Notre Dame Market Versailles

While people flock to Versailles to view the incredible Palace, there’s another gem well worth the visit: the Notre Dame Market.

The Market is truly a foodie’s dream. Artisanal sausages, plump juicy fruits, crisp seasonal vegetables, and the freshest meats and seafood, all in and around an elegant historic building. It is well and truly worth checking out for anyone looking for things to do in Versailles. One can discover the many artisanal cheeses and charcuterie there, try the delicious pastries, and taste the incredible local honeys and jams. Stalls outside of the market sell freshly roasted poultry and meats, along with deliciously seasoned potatoes and side dishes.  

A mere 15 minute walk from the Palace itself, the Market dates back to at least 1634 when the Palace was being transformed from a mere hunting lodge to the opulent 2,000-acre royal residence. Because of its proximity to the Palace, it is tempting to think that perhaps royalty, or rather their servants, would shop there, but that would be incorrect. The Palace of Versailles with its spacious lands and its thousands of residents had its own food supply. The markets were where the people who served the Palace of Versailles, and the people who were attracted to the city that flourished around it, would shop. 

Notre Dame Market began as a humble, and extremely disorganized, cluster of shacks providing foodstuffs to the residents of Versailles. In a bid to bring order to the market, the old shacks were torn down and a new market was built in 1724, organized into four “carrés” or squares: 

• The “carré aux veaux et à la volaille”, where meats and poultry was sold;

• The “carré au beurre et à la maré”, selling butter, seafood, oats and grains;

• The “carré aux herbes”, selling fruits and vegetables; and 

• The “carré du poids à la farine”, where equipment used to measure the weight of

During the Revolution, the Market was abandoned and slowly but surely, the shacks fell into despair. In 1839 the old Notre Dame Market was demolished and the building that we see today was constructed. It opened its doors on 15 September 1842, and continues to serve the people until today. 

The Market is and has always been an integral part of the history of Versailles and its people. Living and breathing with their rhythm, the Market continues to evolve. In 2016, a new space for organic products was introduced in line with a growing consumer consciousness around the impact of food on health. 

The market does not limit itself to food of course. On Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays the market also hosts stands for an array of offerings, from clothes (keep an eye out for cut-price clothing, where you can snag incredible bargains on brand name goods) and bags to watches and bedding. 

If you’re looking for a lunch or dinner spot during your visit to the Notre Dame Market, you can drop by the restaurant-brasserie “Au chien qui fume”, or “The Dog that Smokes”, which sits right outside the Market. Founded in 1839, Au chien qui fume serves French classics ranging from frog legs to duck confit, all the way to the icon Crème brûlée. And if you’re wondering why The Dog that Smokes? Well, it’s because the owner would famously hand his dog his pipe whenever he was taking an order.