Paris Digest
Paris city guide since 1997
Shopping in Paris is a top reason to come to the city. A few shopping malls are easily accessible. The upscale department stores are world famous. Specialty shops in Paris are everywhere, selling everything you can think of. Champs-Elysées shops are open on Sundays as in trendy Le Marais shopping district. The Paris markets are must do. Paris shopping map.
The Champs-Elysées shopping malls, Beaugrenelle, Forum des Halles, Carrousel du Louvre are central.
The department stores sell fashion and perfume. Le Printemps, Galeries Lafayette, Le Bon Marché.
Find top fashion brands in Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, Avenue Montaigne, Le Marais, the left bank.
Outdoor markets sell fresh food to Parisians. Go there to share the Parisian way of life.
The Saint-Ouen Flea Market is a famous shopping venue attracting 70 000 shoppers every week.
French wine, delicatessen, patisseries are tempting. Our selection of the best food and wine stores.
Locate and visit one of the best English bookstores in town. The top book and music stores.
Find an original souvenir of your trip to Paris.
Le BHV Marais is not as fancy and high end as the other Paris department stores. Traditionally the best hardware store in town, Le BHV Marais has good fashion, house decoration, kitchenware, tableware sections. The advantages of Le BHV Marais are its location in Le Marais, its mid range positioning and its moderate size for quick shopping. Le Marais is the heart of trendy French fashion. Find there a myriad of stores from innovative brands you will find nowhere else. Rue des Rosiers and rue des Francs-Bourgeois are the heart of Le Marais Paris shopping district.
Locate BHV French Department Store on Paris map.
Paris metro: Hotel de Ville, line 1. Open Monday to Sunday 9.30am to 7pm (Wenesday 9pm, Saturday 8pm).
The Forum des Halles is now completely renovated. It is by far the largest shopping mall in the city center. At walking distance from the Louvre, Notre Dame and Le Marais, it has 150 shops. The many fashion brands represented include Aigle, Calzedonia, Celio, Claudie Pierlot, Comptoir des Cotonniers, du Pareil au Même, H&M, Lacoste, Levi’s, Etam, Gap, Mango, Naf Naf, New Look, Petit Bateau, Pimkie, Princesse Tam Tam, Promod, Sandro, Zara.
The spectacular canopy above the shopping mall is one of the newest attractions of the city. Les Halles is a lively and central district of the city. The Louvre, Notre Dame Cathedral and Le Marais are all within walking distance. When the on going renovation work will be completed, the whole district will be the beating heart of the city.
Open Monday to Saturday from 10am to 8pm
Sunday from 11am to 7pm.
More information on Les Halles Shopping Mall.
Behind an iron gate, at 37, rue de Bretagne, 75003, in Le Marais lies the Marché des Enfants Rouges, the oldest market in the city established in 1615. While an exciting destination for foodies, the choices and lines can be overwhelming. Not every stand is equally excellent. The covered market’s name, literally “market of the red children”, references its origins as an orphanage where the children were dressed in red, the color of Christian charity. Although originally a produce market for raw goods, the Marché des Enfants Rouges is now a dining destination. This is an eater’s market. This isn’t a food court: each stall operates as a separate restaurant.
The lovely Shopping Arcades, dating back to early 19th century, are the most romantic shopping venues in Paris. Ideal when it rains, they combine small specialty shops and restaurants. After years of decay, they have reemerged as out of the beaten track romantic Paris shopping malls.
Going through the arcades is a quiet and scenic walk.
There are so many stores it is hard to plan shopping in Paris. We have a few suggestions: If you are looking for very high French and international fashion, Avenue Montaigne, Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, Champs-Elysées and adjacent streets, all within walking distance ,concentrate the majority of the flagship stores of the best brands : Chanel, Dior, Louis Vuitton, Hermès and many others. If you have little time and want the best of France, fashion, perfume and tableware, Le Printemps and Galeries Lafayette Department stores of Boulevard Haussman are the shopping venues of your choice. Next to each other, they have too many added services such as home delivery, personal shopper, detax and restaurants. If you are looking for innovative French fashion, the many tiny stores of Le Marais district feature innovative French fashion brands. Many decoration stores too in a district where most stores are open on Sunday which is not the general rule in the city. You are looking for antiques, the famous Paris Flea market is still one of the most extraordinary shopping venues in town. The Carré des Arts on the left bank concentrates most high end antique stores in the city. You are looking for value for money and articles Parisians buy, the Shopping Malls are the shopping venues of your choice. The largest one are outside the city center, but easily reachable by the metro. You have no plan and want to be surprised, here again, the Marais is a good choice for shopping. Also try Montmartre rue des Abbesses and its diversified assortment of shopping venues.
Shopping in Paris is not cheap. For fashion, come in January or July, the sale seasons. The 2023 winter sale season started at 8am on January 11 and will end on February 7. The first day is always the best. The 2023 summer sale season will start at 8am on June 28 and end on July 25.
