All French life’s old curios at Le Touquet flea market

 

Where Le Touquet locals are used to seeing French fruit and veg piled high on a Saturday, one or two Sundays each month sees the town’s iconic art-deco covered market transformed into an Aladdin’s cave of antiques, collectibles and retro items. Le Touquet flea market ‒ or Puces du Touquet as its locally known ‒ is like going on a journey back in time and adds a unique dimension to your weekend away on the Northern France coast, less than an hour from Calais.

 

Spying a stylish old suitcase, its owner’s name just legible (who was he and where did it take him?), makes you realise that every item here arouses curiosity and tells a story. From cutlery to coins, furniture to figurines, the excitement’s in not knowing what you’re going to find ‒ the only certainty that items are in good condition with expertise thrown in for good measure ‒ all stallholders here are professional dealers. 

 

Once you’ve secured your second-hand finds (maybe a vintage je-ne-sais-quoi for yourself , or a unique gift for that eclectica-loving friend), reward yourself for saving the planet by going to admire it. The beaches, estuary, dunes and forest right here at the Opal Coast’s most elegant resort are amongst Northern France’s most precious views. It’s not nicknamed Paris-Plage for nothing!