Dijon Covered Market (Les Halles), Les Halles de Dijon

What you will see

Come on a market morning and let your appetite lead. Inside, stalls sell meat, fish, cheese, bread, wine and regional specialities, next to fruit and vegetables from local growers, including organic produce. The market spreads outside into the neighbouring streets and squares. Some stands serve warm gougères, jambon persillé and a glass of local white wine, a classic Dijon morning.

History

In 1868 the city asked the workshops of Gustave Eiffel, who was born in Dijon, for plans for a new market hall. The engineer Louis-Clément Weinberger completed the design, and the foundries of Fourchambault, in the Nièvre, built the hall between 1873 and 1875. Its roof closely follows the model of the central market halls of Paris. The hall covers about 4,400 square metres and rises 13 metres high.

The building has four pavilions set around two crossing aisles. Outside, fluted columns carry capitals decorated with vine leaves, and medallions show the heads of deer, boar and oxen, game, fish, Ceres, goddess of the harvest, and Hermes, god of trade. The hall was listed as a historic monument in 1975 and celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2025. On market days the stalls also spread through the neighbouring streets, from rue de Soissons to place François Rude.