From the huge Miches sale in Montbeliard to the high-altitude car boot sale of Les Hopitaux-Vieux, twelve venues to hunt on this third weekend of June across the region.
Third Sunday of June, and Music Day too: the weekend looks busy for anyone who loves rummaging through stalls across Burgundy-Franche-Comte. It's one of those moments in the year when a giant fair can fill an entire day, while villages clear out their attics in the fine weather. My hunter's favorite this time goes to the Montbeliard area, where the Miches flea market unrolls hundreds of meters of stalls in an urban park. My method: hit the big Sunday-morning sale early, before the dealers have picked it clean, then ease off in the afternoon at a wine village in the Jura or the Yonne. In between, you cross a whole department, and that's where the finds hide.
Grand Miches Flea Market in Montbeliard (Doubs, Sunday June 21)
This is the region's heavyweight this weekend. Every third Sunday of June, the Commune Libre de la Citadelle lays out the largest flea market in the area at Parc des Miches: 1,400 meters of stalls, between 200 and 300 professional and private exhibitors, and thousands of visitors hunting for trinkets, furniture, vinyl, clothing and collections of every kind. The park and surrounding streets turn into a maze of stalls where you can easily spend the morning without seeing it all. The sheer scale guarantees variety: genuine antique furniture and one-euro odds-and-ends sit side by side. The Grand Miches Flea Market is this Sunday's must-see.
Ca Deballe dans ta Place in Saint-Sauveur-en-Puisaye (Yonne, Saturday June 20)
Off to the Puisaye and the birthplace of the writer Colette to open the weekend on Saturday. The Fetes de la Place association runs "Ca Deballe dans ta Place," a brocante of around 80 exhibitors paired this year with Music Day. Treasure hunters and music lovers cross paths on the village square, in the town of the Colette museum, for a day when you unearth an old dinner service before catching an impromptu concert. The format is pleasant: full enough to justify the trip, friendly enough to linger. Ca Deballe dans ta Place sets the festive tone of the weekend in the Puisaye.
Quartier Rousseau Brocante in Dijon (Cote-d'Or, Sunday June 21)
In the heart of the Burgundy capital, the antique dealers' quarter comes alive on the third Sunday of the month. On Rue Auguste Comte, Rue Chaudronnerie and in front of the Halles Champeaux, the Quartier Rousseau trade union brings together fewer than fifty exclusively professional exhibitors, from 8am to 6pm. This is a brocante of quality rather than quantity: you come for characterful furniture, fine faience, well-sourced collectibles, in the heritage setting of old Dijon. Informed buyers find what they're after, and entry is free. The Quartier Rousseau Brocante is a connoisseurs' date.
Lux Flea Market by the Lake (Saone-et-Loire, Sunday June 21)
In Saone-et-Loire, the ASL Lux sets up its big annual hunting event at Lac du Noiron, in Lux. From 6am to 7pm, exhibitors and hunters take over the lakeside for a long day of brocante and car boot sale. The lake setting is a pleasant change from the usual village squares: you hunt by the water, and the refreshment stand is never far for a break. Entry costs 1.50 euros per visitor, a modest contribution to an event that draws a broad crowd. The Lux Flea Market makes the most of a full summer's day.
Fishing Society Car Boot Sale in Rochefort-sur-Nenon (Jura, Sunday June 21)
In the Jura, the Rochefort-sur-Nenon fishing society stages a large car boot sale each June on Place Barbiere. Around 150 private exhibitors fill the square from 6am to 6pm, the two-euro-per-meter pitch drawing sellers from the surrounding area. Full catering on site - fries, sausages, merguez, coffee and a bar - keeps you going all day without leaving. It's the classic, effective format of a well-run village car boot sale, where you fill the trunk without breaking the bank. The Rochefort-sur-Nenon Car Boot Sale opens at dawn.
Mail Professional Brocante in Sens (Yonne, Sunday June 21)
Every third Sunday of the month, the Promenade du Mail in Sens hosts a professional brocante run by Radio Stolliahc. Around thirty specialist exhibitors offer antiques, furniture, collectibles and quality brocante on this emblematic site of the Senonais capital. It's the meeting point for demanding hunters from the north of the Yonne: no bric-a-brac, dealers who know their subject, and the chance to track down the piece missing from a collection. Entry is free, the atmosphere measured and professional. The Mail Brocante bets on selection over volume.
Saint-Hippolyte Monthly Brocante (Doubs, Sunday June 21)
Heading to the Comtois town of Saint-Hippolyte, where Place du Chapitre and Rue Jacques Courtois come alive every third Sunday, from April to November. Around twenty exhibitors lay out trinkets, furniture, tableware and antique objects in a friendly atmosphere, sellers welcomed from 7am. It's a human-scale brocante, in a Doubs town nestled at the confluence of the Doubs and Dessoubre rivers, where you hunt without the crush. Entry is free, the setting restful. The Saint-Hippolyte Monthly Brocante favors calm, unhurried hunting.
Les Hopitaux-Vieux Car Boot Sale and Brocante (Doubs, Sunday June 21)
For lovers of spectacular settings, the Les Hopitaux-Vieux car boot sale takes place at over 1,000 meters of altitude, on the Franco-Swiss plateau of the High Doubs. Between fir forests and pastures, private exhibitors and dealers invite hunters to a day of discoveries in a preserved mountain setting. At this altitude, the air is crisp even in June, and you hunt in a resolutely rural mood, far from the big crowds. It's the kind of event you come to as much for the scenery as for the bargains. The Les Hopitaux-Vieux Car Boot Sale hunts in the open air of the High Doubs.
Car Boot Sale and Vintage Car Rally in Lain (Yonne, Saturday June 20)
An original format at the heart of the Puisaye: in Lain, the car boot sale is paired each year with a vintage car rally. On the church square, private sellers and classic-car enthusiasts gather for a singular Saturday, between Saint-Fargeau and Saint-Sauveur-en-Puisaye. You hunt among gleaming bodywork, and the event draws lovers of fine machinery as readily as rummagers for old objects. In the Puisaye countryside, it's a delightfully out-of-the-ordinary mix of genres. The Lain Car Boot Sale blends hunting with collectible cars.
Entrains-sur-Nohain Jumble Sale (Nievre, Saturday June 20)
In Entrains-sur-Nohain, a town of 740 inhabitants built on the remains of ancient Intaranum - an important Gallo-Roman city that once spread over 120 hectares - the jumble sale enlivens the town-center streets. Distinct from the June brocante held on Allee des Lavandieres, it lets shopkeepers and residents sell off their wares along the town's streets. Here you hunt on ground steeped in history, in a Nievre town with little-known heritage. The atmosphere is that of a village jumble sale, simple and warm. The Entrains-sur-Nohain Jumble Sale opens the weekend on Saturday.
Chateau-Chinon Car Boot Sale (Nievre, Sunday June 21)
In the heart of the Morvan, the sports association of the Morvan agricultural college runs its car boot sale at the Chateau-Chinon station site. Perched on a spur overlooking the Morvan hills, this small town of 2,000 inhabitants was the political stronghold of Francois Mitterrand, its mayor from 1959 to 1981. The exhibitor rate is two euros per linear meter, and hunters find the typical objects of a Morvan car boot sale: tools, tableware, books and everyday treasures. A grassroots event, at the foot of the chateau. The Chateau-Chinon Car Boot Sale hunts in the heart of the Morvan.
Foyer Rural Car Boot Sale in Arlay (Jura, Sunday June 21)
To close the selection, off to the Cote du Jura at Arlay, a wine village where the Foyer Rural runs a large car boot sale each June at the stadium and on Rue de la Rigole. With 100 pitches available - five linear meters for ten euros, registration on ID - the event draws many hunters to this renowned terroir. A bar and catering on site round off the day, and entry stays free for visitors. Combine morning hunting with a discovery of the wines of Arlay: that's a well-filled Jura Sunday. The Arlay Car Boot Sale sets up in the heart of the vineyard.
Also this weekend
From the giant Miches sale to the high-altitude car boot sale of the High Doubs, this third weekend of June traces a route across the whole region, from the Puisaye to the Franco-Swiss plateau. To each their own day: the hurried hunter charges at Montbeliard's 300 stalls, the stroller prefers a Jura wine village or the vintage cars of Lain. Browse the full weekend agenda to discover the other regions and every format of treasure hunting.
