Marché du Cours National
Every Saturday morning the wide, plane-tree-lined Cours National erupts into one of the liveliest street markets in Charente-Maritime, with producers driving in from the surrounding bocage to sell everything from Charentais melons and Cognac-region walnuts to raw-milk goat's cheese and freshly shucked Marennes-Oléron oysters. It is less a shopping errand than a slow, sensory tour of the regional l
What to seek out
Arrive before 9 am to catch the oyster stalls at their freshest — vendors from the Marennes basin set up portable trestle tables and shuck to order, handing you a dozen on a paper plate with a wedge of rye bread and a splash of mignonette for just a few euros.
Look for the honey producers from the Saintonge plateau who sell single-varietal acacia and sunflower honeys in unlabelled jars, and the farmers offering pineau des Charentes, the local aperitif of grape juice and Cognac, direct from their estate.
Beyond the food stalls
Scattered among the food vendors are brocante sellers with vintage Limoges porcelain, old postcards of Saintes and agricultural curiosities — it is easy to lose an hour rummaging.
The market winds down around 1 pm, so plan lunch at one of the café terraces bordering the cours where you can eat your market haul or order a crêpe and a glass of Entre-Deux-Mers.
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