After the Eiffel Tower, one of the most visited attractions in Paris is the Marche aux Puces, a flea market open every Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. More than 120 million visitors fan out over its 14 acres every weekend seeking the rare, the precious, the pretentious, even the shabby and kitschy. It's an open-air museum stuffed with antiques and artifacts, salvage and secondhand treasures. From the sumptuous to the absurd, from the passe to the timeless, Les Puces is part grandma's attic, part Ali Baba's cave.

Items are even more appealing to visiting Americans, who receive a 20 percent discount by deducting the value-added tax, or detaxe, that is built into prices. And in August when all the Parisians leave town, your negotiating power is even stronger because merchants are eager to make a deal.

I asked Contributing Editor Clare Fallen, an American who has lived outside Paris for seven years, to survey the market scene and advise a first-time visitor on how to approach it.

The four members of the Fallen family rose with the sun in order to arrive ahead of the crowds on a recent Saturday. They found parking easily at 7:30, but few of the boutiques were open. So they stopped at Café Paul Bert, one of more than 20 restaurants located within the Marches aux Puces, and had croissants, hot chocolate, and coffee. By 10, all the stores were open, and Clare's group struggled to keep together as each found different objects of fascination down the many alleys.

"One of us," says Clare, "was stirred by ancient arms and armor, another by art deco furniture, still another was drawn to antique toys and toy soldiers. And I found it difficult to resist French handwoven carpets, silver, and table linens."

By lunch, they'd visited only four of the 14 antiques markets. Forewarned, they'd called ahead for reservations at Chez Louisette restaurant (331-4012-1014), an institution tucked in the depths of the Marche Vernaison. And though Louisette herself is no longer, the spirit of yesteryear survives: Surly waiters yell orders, singers knock out sultry Edith Piaf classics, and inspired diners step into the aisles to dance "La Guingette."

After lunch, the Fallens visited three more markets. Marche Vernaison is the epicenter of what France claims is the world's largest permanent flea market. It dates back to the late 1800s when city hall forced unregulated street peddlers outside the city walls and into small cabins constructed in fields on the city's perimeter. In 1920, Roman Vernaison bought half an acre of this land and constructed the existing cabins in the Marche Vernaison. All of the original structures are intact, and so is the charm; the alleys are convoluted, the pavement irregular. The Marche Malik was established next, and then the Marche Biron. The last market, Marche L'Usine, opened in 1992. Les Puces consists of 18 markets -- 14 dedicated to antiques and secondhand goods and four to clothing.

This sprawling enterprise straddles the city's limits, cradled inside the Peripherique, the city's beltway. A small portion is inside Paris's 18eme arrondissement near the Porte de Clignancourt, but the largest part falls in St. Ouen, a bordering town. For this reason you'll sometimes hear the area referred to as Clignancourt or St. Ouen.

Americans represent about 80 percent of the sales for certain vendors, according to Virginie Mandon, whose family has managed Les Puces since 1867. American shoppers are often willing to pay higher prices for goods, Mandon adds, knowing they can resell them in the US for four to six times what they paid. As a result, merchants cater to them. Many will take care of shipping that armoire back home and prepare all necessary customs and detaxe documentation. And bargaining is always wise; cut 20 percent off a marked price, and you've done a good job.

So don't hesitate: Give in to your dreams and take home a piece of France.

Just the Facts: Les Puces

- For a preview of what awaits you at Les Puces, check out these web sites: www.vernaison.net, www.les-puces.com, www.libertys.com.

- From anywhere in Paris, take either line 4 of the Metro to the Porte de Clignancourt station or line 13 to the Porte St. Ouen station.

- Buyer beware: Don't be put off by what you see in the clothing markets and the sidewalks of Les Puces. Persevere, and let curiosity and the passion of a collector lead you down passageways. But keep a sharp eye out for pickpockets, and keep your jewelry modest and your wallet in your chest pocket. And never enter into the game of Bonneteau that can sometimes be found on the streets of the Marche. This innocuous-looking table game set up with cards, boxes, and little balls is a game of illusion, and only the dealer wins. It's also a magnet for pickpockets, so keep a safe distance.

June 2002