Les Halles d'Avignon: the covered market at the heart of Place Pie
Most mornings, I cross Place Pie to do my shopping at Les Halles, Avignon's covered market. A vertical garden on the façade, around forty stalls, AOP cheesemongers, a fishmonger, charcuterie, market gardeners: here is what a local actually buys, and how to avoid showing up at the wrong time.
There is one routine I have never dropped since I started living in Avignon: doing my shopping at Les Halles, on Place Pie. Not in some supermarket on the edge of town — here, in the heart of the ramparts, in this covered market that smells of aged cheese, fresh fish and basil. It is the belly of the city. And it is one of the first addresses I give my guests when they set down their bags in one of my apartments.
Les Halles d’Avignon: a covered market inside the walls
Les Halles occupy a single-storey building on Place Pie, in the very centre of the walled town. This is not an open-air market that gets set up and taken down each day: it is a permanent hall, open in the mornings, where producers and traders keep their stalls year-round.
Before you even push the door open, there is one detail you cannot miss.
Patrick Blanc’s living plant wall
On the square side, the entire market façade is covered by a vertical garden designed by Patrick Blanc, the botanist who popularised this kind of installation. Hundreds of plants grow vertically, without soil, fixed to an irrigated support. Depending on the season, the wall changes colour and density.
It has become a landmark in town: people say “meet me at the plant wall” and everyone knows where that is. It is also, quite honestly, one of the most photographed corners of Avignon — worth knowing if you are looking for the building from a distance.
Around forty stalls under one roof
Inside, you will find around forty stalls — the figure shifts a little over the years, but that is the order of magnitude. And the density is what makes the difference: within a few metres you go from the fishmonger to the cheesemonger, from the charcuterie to the market gardener.
Among others, you will come across:
- Cheesemongers with genuine regional AOP cheeses — Banon goat’s cheese wrapped in a chestnut leaf, Picodon, Provençal tommes — and a fine selection beyond the South too
- Provençal charcuterie: caillettes, herb sausages, country terrines
- A fishmonger stocked according to the day’s catch, with Mediterranean fish when it is in season
- Greengrocers and market gardeners: Provençal fruit and vegetables, fresh herbs, garlic, olives
- Vaucluse and Rhône Valley wines — côtes-du-rhône, ventoux, luberon
- Caterers, a baker, snack counters for a coffee or a quick lunch
The advantage of a covered market: you do your shopping sheltered, whether it is raining or 35°C outside in the middle of July.
When to go: the mistake to avoid
The first thing to know, and the one I stress most with my guests: Les Halles are closed on Monday.
It is the classic mistake. You arrive on a Monday morning, full of enthusiasm, and find the doors shut. The market opens in the morning, generally Tuesday to Sunday, and closes in the early afternoon. Exact hours can vary by season and by stall — I recommend checking the official Halles website or the Tourist Office before going, especially if you are aiming for late morning.
Early morning is better
At Les Halles, the best choice is early in the morning. The stalls are full, the fish has just been laid out, and the producers have time to chat. The later it gets, the more some stalls empty out and a few begin to pack up.
If you want the atmosphere, come on a Saturday morning: it is the liveliest day, the most vibrant, the one when all of Avignon seems to be doing its shopping at once. If you want quiet and time to browse, a Tuesday or Wednesday morning will be far more peaceful.
La Petite Cuisine du Marché
Les Halles also host an event I am rather fond of: “la Petite Cuisine du Marché”, a live cooking demonstration by a local chef who cooks with produce from the stalls in front of the public.
It generally takes place on Saturday mornings — but the day and time can change, so it is worth checking with Les Halles if you want to plan your visit around it. It is free, friendly, and gives you genuine ideas for simple recipes using seasonal produce.
What a local actually buys
People often ask me what to bring back from Les Halles. Here, very concretely, is what goes into my basket:
- A fresh goat’s cheese for the evening apéritif, and a slice of tomme for the next day
- The day’s vegetables from the market gardener — in summer, heirloom tomatoes, courgettes, aubergines for a ratatouille
- A fish if the catch looks good, to cook the same evening
- Bread from the market baker
- A bottle of côtes-du-rhône or a local rosé from the wine stall
The idea is not to buy everything at once: it is to put together one or two good meals with produce that has real flavour. A dinner cooked in the apartment with what you found that morning is often the best food memory of the trip — and far cheaper than a restaurant.
Our host’s tip
Three things I repeat at every arrival:
- Bring a sturdy bag or a shopping basket. Cheese, charcuterie and fish do not like sitting in a flimsy plastic bag. A basket, or better still a small cool bag, is ideal — especially in summer.
- Carry a little cash. Many stalls take cards these days, but not all of them, and not always for small amounts. A few notes in your pocket avoid an awkward moment.
- Talk to the producers. Ask what is in season, what is local, how to cook it. That is the whole point of a lively covered market: the advice is free and always good.
From our apartments
My three apartments — Lavande Évasion, Lavande Dorée and Cinéma Provence — are in the same building, at 13B rue du Bon Martinet, in the very heart of Avignon inside the walls, in the Teinturiers quarter. Les Halles on Place Pie are a few minutes’ walk away: you reach Place Pie through the alleys, basket in hand, and the morning round trip to do your shopping becomes part of the stay.
All three apartments have a fully equipped kitchen: that is on purpose. Shopping at Les Halles and then cooking at home is, to my mind, the truest way to experience a stay in Avignon.
About this article
What are the opening days and hours of Les Halles d'Avignon?
Les Halles d'Avignon open in the morning, generally Tuesday to Sunday, and are closed on Monday. They close in the early afternoon. Exact hours can vary by season and by stall: the safest move is to check the official Halles website or the Avignon Tourist Office before you go, especially if you are aiming for late morning.
Where is Avignon's covered market?
On Place Pie, right in the heart of Avignon inside the city walls, a few minutes' walk from Place de l'Horloge and the Teinturiers quarter. You can spot the building from a distance thanks to its living plant wall — a vertical garden covering the whole façade on the square side.
What is the plant wall on Les Halles d'Avignon?
It is a vertical garden designed by the botanist Patrick Blanc, fixed to the market's façade on the Place Pie side. Hundreds of plants grow vertically, without soil, on an irrigated support. It has become one of the most photographed features in the city.
Are there cooking shows or events at Les Halles?
Yes. Les Halles generally hold a cooking demonstration on Saturday mornings, 'la Petite Cuisine du Marché', where a local chef cooks live using produce from the stalls. The day and time can change, so it is worth checking with Les Halles before planning your visit around this event.
Can you eat on site at Les Halles d'Avignon?
Yes. Several stalls offer something to eat for lunch or a coffee at the counter, to be enjoyed on the spot. It is a good morning option for tasting market produce without cooking, but it remains market-style catering, tied to the morning opening hours.
