A Shopper’s Guide to Paris

1. Top Department Stores in Paris

Le Bon Marché

Welcome to the city’s oldest department store, opened in 1838. Located on the Rive Gauche, Le Bon Marché symbolises the finest in designer brands, curated by fashion experts. Luxury boutiques, including Dior and Chanel, are among the many famous brands all housed within this shopping mecca.

And it’s not only the clothes makers who are admired here; the escalators designed by Andrée Putman are also a drawcard. With their simple white tiled elegance, they take you up to the fashion floor, which has an excellent selection of global designer labels, from Lanvin to Claudie Pierlot. The concept of the modern and elegant Parisian reaches its full potential here at Le Bon Marché.

Address: 24 Rue de Sèvres, 75007 Paris, France
Open: Daily from 10am till 8pm

Printemps Haussmann

Situated in the 9th Arrondissement of Paris, Printemps Haussmann is a department store selling the biggest names in fashion, beauty and luxury products. The entire store is made up of three buildings: the Printemps de la Mode, with nine floors, the Printemps de la Beauté et de la Maison, with eleven floors, and the Printemps de l’Homme, with seven floors.

This place means luxury! In 2001, Printemps dedicated an entire floor to luxury products: the Printemps de Luxe. Later, In 2006, an entire floor of 3000 m² was dedicated to women’s shoes. Finally, a food hall reserved for delicatessen and haute cuisine was opened.

Address: 64 Boulevard Haussmann, 75009 Paris, France
Open: Daily from 9:35am till 8pm

Merci

More than a concept store or a designer furniture store, Merci is a unique meeting and discovering place, with ephemeral exhibitions and restaurants. Unlike their much older ‘siblings’, Merci was opened in 2009 in an old wallpaper factory and is now one of the eclectic general stores in Paris.

Located in the heart of the trendy neighborhood of Le Haut Marais, this department store features a great variety of goods, from interior design to fashion, two cafes and a restaurant.

Address: 111 Boulevard Beaumarchais, 75003 Paris, France
Open: Daily from 10am till 7:30pm

2. High-end Fashion District

Rue de Passy

On this narrow one way street, you’ll find yourself surrounded by a variety of shops where you can buy anything from shoes and clothes to toys, furniture, home decor and patisseries. Big brands are here: Gap, H&M and even Okaïdi. There is also Lacoste Femme, a Nike Women Store, Maje and shoe and dance footwear specialist Repetto. Here off the beaten tourist track you’ll also find luscious eateries, cools cafés, and atmospheric old village lanes.

Rue de Rivoli-Le Marais

This is one of Paris’s longest streets. It’s also one of the oldest streets with some houses still standing since the Middle Age. Interestingly, Le Marais, (literally meaning the swamp) began its life as a swampy mass of land not far from Île de la Cité – it can now be hard to envisage how it ever became the trendiest neighbourhood in Paris. Yet, here we are! Such transformation was partially caused by the wealthy citizens moving along Marais, desperately wishing to escape from the hustle, bustle, noise and filth of the inner city back in the 17th and 18th centuries.

The Champs-Élysées

Strap your walking shoes on for this 1.9 kilometres long shopping run between the Place de la Concorde and the Place Charles de Gaulle, where the Arc de Triomphe is located. For glory and grandeur, this is the most famous avenue in the world. The monuments and history connected to this avenue are worth more than the reality of the place today. Today, apart from shopping, the Champs-Elysées is used for all the major celebrations in Paris. At its western end, the street is bordered by cinemas, theaters, cafés and luxury shops. At the opposite end, the street is bound by beautifully arranged gardens with fountains and some grand buildings including the Grand and Petit Palais at the southern side and the Elysée at its northern side.

3. Outlet Shopping

La Vallee Village

The best of the Paris-area outlet malls is just five minutes from the Disneyland Resort outside Paris. This 120-store mall is designed with a village setting and has more high-end brands than its competitors.

Many amazing brands such as Celine, Christian Lacroix, Givenchy have outlet stores. Yes, not one! The Village is home to 1,000 outlet boutiques of the world’s leading fashion and lifestyle brands, this shopping mecca offers an unrivalled luxury outlet shopping experience for discerning shoppers in what have become tourist destinations in their own right.

Address: 3 Cours de la Garonne, 77700, Serris
Open: Daily from 10am – 7pm

Marques Avenue

This popular mall has mainly mid-priced labels with familiar names you’ll recognise. Marques Avenue is ideal for fashion shopping as well as interior decorating. A fashionista’s paradise!

Address: 9 Quai Châtelier, 93450 L’Île-Saint-Denis, France
Open: Daily from 10am – 8pm

One Nation Paris

This is the city’s newest outlet shopping mall, only 10 minutes away from Versailles. The shops here are both high-end couture like Hervé Léger and Courrèges as well as chic daywear fashion such as The Kooples and Zadig & Voltaire. It has the very first, and still only, Galeries Lafayette outlet store.

Address: 1 Avenue du Président John Fitzgerald Kennedy, 78340 Les Clayes-sous-Bois, France
Open: Daily 11am – 8pm, and 10am – 8pm on Saturdays

If shopping is an important part of your Parisian adventure, give us a call – we’ll be happy to help you plan your trip.