Marché d'Avallon — Saturday Morning Market
Every Saturday morning the Place du Général de Gaulle and the surrounding streets fill with the aromas of aged Époisses, fresh-baked pain de campagne and bunches of herbs from the Morvan hills — this is the weekly market that feeds the town and rewards any visitor who shows up before 10 am. Producers drive in from the Yonne valley and the Morvan plateau, making it one of the most genuinely local m
What to Buy
Head straight for the cheese stalls where you will find Époisses at various stages of ripeness — the washed-rind rounds sold here often come from smaller Yonne-valley producers rather than the large dairies, and the flavour difference is remarkable. Alongside them look for Soumaintrain, a lesser-known cousin that is equally pungent and even creamier.
The charcuterie vendors sell jambon du Morvan, a lightly smoked ham that is the region's signature cold cut, as well as andouillette and rillettes made from free-range pigs raised in the forests nearby. Buy a small wedge of ham and a baguette and you have the best possible picnic for the ramparts walk.
Timing & Atmosphere
Stallholders begin setting up around 07:30 and the market is in full swing by 08:30; by noon most of the best produce is gone. The café terraces around the square fill with locals nursing café crèmes between purchases, and the whole scene has the unhurried rhythm of a town that still takes its Saturday ritual seriously.
A smaller mid-week market runs on Wednesday mornings and is worth a look if you are staying in town, but Saturday is the one where the full range of Morvan and Yonne-valley produce appears.
More of Avallon
Discover where to stay, what to do and the best deals for your trip.
Explore Avallon →
