Scouring flea markets makes you hungry. Therefore, put La REcyclerie in Paris on your list if you are going to the famous Marché aux Puces de Saint-Ouen. This green hotspot is located near the market and is housed in a former station on Paris's old ring railway line. You can go there for coffee, lunch, dinner or a drink, but definitely set aside some extra time to look around. Inside it is already a picture, with an interior full of reused items. But in good weather you actually want to head straight outside, because alongside the old track a long (walking) garden is hidden away.
La REcyclerie: circular hotspot in Paris
La REcyclerie is all about reuse, repair and more sustainable living. You can see that in the café-canteen, where food is cooked on-site using fresh, local and seasonal ingredients and half the menu is vegetarian. But a lot more goes on behind the former station. There is a repair workshop where Parisians can have small electrical appliances fixed or borrow tools. Along the railway line lies a city farm including a vegetable garden, chickens, compost bins and a wormery. Food waste from the restaurant gets a new lease of life here. So be sure to walk all the way to the end, even if you think you've seen everything. Among the greenery are picnic benches where you can sit comfortably and forget for a moment that you are in the middle of Paris. La REcyclerie is located on the Boulevard Ornano in the 18th arrondissement and is the perfect combination with a visit to the Puces. You can read more about this largest flea market in Europe here!
More routes through Paris:
- See also The route through Oberkampf (11th arrondissement)!
- See also The itinerary for popular Le Marais.
- See also the itinerary for the 13th arrondissement!
Photo credits: thegreenlist.nl.
