Fodor's Expert Review Les Halles

By 6 am every day but Monday, merchants and artisans have stacked their herbed cheeses and arranged their vine-ripened tomatoes with surgical precision in arrangements that please the eye. This permanent covered market is as far from a farmers' market as you can get, each booth a designer boutique of haute de gamme (top-quality) goods, from jewel-like olives to silvery mackerel to racks of hanging hares worthy of a Flemish still life. Even if you don't have a kitchen to stock, consider enjoying a cup of coffee or a glass of (breakfast) wine while you take in the sights and smells. You can also tuck into a plate of freshly shucked oysters and a pichet of the crisp local white.