Marché de Blois – Place Louis XII
Every Saturday morning the square in front of Blois town hall fills with some 200 stalls selling everything from Sologne asparagus and Touraine goat's cheeses to locally pressed walnut oil and hand-thrown pottery. It is the kind of unhurried French market that Instagram markets only wish they were.
What to Buy & Eat
Head straight for the cheese vendors clustered near the fountain: Crottin de Chavignol, Selles-sur-Cher with its ash-dusted rind and creamy Sainte-Maure de Touraine are all produced within an hour's drive and taste incomparably fresher here than in any supermarket.
The charcuterie stalls stock rillettes du Mans, andouillettes de Vouvray and thick slices of jambon de pays — pick up a baguette from the boulangerie on Rue Denis Papin and you have an effortless picnic for the riverbank.
Beyond the Food
A smaller brocante section on the market's eastern edge turns up vintage Gien faïence pottery, old postcards of Loire châteaux and the occasional art-deco café poster — arrive early for the best finds before dealers sweep through.
After shopping, walk two minutes uphill to the Château Royal de Blois for a morning visit before the afternoon crowds arrive; the market and château together make a perfect half-day pairing.
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