Marché du Centre-Ville (Place Belliard)
Every Saturday morning, Place Belliard and the surrounding streets fill with the colour and noise of Fontenay's main weekly market — a proper working market where locals shop rather than a tourist showcase. Goat's cheese from the Marais Poitevin, Vendée brioche and seasonal vegetables piled high make it one of the most authentic food experiences in the region.
What to buy and eat
The fromagers bring wheels of chabichou and fresh chèvre straight from small farms in the Deux-Sèvres. Pair a wedge with a thick slice of Vendée brioche — the local loaf enriched with butter and eggs — bought from the boulangerie stalls and you have breakfast sorted before 9 a.m.
Seasonal produce dominates: asparagus from the sandy soils around Luçon in spring, Vendée mojhettes (white haricot beans) in summer, and walnuts and wild mushrooms in autumn. Arrive before 10:00 to get the best of everything.
Beyond food
Clothing, household goods and flower stalls ring the outer edges of the market, giving it the feel of a genuine neighbourhood event rather than a curated farmers' market. The flower sellers in particular create explosions of colour that make for irresistible photography.
Afterwards, the café terraces on nearby Rue du Pont-aux-Chèvres fill up with market-goers nursing café crèmes and debating their purchases — the perfect way to ease into a Saturday in the Vendée.
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