Antique dealers under Nolay's 14th-century halls, booksellers in Nevers' Renaissance Ducal Palace, 3,000 sqm covered in Besançon Micropolis: ten Burgundy-Franche-Comté flea-market picks for the Ascension long weekend.
Between the Côte d'Or vineyards, the Doubs plateaus and the Jura lakes, Burgundy-Franche-Comté delivers a particularly rich chine map for the Ascension long weekend: large professional flea markets under covered halls, Franche-Comté village vide-greniers, and book fairs in exceptional heritage settings. Ten highlights stand out among the 79 brocantes recorded across the region. Our pick this week: the Nolay Antique and Flea Market, where SNCAO-labelled antique dealers gather twice a year under 14th-century covered halls in the heart of the Côte chalonnaise wine country. For bibliophiles, the Nevers Ducal Palace Book Market — two days in a Renaissance jewel — may well be the most beautiful chine session of the weekend in France.
Nolay Antique-Flea Market: dealers under 14th-century halls (Côte-d'Or)
On Sunday May 17, the Nolay Antique-Flea Market opens its spring session on Place Monge, under listed halls dating from the 14th century. Organised by Les Amis des Halles, this SNCAO-labelled fair gathers exclusively professional antique dealers and brocanteurs. Regional Burgundy furniture, paintings, jewellery, silverware, antiquarian books, antique linen, faiences and curiosities spread out in a setting of rare medieval elegance. Nolay, twenty minutes from Beaune, is also the birthplace of Lazare Carnot: combine the fair with a stroll through the historic centre and a stop in the Côte de Beaune vineyards. One of the most distinguished antique dates in Burgundy — only twice a year.
Quartier Rousseau flea market: Dijon's antique-dealer heart (Côte-d'Or)
On Sunday May 17, the Quartier Rousseau flea market takes over Rue Auguste Comte, Rue Chaudronnerie and the area around the Halles Champeaux, in the heart of Dijon's antique-dealer district. Run by the Quartier Rousseau Antiquaires commercial union, this monthly market gathers fewer than fifty exclusively professional sellers, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. This is genuine urban chine, the opposite of an open-air vide-grenier: paintings, regional furniture, silverware, Dijon faiences and quality knick-knacks from dealers based in the quarter year-round. Free entry. A must for Dijon chineurs and the natural companion to a visit to the central market hall on market day.
Besançon Micropolis monthly professional flea market: 3,000 sqm covered (Doubs)
On Sunday May 17, the Micropolis exhibition centre hosts the Monthly Professional Flea Market of Besançon. Between 60 and 80 professional sellers display across 3,000 covered square metres, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., with free entry and parking. This is the go-to date for Doubs and Franche-Comté antique dealers, ideal in changeable weather thanks to its entirely covered format. Furniture, crockery, militaria, vinyl, knick-knacks, industrial objects, vintage: the offer is varied and high-quality, run by a long-established team. A solid bet if you're staying in the regional capital for the long weekend and want a serious gathering rain or shine.
Pontarlier monthly vide-grenier: 150 sellers on Place Saint-Pierre (Doubs)
On Sunday May 17, the Pontarlier Monthly Vide-Grenier stretches across Place Saint-Pierre, in the heart of the Haut-Doubs capital. Organised by Commerce Pontarlier Centre, it gathers around 150 amateur and professional sellers, from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. — the largest flea-market gathering in the Pontarlier area. Clothing, toys, crockery, furniture, knick-knacks, books and collections of all kinds mix in a popular atmosphere. With the Swiss Jura close by and an altitude of 837 m, this market takes on a real touristic dimension in spring. Combine chine with a walk to the Doubs springs or to Château de Joux.
La Valse des Greniers in Belfort: 76 sellers on Avenue Edmond Miellet (Territoire de Belfort)
On Sunday May 17, La Valse des Greniers brings 76 sellers to Avenue Edmond Miellet in an open-air vide-grenier that has become Belfort's signature spring chine date. A mixed amateur and professional format, family-friendly atmosphere, easy city-centre access. Belfort also offers remarkable heritage: extend your day with a climb to the Vauban citadel and Bartholdi's Lion, or a wander through the colourful façades of the old town. A good option if you're coming up from Mulhouse or down from the Ballon d'Alsace, at the region's far eastern edge.
Bletterans Flea-Collections-Puces market: 50 to 100 sellers at the covered market (Jura)
On Sunday May 17, the Bletterans Flea-Collections-Puces market sets up at the covered market and Salle de la Tourniole, Rue de la Demi-Lune. Organised by Les Amis de la Brocante, this twice-yearly event (March and May) gathers between 50 and 100 sellers, mixing professionals and amateurs. Antiques, collections, antiquarian books, furniture and vintage items make up the offer. Entry costs 1 €, with a raffle at every edition. Bletterans is a small Jura Bresse town, halfway between Lons-le-Saunier and Louhans — a useful stopover for chineurs crossing the region north to south, set in the pastoral landscape of the Bresse.
Pont-d'Héry flea market, plant fair and craft market (Jura)
On Sunday May 17, the Pont-d'Héry Brocante, Plant and Craft Market takes over the village centre with around 100 sellers. The hybrid format combines flea market, plant fair and gourmet market, drawing chineurs, seasonal gardeners and lovers of regional produce in a single gathering. Pont-d'Héry lies between Arbois — capital of the Jura wines and Pasteur's hometown — and Salins-les-Bains, famous for its UNESCO-listed Grandes Salines. Combine it with a vin jaune tasting at an Arbois vintner or a tour of the salt galleries: one of the most beautiful possible Ascension weekends in this part of the Revermont jurassien.
Nevers Ducal Palace Book Market: Renaissance booksellers (Nièvre)
On Saturday May 16 and Sunday May 17, the Nevers Ducal Palace Book Market takes over the Renaissance jewel of the Nièvre prefecture. Organised by the Amicale des Bouquinistes Bourgogne Berry, this two-day market brings together professional booksellers offering antiquarian books, rare editions, comics, prints and old papers, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Entry is free through the palace gate, and the setting — galleries, spiral staircases, 15th-century rooms — is unique in France for this kind of event. Pair this bibliophile gem with a visit to the Saint-Cyr-Sainte-Julitte cathedral and the Nevers Faience Museum: a full weekend of culture and chine on the banks of the Loire.
Avallon Monthly Flea Market: 4,000 sqm at the Maison des Brocanteurs (Yonne)
From Friday May 15 to Sunday May 17, the Maison des Brocanteurs d'Avallon hosts its big monthly flea market across 4,000 sqm at 66 Rue de Lyon. Between 30 and 40 sellers, refreshed every month, offer antiques, antique furniture, collectible items, crockery and trinkets, a stone's throw from Avallon's medieval ramparts. The hybrid format is well thought-out: the depth of a large permanent space (4,000 covered sqm, open three days) combined with the freshness of a monthly turnover. Combine with a walk through Avallon's historic centre and a side-trip to Vézelay, only twenty minutes away. Ideal for chineurs from the Yonne and Morvan, or for Parisians transiting toward Burgundy.
CS Marronniers vide-grenier in Montceau-les-Mines (Saône-et-Loire)
On Sunday May 17, the CS Marronniers vide-grenier sets up on the Esplanade du Plessis in Montceau-les-Mines, run by the local sports club. It's the only vide-grenier listed in Saône-et-Loire for the Ascension weekend, making it the natural choice for chineurs in southern Burgundy, between Le Creusot and Mâcon. Montceau-les-Mines, a former coal-mining town in the Blanzy coalfield, offers a singular urban setting marked by its industrial past: one of the distinctive features of this chine, between the Mâconnais slopes and the Charolais. Community-run format, friendly prices, warm atmosphere.
Also worth a look this weekend in Burgundy-Franche-Comté
For more regional weekend picks, head to our national agenda. Enjoy the Ascension long weekend, and happy hunting.
