dedicated to birds as well as a few other small animals. A part of the market is housed in pavilions from the 1900s and there are some stalls that are in the open.
Marché aux fleurs
If you love plants and flowers, there is a large selection of flowers, plants and shrubs to admire here. You can also buy your gardening accessories at this market. It’s great that Parisians have such a huge Marché aux Fleurs right in the centre of the city and no doubt many of the beautiful pot plants you see on the apartment window sills and balconies are bought from here. The Flower Market opens daily from 8:00 to 19:30.
Marché aux oiseaux Cité
The Marché aux Oiseaux Cité (bird market) only opens on Sundays and we were lucky to have visited on this day as it was an eye-opener for us. There are so many different little birds for sale and it would appear that Parisians must enjoy keeping birds as a hobby for such a specialist market to exist. In our own apartment block there are some bird-keepers as we hear little birds singing away.
At one of the stalls, the birds were so tame and the vendor had them on top of the cages for visitors to hold and stroke. I was handed one of the little white birds to hold and it amazed us that the birds don’t attempt to take flight. In addition to the pretty little birds, there were also some interesting-looking roosters on display.
Kids will enjoy visiting this market as in addition to birds, there were little white mice for sale as well as adorable guinea pigs which the young visitors fell in love with. Also on sale are a wide variety of cages, accessories, and seeds. There are bags and bags of different bird seeds on offer, with special mixes for those who want to spoil your birds with gourmet feeds. The Bird Market operates on Sundays from 8:00 to 19:00.
The Marché aux Fleurs et aux Oiseaux Cité is worth a visit on your Sunday stroll and it is easily reached on foot, or if you’re catching the metro, take Line 4 and get off at M° Cité, the only metro stop on the Ile de la Cité.
You can see more photos of Marché aux Fleurs et aux Oiseaux Cité Here.
Address:
Marché aux Fleurs et aux Oiseaux Cité
Place Louis Lépine and Quai de la Corse
75004 paris
Paris Map:
75004 Paris, France
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