1,100 miles: two weeks
Take your car on the ferry from Folkestone or Dover to 1 Calais (ferrycheap.com/discoverferries.com). North of 2 Paris and easily accessible from the motorway is what claims to be the world's biggest market, the Puces de St-Ouen flea market, which attracts 70,000 people. A calmer alternative is the colourful Porte de Vanves market, south-west of Paris (Saturday and Sunday, until 1pm). It's the secret destination of many a UK antique shop owner.
Then head for 3 Dijon and the cobbled quartier des antiquaires in its centre (quartier-jean-jacques.com). Don't miss the chocolates and macaroons at Carbillet on rue des Forges.
From here, it's a loop around south-eastern France. Hit the Puces du Canal in Villeurbanne to the east of 4 Lyon at 7am (Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays) for the best flea market finds outside Paris. Cité des Antiquaires (Fridays 10am-7pm. ) on Boulevard Stalingrad north of the centre is also worth a stop.
Then on to 5 Chambéry which is an Ali Baba's den on the last Sundays in April and September with 3,000 stalls (chambery-tourisme.com) forming La Grande Braderie.
And on the last Saturday of each month 6 Annecy has a scenic lakeside flea market great for retro skis and Savoyarde furniture. On your way back north stop in 7 Troyes, which has more factory outlets than anywhere in France. Marques Avenue is a mall with over 120 bargain boutiques.
Celebrate your finds by picking up some good-value bubbly at Mumm in 8 Rheims (rue du Champ de Mars).
Return home from Calais.
