what are the best inexpensive markets in paris?

Yes, the marche aux puces (flea market) on the northern outskirts of Paris is a big one. It's actually at St. Ouen and the bus mentioned has its terminus there, and you can pick it up in Paris (www.ratp.fr for lines and schedules).

Also, I'd recommend rue Mouffetard in the quartier Latin for browsing as well. There's a mix of stuff there, and plenty of food stands with things to help you fuel-up for continued shopping or to take for later, but there are also a lot of stores along the street with anything from music to fun trinkets. The street is a pretty long one, so you'll get a good swath from this one locale while seeing a great bit of the city.

There's also a lot of shops and inexpensive clothing stores at the foot of Montmartre's hill, around Metro Barbes-Rochechuart. This area can be a little dicey at times, mostly because it gets so busy around the stores and the metro entrance. You can then make your way up the slight incline towards the park that leads up to Sacre-Coeur, the famous Basilica. Between the metro stop and here (you'll be going north), there are a lot of shops to peek into. At this point you could walk or take the funiculaire up the hill and check out the view of the city after some good buys, and check out the area at the top of the hill. This is a touristy area, but definitely a must to see, and there will be a lot of souvenir shops if you're looking for some basic souvenirs to pick up once you've gotten to the top.

Another market I know of is at Belleville (at the Metro stop of the same name), in the east of Paris, though this one's mainly food, I'm pretty sure. It's supposed to be pretty eclectic, including Asian and African products, influenced by the strong immigrant make-up of the neighborhood.

And it's always good to check in some recent guides to see where new markets have sprouted up. And sometimes just walking in cool neighborhoods that you wanted to check out will yield some good finds. Enjoy!

Hmm, i'm no longer particular you'll discover what you're searching for on the flea markets. i'd recommend the Rue de Rennes, contained in the sixth. that's an extremely lengthy street with a sensible decision of fairly-priced shops and has a ton of shoe shops. Jonak is an impressive ladies's shoe keep, to illustrate. The outfits shops are an analogous chains you discover everywhere: H&M, Etam, Promod, Esprit, Zara, Kookai, Mango, Benetton, hollow. once you're searching for low-priced, mainly French manufacturers, there are not many. you should attempt the Avant most excellent style at Galeries Lafayette.

"You know when you've arrived at Porte de Clignancourt, billed as the largest flea market in the world. Hordes of shoppers sweep you northward to a seemingly never-ending complex of open stalls and shops. There isn't a race, religion or culture not represented here, either as vendor or buyer. Watch the action and enjoy the experience. It's frantic and we could take just so much and settled onto a neat, small street lined with antique shops, a few restaurants and cafes. After a coffee break, we got on bus #85 back to the city just as the rain and dusk began to fall."

I see that you have some excellent answers already. Just one addition - try a shop called TATI, whose biggest outlet is near the Sacre-Coeur (where the way starts to go up towards the Funicular). It's a budget shop for mainly clothes. Go to this website for locations - http://www.tati.fr/adresses/ad_france.htm

jour de pourvor is out of this world