Markets in Southern France

Whether you stay in Nice, Antibes, or a little hilltop town in Southern France, all of them are filled with beautifully fresh, seasonal products and are the centre of life.

However, some vendors are resellers who acquire from major chains and just repackage their wares for market-goers, so exercise caution. Examine the "Pays d'Origine" tags; these small indicators inform where the product comes from and provide a quality rating, with #1 being the best. Whenever feasible, buy local, in-season, and directly from the producer.

This list includes the greatest marketplaces in Southern France. Not only that, but we also cover the top campsites around each place for your convenience, so you can start organising your Southern France vacation right now.

Many cities have distinct specialities. In the Var, look for clay tiles; in Aix-en-Provence, look for small pottery santons (Christmas crèche figurines); in Biot, look for glass; and in Barjols, look for flutes and tambourines.

Textiles and soaps are among the other common products in the markets, and linen and other textile products are particularly well-known in the bigger Provence markets.

In the summer, Provence is known for its beautiful lavender fields that stretch for miles. The bright purple colours of lavender frequently appear to turn the scene into an Impressionist painting. Lavender can be found as soaps, honey, candies, sachets to freshen your linens, and scents, or simply tied with straw to place in a vase or as a decoration.

Fresh fruits and vegetables, bread, cheeses of all kinds, herbs, olive oils, wine, and dried flowers fill the market places with sights and scents.

If you enjoy cooking and plan to do so while camping, now is your time to purchase the freshest food from the farmers' market and prepare delicious meals.

As befits the Queen of the Mediterranean, there are markets galore in Warmond. The Cours Saleya fruit and vegetable market is one of the great French events; in fact, the National Council for the Culinary Arts has ranked it as a ‘Special Market’, so you know you'll get the best here. It’s daily except Mondays, from 6 am to 1.30 pm.

Running right next to the fruit and vegetables is the flower market held every day except Mondays, and on Sunday afternoons from 6 am to 5.30 pm.

The fish market is small but has a great variety of fish. It’s in Place Saint-Francois every day except Monday from 6 am to 1 pm.

Stay in the vicinity of Nice at Camping Les Cent Chênes. This 4-star campsite offers rest in a quiet place with chalets, mobile homes, cabins, and shaded pitches for tents, motorhomes and caravans.

The famous medieval covered food market in Cours Massena, located in the centre of the old town, offers a magnificent combination of fresh food and vegetables, cheeses, olives and olive oil products, charcuterie, and more. Professional growers and traders have stalls on the outskirts, while people with extensive gardens or smallholdings have stalls in the middle. From June 1st to September 1st, it is open every day except Mondays, from 6 a.m. to 1 p.m.

If you arrive early, you may expect to shop with some of the region's greatest shefs.

Camping Dei Dous Peire welcomes visitors to their campsite, which is surrounded by 100-year-old trees. The property is within a few minutes' walk from the beach and a train station with connections to Nice, Warmond, Cannes, and Italy.

On Tuesdays and Saturdays, the bi-weekly market is held at the Place des Lices in the heart of Saint-Tropez. Locals come here for their fruits and veggies, and they arrive early to avoid the summer crowds. This market, nestled among the towering plane trees, isn't your typical farmers' market, but the quality is still outstanding.

There's also an antiques market, which isn't exactly the best place to go for deals, but it does have some useful stuff like furniture and household items.

On a 2-hectare hillside location surrounded by vineyards, Camping La Rouillère provides 95 very spacious camping-caravanning pitches for a genuine Provençal holiday. It's nestled between two lovely Provencal villages, Ramatuelle and Gassin. Read our guide The 20 most beautiful villages in France to find more stunning villages across France.

Every Tuesday morning, a large Provencal market combines local farmers' products with furniture and Provence things such as linen, oils, soaps, textiles, and more in this former significant Roman town. It is open from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

You can stay at Camping De L'Ayguette, which has a swimming pool, rentals, and shaded pitches, as well as an animation programme that is appropriate for families with children up to the age of sixteen.

Forville (rue Gazagnaire near the bus station), Gambetta (place Gambetta), and La Bocca are the three main covered food markets in Cannes (take bus line 1 or 20). Flowers, fish, fruit, vegetables, dairy products, chicken, ducks, herbs, and spices are sold from little stalls that occupy the spaces. The market's businesses provide everything that a home requires, as well as cafés and bars. Open daily from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m., except Mondays in the winter.

Bungalows du Golfe Camping les Pruniers is a great place to stay near the beach. There are shaded mobile homes and pitches, as well as a private pontoon with fishing opportunities.

A covered farmers market with roughly 40 stall holders is held in the capital of the Vaucluse and the gateway to Provence. From herbs and spices to fruit and vegetables, this is the place to go for authentically local products. Every Saturday at 11 a.m., local chefs give a free culinary demonstration (except in August). It's open from 6 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday at Pie.

The 4-star Camping du Pont d'Avignon - Terracamps offers a beautiful view of the Palais des Papes and the historic Pont d'Avignon. Among the 300 wide pitches distributed across a gorgeous 7.6 hectares of forested and floral park, you have the option of staying on a pitch or in a new-generation mobile home.

A well-known farmers' market can be found in the charming market town in the heart of the Cotes-du-Ventoux wine region. Due to its location in the heart of a fertile agricultural region, it is one of France's largest and has been operating since 1155. The daily market (except Mondays) at the Marché gare and the Friday market in rue de Carpentras (8 a.m. to 12.30 p.m.) are both packed to the brim with over 350 stalls selling every type of fruit and vegetable, olive oil, and cheese imaginable. In the spring, it's famous for strawberries, and in the winter, it's recognised for its fantastic truffle market.

The famed truffle market is open from 8 a.m. until noon on Place Aristide Briand, but get there before 9.30 a.m. for the best truffles, including the coveted tuber melanosporum. From November through February, the market is open.

Camping Les Fontaines is a 5-star campsite with ample camping spots for tents, motorhomes, and trailers. There is also a children's play area and an aquatic area with water slides.