Before there was the flagship store on the Champs-Elysees, in fact even well before Monsieur Peugeot encountered Herr Daimler and decided that the automobile was the way of the future, the famous French Peugeot famille was known for making a simple coffee mill. Today the flea markets are ripe with their 19th C relics and the antique famed French coffee grinders work as well today as they did in yesteryear.

You’ve done the Louvre. You spent the better part of a day in this venerable institution walking the well-worn path from the Venus de Milo to Winged Victory. You even pushed your way past the crowds to stand nose-to-nose with the Mona Lisa so you could share conspiratorial smiles. What are you missing? Well....

Planning your next trip to Paris? Want to visit great flea markets while abroad? Ask The Antiques Diva™—the in-house antiques expert for Bonjour Paris—for travel advice. In this month's special feature, The Antiques Diva™ gives advice on attending Maison et Objet, visiting the Grande Braderie de Lille and reveals her secret source for finding flea markets in France.

Ever wondered how to tell Louis XIV from Louis XVI and why Louis XV is the most reproduced furniture style in the world? In spite of the fact that these three kings were the ruin of the French monarchy, the three Louis—Louis XIV, Louis XV and XVI—did something right…

Is it possible to discover the lesser known corners of Paris without lugging around a big guidebook or paying a tour guide? Amy Barnard from Girls' Guide to Paris.com says yes!

Parlez vous le meuble? Do you speak French furniture? If you’re like me, you might only think you do - French furniture terms can be downright mystifying.  Perhaps the "Armoire" is the best known piece of French furniture worldwide, but did you know that if an armoire only has one door then it is not called an "Armoire"? Instead, it is a "Bonnetiere", deriving its name from the rounded top which looks like the shape of a bonnet worn by "Breton" ladies – the women from Brittany in northern France.

While every weekend year-round you can visit Paris’ two most famous flea markets at the Porte de Vanves and Porte de Clignancourt, following you’ll find a few French flea markets a bit more off the tourist path.  These “brocantes” - temporary traveling flea markets - are in town for a few days (or weeks) only with vendors bringing inventory from all over France, allowing you to cash in on special antique and bric-a-brac sales only a local would know about.  So mark your calendars and get ready, get set – it’s time to do some spring flea marketing in Paris! 

Visiting La Foire Nationale à la Brocante et aux Jambons is practically a rite of passage for Parisians and you, dear Antiques Diva, are the Queen of the Fair! Would you tell Bonjour Paris readers about your favorite flea market in France, what makes it so special and how you became La Reine du Jambon?