Rue Montorgueil
A pedestrian market street of bakers, fishmongers and cafés
- Area 2nd arrondissement
- Type Market
- Time needed 45m
Rue Montorgueil is a market street in the 2nd arrondissement, largely pedestrianised, running north from the church of Saint-Eustache towards the Grands Boulevards. It is the surviving commercial spine of the old Les Halles food quarter, lined with bakers, fishmongers, cheesemongers, greengrocers and cafe terraces that spill into the roadway. There is nothing to enter and no ticket; you walk it, and you eat.
Open in the planner →Getting there
Get off at Sentier on line 3 or Etienne Marcel on line 4, both of which put you on the street itself. Les Halles on line 4 and Chatelet-Les Halles for RER A, B and D are five to eight minutes' walk from the southern end, so from Chatelet this is a walk rather than a ride. Grands Boulevards on lines 8 and 9 is at the top end. Start at Saint-Eustache and walk north so the street opens out ahead of you.
What you see
From the Saint-Eustache end you pass the 1730s shopfront of the old pastry house on the corner, one of the oldest surviving commercial frontages in Paris, and then a dense run of food shops in no particular order: whole fish on ice, charcuterie, a cheese counter or two, several bakeries. The cross streets are the good part. Rue Tiquetonne and rue Saint-Sauveur to the east are quieter and better for a sit-down; rue Montmartre runs parallel to the west; and the covered Passage du Grand-Cerf, a tall iron-and-glass arcade of workshops and small designers, opens off rue Saint-Denis a couple of minutes away. Halfway up, rue Greneta and the narrowing of the street mark where the market tone gives way to bars.
What to pair it with
Saint-Eustache and the Les Halles gardens are at the foot of the street. The Musee des Arts et Metiers is fifteen minutes east, and the Palais Royal and the Bourse de Commerce are both a short walk south-west.
When to go
Mid-morning on a Saturday is the street at full working strength, with the food shops busy and the terraces filling; Sunday morning is the local version of the same thing and many shops open. Monday is the weak day, when a good number of the food traders close. Evenings from about seven are loud and young and more about drinking than shopping.
What is hard about it
This is a shopping street, not a sight, and visitors who arrive expecting a covered market or a tourist attraction are disappointed. Terrace prices on Montorgueil itself are noticeably higher than on the side streets for the same food. It is crowded and narrow, cars and delivery vans do still use parts of it, and in bad weather there is very little shelter. Nothing here needs booking and nothing here is free of charge once you sit down.
Common questions
How long do you need on rue Montorgueil?
Thirty to forty-five minutes to walk it and look in the shops. Add an hour if you stop to eat.
Is there an actual covered market?
No. Montorgueil is an open street of individual shops. The nearest covered arcade is the Passage du Grand-Cerf, a few minutes away off rue Saint-Denis.
Which day should be avoided?
Monday, when a good share of the food shops are shut. Saturday and Sunday mornings are the most active.
Nearby
More of the same kind
- Saint-Ouen flea marketThe largest antiques market in the world, spread over fifteen markets
- Rue ClerA short market street near the Invalides, cobbled and pedestrian