Les Halles, Dijon's central covered market, is a 19th-century hall of cast iron and glass in the old town, where Burgundy's butchers, cheesemakers and growers still sell under the same roof. It was built in 1873–1875 to plans by the city engineer Louis-Clément Weinberger, inspired by a design that Gustave Eiffel's company, from Eiffel's home town, had proposed a few years earlier. Look up at the arches outside: they are decorated with boars, deer, oxen and fish, a menu of what was sold inside.
Les Halles de Dijon at a glance
- Where: between Rue Quentin and Rue Bannelier in the old town, a few minutes' walk north of Rue de la Liberté.
- Built: 1873–1875, on the site of a former Jacobin convent where a market was already held.
- By: Louis-Clément Weinberger, with the ironwork made by the foundries of Fourchambault in the Nièvre.
- What it is today: Dijon's main food market, open on several mornings a week, and a listed historic building.
- Time needed: 30 minutes for a look round, an hour or more if you stop to taste and shop.
From convent market to iron halls
Dijon had a market on this spot before the halls existed: traders set up in the old Jacobin convent. In 1868 the Eiffel company put forward plans for a modern market of glass and cast iron, the material of the moment after Baltard's famous halls in Paris. The city did not adopt them as they were, but its engineer Louis-Clément Weinberger drew up the final design along the same lines, and the halls went up between 1873 and 1875.
The result is four pavilions arranged around two streets that cross in the middle, under a roof clearly modelled on the old central halls of Paris. Unlike the Paris halls, which were demolished in the 1970s, Dijon's survived a threat of demolition in the 1960s and are now protected as a historic monument. In 2020, when markets across France were ordered to close during the pandemic, the mayor kept Les Halles open as an essential food supply.
What to look for
- The animal arches: in the spandrels of the big arches, look for deer, mouflon, wild boar, oxen, game birds, poultry, fish and eels, each marking the kind of food once sold there.
- Ceres and Hermes: medallions show Ceres, the Roman goddess of the harvest, and Hermes, the god of trade, keeping watch over farmers and merchants.
- The columns: the outer arcades rest on fluted columns whose capitals are decorated with vine shoots, a nod to Burgundy's wine.
- The cross plan: walk down the two central aisles to see how the four pavilions meet under the iron and glass roof.
- Local produce: look for jambon persillé (ham in parsley jelly), Époisses cheese, gingerbread and of course Dijon mustard at the stalls inside.
Eiffel's home town
Gustave Eiffel was born in Dijon in 1832, long before he built his tower in Paris, and his company's 1868 proposal is the reason his name is so often attached to these halls. In fact, the final plans were the city engineer's, so the claim you sometimes hear that 'Eiffel built the Dijon market' is only half true. The connection is still part of the story: the airy iron frame is very much in the spirit of the engineering that made Eiffel famous.
Tips for your visit
- Come in the morning on a market day; Saturday is the busiest and liveliest, while the building is mostly quiet in the afternoon. Check the market days before you go.
- Bring a bag and some cash for small stalls, and ask before you photograph traders and their produce up close.
- The cafés and bistros on the surrounding streets are a good place for a coffee or a glass of Burgundy after shopping.
- Combine the market with a short walk to Notre-Dame and its lucky owl, a few minutes to the south-east.
Nearby
- Église Notre-Dame: a 13th-century Gothic church with a façade full of gargoyles; on its north side, Dijon's lucky stone owl is said to grant wishes if you stroke it with your left hand.
- Place François Rude: a small, lively square on Rue de la Liberté with a fountain topped by the Bareuzai, a bronze wine-grower treading grapes.
- Palais des Ducs and Place de la Libération: the former palace of the Dukes of Burgundy, now the town hall and the Museum of Fine Arts, facing a semicircular square.
- Rue des Forges: one of Dijon's oldest streets, lined with medieval and Renaissance mansions, a few minutes' walk away.
See Dijon with World City Trail
Our Dijon scavenger hunt turns the old town into a game you play on your phone. The route links 10 stops and takes around 2 hours, with about 25 minutes of walking, and includes places such as the Jardin des Cloches, the Porte Guillaume, the Cathedral of Saint-Bénigne and Place François Rude. You can play in English, German, French, Italian, Spanish or Dutch.
If you prefer a different format, there is also a self-guided walking tour and an outdoor escape game in Dijon.
Play the Dijon scavenger hunt →
Take the self-guided walking tour of Dijon →
Play the outdoor escape game in Dijon →
Facts checked in October 2026.