Marché Central de Mulhouse
Tucked inside a handsome 19th-century covered hall on Place de la Réunion, Mulhouse's central market is where local farmers, cheesemakers and charcutiers have traded since 1865. Come on a Saturday morning when the stalls spill out onto the square and the whole city seems to converge here.
What to Buy and Taste
Load up on Munster fermier — the pungent, washed-rind cheese made in the nearby Vosges valleys — alongside slabs of smoked Schwarzwälder Speck and jars of Alsatian sauerkraut seasoned with juniper and white wine. Pretzel bakers arrive early and sell out fast, so get there before 9 am.
The flower stalls at the southern entrance are a riot of colour in spring, and in autumn you'll find vendors selling wild mushrooms foraged from the Vosges forests. A handful of stalls specialise in Alsatian wines, offering free pours of Riesling and Gewurztraminer to anyone who lingers.
The Square Around It
Place de la Réunion doubles as Mulhouse's main civic square and is framed by the striking Gothic-Renaissance Temple Saint-Étienne and the brightly painted Hôtel de Ville, whose trompe-l'œil murals are among the most photographed façades in Alsace.
After shopping, cross to one of the pavement cafés on the square's northern edge and order a café crème alongside a warm pain au chocolat from the Boulangerie Heitz stall — a Saturday ritual for half of Mulhouse.
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