Carreau des Halles, Market hall in Bayonne, France.
Carreau des Halles is a market hall in Bayonne with a structure of iron, brick, and glass where about twenty vendors offer fresh produce, meat, cheese, and regional specialties every day. The interior is tightly organized, with stalls packed closely together and merchandise concentrated in a compact space.
The original hall was built between 1860 and 1866 and shaped the city for a long time until it collapsed during a snowstorm in 1945. Its reconstruction in 1994 restored it to the form you see today and reestablished it as the city's market center.
The vendors here work with products that have been used in the region for generations, from Piment d'Espelette to local cheeses. You see and smell this connection to Basque and French cooking at every stall.
The hall opens early in the morning every day and closes in the midday, staying open slightly longer on weekends and Fridays. Go early when the selection is still large and fewer people are shopping.
On Saturdays the market expands dramatically when additional producers set up stalls around the hall and multiply the offerings. This weekend event draws many locals and creates a completely different market energy than on weekdays.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 60,000 contributors worldwide.
