Shopping in Les Halles market, Toulouse

One of the (many) pleasures of traveling in France is wandering the stalls at the local markets.

I’ve already written about some of my favorite markets in France – in the stunning mountain town of Annecy and the Cours Saleya market  of the Riviera coastal city of Nice.

If you’re travelling in France, always make time to check out the local market.

On a visit to Toulouse, in southwestern France’s Midi-Pyrénées region, we often passed through the town’s lively Les Halles  marketplace… and managed to stuff our suitcases with many of the local specialties to extend our French holiday meals for some days after our return to Rome.

Is there anything better than returning from a  holiday and bringing a piece of your destination home with you?

The market is centrally located – and Toulouse is a fantastic walking city – and is open daily from 6:00-13:00, closed Mondays.

Here you will find everything – fish shops with catches from the Mediterranean and the Atlantic, Spanish jamon, meats, fruits and vegetables, cheeses, bread, pastries, and plenty of the local specialties – such as casoullet and the region’s renowned foie gras.

Even a taste of home – Italian pizza

If you’re like me, and love French cheese, there’s a great shop close to the market not to be missed – Betty, Place Victor Hugo, 2. The shop has over 200 different types of cheeses from all over France.

There’s little chance you’ll miss it – you’ll smell the shop from hundreds of meters away. My kids have learned to roll their eyes and groan when my husband and I select the “smelly cheese”.

Betty also has a stand in the covered market, and there are other excellent cheese counters as well.

There’s plenty to tempt your palate at Toulouse’s Les Halles on your next visit.