Marché de Compiègne (Place du Change)
Every Wednesday and Saturday morning the Place du Change and surrounding streets in the old town fill with a proper French market — not a tourist trinket fair but a working, noisy, fragrant affair where local farmers sell muddy carrots, fishmongers shout the catch and cheese sellers from the Oise valley hand out tiny slivers of aged Maroilles. It has been held here, in various forms, since the med
What to Buy and Eat
The Saturday market is the larger of the two, spreading down the Rue des Lombards with stalls selling Picard endives, local honey, hand-raised charcuterie from nearby farms and seasonal game during autumn and winter.
A row of hot-food stands near the central fountain sells freshly fried merguez sandwiches, Flemish gaufres (waffles) dusted in icing sugar and steaming cups of coffee — breakfast here for a couple of euros beats any hotel buffet.
Look out for the dedicated cheese stall run by a third-generation affineur who ages his own Coulommiers and sells a pungent, washed-rind brique de Brie that is almost impossible to find in Paris supermarkets.
The Surroundings Worth Lingering In
The market spills around the beautiful Hôtel de Ville, a Flemish Gothic town hall built in the 15th century with a distinctive belfry — grab a coffee from the café opposite and watch the Saturday crowd swirl around its stone steps.
The adjacent Rue Solférino has a handful of independent boulangeries and a small épicerie fine stocking local craft beers from the Brasserie de l'Oise, worth picking up for a forest picnic.
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