Shopping in Paris

Hands up who would like to shop in the fashion capital of the world? Paris happens to be one of the most attractive cities and one that could make your credit card tremble with fear! Despite Paris’ high prices, the quality of its products along with the variety and originality make them totally irresistible. There are fortunately stores and boutiques to fit all budgets in Paris.

Most Parisian shops and establishments are open from Monday to Saturday 10:00-20:00 but the more traditional Paris shops you will usually find taking a break between 12:00 and 15:00 pm.
So where do we choose to go on a day’s shopping in this wonderful city? We could start our shopping spree with the famous

Lafayette Galleries and stroll around or even go to Haute-Couture boutiques – but have your credit ready though! Paris even has the traditional street markets like Márches aux puces which just happens to be one of the largest in the world. Paris department stores are great places to stroll around if you have both time and money. In the Haussmann Boulevard you’ll stumble upon two shopping centres: the Lafayette Galleries and the Primtemps shopping centre. Here is where you’ll find shoes, jewellery and prêt-à-porter along with more expensive lines amongst other fine goods. For the foodies among us Lafayette Gourmet has a wine store with around 1800 bottles of the finest wines in the world. You’ll also find the traditional delicatessen stores showing off their wares. These galleries receive more than 20 million visitors per year from all over the world. It is also the largest commercial area in the western world and the European department store with the largest number of shops.

Paris street markets are great fun and a sight to see. One of the largest flea markets in the world the Márches aux puces de Saint-Ouen has more than 3000 market stalls in seven hectares of space. You will find this little gem open from 10:00am to 18:00pm Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays. This particular market enjoys around 120,000 visits from both Parisians and tourists alike – daily! You will also find many things here including second hand clothing, books and antiques along with shoes,
collectables, music and pictures. It’s worth mentioning two other Parisian markets; Aligre Market and the Conventio Market which are quite important and well worth a look, too.

You will find some of the best boutiques and shops on Montaigne Avenue which is synonymous with elegance, luxury and distinction. Some of Paris’ best known designers have their shops here and you’ll find it stretching from the river Seine right till the Champs Elysees. Other things noteworthy of this famous Avenue are the fine restaurants, beautiful cafés and hotels of this wonderful city.

So, what are you waiting for? Get that credit card out, brush off the dust and head for Paris. It will be the trip of a lifetime.