Did you know? You can visit the Rungis Market (Val-de-Marne, 94), the world's largest market.

You can't understand the gastronomie française without mentioning the Marché international de Rungis. A true nourishing heart of Paris, this gigantic wholesale market feeds daily the city's restaurants, shops and markets of the capital and of the Île-de-France.

Mostly reserved for professionals, this legendary venue still opens its doors to the general public through immersive guided tours organized on the first Friday of every month, offering a glimpse into a world that is usually off limits.

To take part, you need to purchase the Rungis Prestige box (€149), which includes an exclusive tour of the site, along with an on-site product tasting and a souvenir medal stamped by the Monnaie de Paris. A standout experience, to be enjoyed at dawn.

Because at Rungis, the day starts at first light. From 4 a.m., visitors plunge into a giant hive of activity where wholesalers, restaurateurs, greengrocers and transporters cross paths. The organized tours take you through the market’s diverse pavilions: seafood, sea products, meats, dairy goods, fruits and vegetables, and even flowers. Then comes the famous Rungis breakfast!

• To be read
• Paris's most iconic food markets to stock up on delicious goodies.
• The urban gardens and farms of Paris and Île-de-France, with workshops and citywide activities
• Where to see farm animals? Educational farms and livestock farms in and around Paris.

By the way, do you know the history of the Rungis Market? The heir to Paris’s historic Halls, its roots reach back to the Middle Ages before being moved to Rungis in 1969, in what became known as the famous “move of the century.” Thousands of people and hundreds of trucks were mobilized to relocate this nerve center of Paris’s food supply beyond the city limits.

Today, the market stretches across 234 hectares and brings together more than a thousand companies specializing in the fresh produce. A true gastronomic institution, it is regarded as the largest wholesale food market in the world!

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