Destination Guides

Air de Paris

• Shopping | Galleries

This avant-garde gallery was one of the first to open on the Rue Louise Weiss in the newly rehabilitated Rive Gauche district. Named for Marcel Duchamp's bottle of air, it features experimental works by international artists.

Au Printemps

• Shopping | Department Stores

Spread out over three buildings, this historic department store specializing in luxury brands has the largest beauty department in the world. The rooftop cafe in the Maison building offers panoramic views of the city.

Avenue Montaigne and Rue du Faubourg St. Honore

• Shopping | Malls and Shopping Areas

For high-end, haute-couture shopping, these streets in the 8th arrondissement are lined with the most luxurious fashion names and elegant boutiques. Avenue Montaigne is home to Chanel, Christian Dior and Celine, among others, and the Rue du Faubourg St. H

Bastille Food Market

• Shopping | Markets

Twice a week the Boulevard Richard Lenoir is packed with Parisians seeking fresh produce, meats, shellfish, baked goods and prepared foods from the scores of vendors along the avenue.

Book Market

• Shopping | Markets

This weekend market can be a gold mine of old books and antiques. If you're a serious collector, get there early, before the savvy connoisseurs have made off with all the rare editions.

Colette

• Shopping | Specialty Stores

One of the most chic and daring of the clothing and home-furnishings designers, this store is an exciting place to shop on the otherwise reserved Rue St. Honore. The hipster quotient can get almost unbearably high, but the collection of ultracool home dec

Drouot

• Shopping | Antique Stores

Serious antiques buyers should take in an auction at Drouot. Items to be auctioned may be viewed 11 am-6 pm the day before (Monday-Saturday) and 11 am-noon the day of an auction. Color catalogs of upcoming lots can be viewed or purchased in the lobby. Pho

E. Dehillerin

• Shopping | Specialty Stores

To make true French cuisine, savvy folks seek out true French cooking utensils. Since the 19th century, this culinary megastore has been supplying top-notch copper, porcelain and steel cookware to Paris' most discriminating chefs and chef-wannabes. From c

Fauchon

• Shopping | Specialty Stores

This famed food store on the tony Place de la Madeleine is expensive, but you'll be able to find such exotic offerings as Tonganese mangoes, Scottish salmon and pastries so impeccably displayed that a view through the window is often enough.

Flower Markets

• Shopping | Markets

For potted plants, check out the Rue de la Cite on Ile de la Cite (4th; Metro Cite), daily except Monday 8 am-7 pm, or make your way over to the Place de la Madeleine for bouquets (8th; Metro Madeleine) daily except Monday 8 am-7:30 pm. For animals, flowe

Fromagerie Quatrehomme

• Shopping | Specialty Stores

To fully appreciate the exotic results of turning goat, sheep and cow's milk into cheeses, check out this Left-Bank <i>fromagerie</i>, run by one of the most respected cheese experts in Paris, Marie Quatrehomme.

Galerie Bamyan

• Shopping | Galleries

This wonderful Aladdin's cave focuses on the arts and crafts of Central Asia, including carpets, furniture and jewelry. An absolute delight.

Galerie Claude Bernard

• Shopping | Galleries

This gallery has one of the best selections of modern art in the city, on the Left Bank.

Galerie Emmanuel Perrotin

• Shopping | Galleries

The French contemporary art dealer Emmanuel Perrotin is often described as "visionary." His two Marais galleries (one in a tiny passage) often have sold-out shows of the latest international artists, including many up-and-coming young stars.

Galerie Kamel Mennour

• Shopping | Galleries

This gallery exhibits works by many of the most important modern photographers. Recent exhibits have included David Armstrong, Leo Fabrizio, Nobuyoshi Araki and Ellen von Unwerth.

Galeries Lafayette

• Shopping | Department Stores

It is worth a stop if only to see the gorgeous interior, with its art-nouveau details and stunning stained-glass dome. There are three different buildings housing home decor, fashion, menswear and the Lafayette Gourmet food store, which features cheeses,

Gerard Mulot

• Shopping | Specialty Stores

For heavenly pastries and breads, look no further. This popular bakery offers some of Paris' best brioche and delights its customers with pastries such as the <i>coeur frivole</i> (frivolous heart), a two-tiered coffee and chocolate mousse creation restin

Kiliwatch

• Shopping | Specialty Stores

You can easily take care of all your urban hipster clothing shopping there. Racks of streetwear, sneakers, and retro and secondhand gear. Also has an excellent selection of jeans and army surplus clothing. Pick up club flyers next to the magazines.

L'Artisan Parfumiseur

• Shopping | Specialty Stores

This elegant boutique offers its own unique scents, such as ocean mimosa, fig, blackberry and many other combinations. The line ranges from perfumes to scented candles and home fragrances.

La Ferme Saint Aubin

• Shopping | Specialty Stores

It's difficult to pass by this charming cheese shop without stopping to gaze at the myriad cheeses on display.

Laduree

• Shopping | Specialty Stores

This famed Parisian tea salon has two locations in the 8th arrondissement that sell its famous ganache-filled macaroons. They come in a multitude of flavors, including coffee, chocolate, lemon and rose. Parisians go to the salon at 16 Rue Royale, but the

Le 66

• Shopping | Specialty Stores

One of the newest clothing concept boutiques on the Champs-Elysees, with over 100 brands for all budgets from names like BA&SH, Antik Batik and Kiliwatch, plus many one-of-a-kind pieces off the catwalks. The casual, cellar-like atmosphere makes for stress

Le Bazar de l'Hotel de Ville (BHV)

• Shopping | Department Stores

This casual department store (where the average Parisian shops) has a complete array of clothing, household fixtures, housewares, linens, kitchen supplies, books and toys.

Le Bon Marche

• Shopping | Department Stores

This is the Left Bank's answer to the Right Bank's big department stores. It is often less crowded, and there's a pleasant park in front where you can rest after shopping (or munch on some of the prepared foods from the store's gourmet-food store, La Gran

Le Louvre des Antiquaires

• Shopping | Antique Stores

In this pricey emporium across from the Louvre you'll find 150 shops on three levels selling art-deco objects, furniture, prints, woodcuts, dolls, jewelry, and African, Japanese and Thai antiques.

Les Abeilles

• Shopping | Specialty Stores

This small store sells honey from all over the country and the world at excellent prices.

Les Nuits Blanches

• Shopping | Specialty Stores

A sleek and elegant gallery in the Marais, whose artistic creations have a very erotic twist, from unique leather lingerie and kinky bath products to sexy coffee-table books and hand-blown glass adult pleasure toys. Art expos and events run by the friendl

Librairie Gourmande

• Shopping | Bookstores

Cookbooks in several languages, lovely old posters and other food-related items are for sale in this food fan's haven.

Librairie Ulysse

• Shopping | Bookstores

If you forgot to pack your guide to Paris, this bookstore stocks thousands of travel titles, in English and French, including many on Paris. Ideal if you're interested in a particular aspect of the city.

Libre Etat d'Orange

• Shopping | Specialty Stores

Looking for fun and funky scents that you won't find back home? Visit this neo-baroque Marais boutique whose perfumes have such cheeky names as <I>Vierges et Toreros</I> (Virgins & Bullfighters) and <I>Putain des Palaces</I> (Palace Hotel Whore).

Marche aux Puces (Flea Market)

• Shopping | Markets

You'll find everything, from a used staircase and old dental instruments to fine Louis XIV furniture and brand-new leather jackets and jeans, at Paris' famous flea market. It's a fantastic mix of the shaky and the sturdy, the tattered and the polished, th

Marche Biologique Raspail

• Shopping | Markets

This market is not big, but it's in a good location and well-respected as a source of organic meat and produce. You'll also often find some baked goods and prepared foods.

Mariage Freres

• Shopping | Specialty Stores

The Mariage family has been selling tea since 1854. In this colonial-style boutique, you will find hundreds of teas to satisfy all tastes. Most teas are sold loose, but some are available in teabags. Order it by weight-4 oz/100 gr makes a nice packet.

Montaigne Market

• Shopping | Specialty Stores

The first multi-brand boutique on the posh Avenue Montaigne brings together the latest looks from both the big names (YSL, Givenchy, Miu Miu) and up-and-comers from NY, Paris, London and Tokyo.

Mouton a Cinq Pattes

• Shopping | Specialty Stores

Sheep With Five Legs is actually two nearby stores, offering a treasure trove of off-price fashions. The store at No. 8 is for women only; the outlet down the block at No. 18 carries men's and women's styles.

Nicolas

• Shopping | Specialty Stores

Paris' most popular chain of wine shops offers both intelligent advice and a wide range of wines and liqueurs at reasonable prices. Nicolas stores, which can be distinguished by their burgundy-and-gold signs, are found in most neighborhoods. We like the s

Northeast Paris and Belleville

• Shopping | Malls and Shopping Areas

These two emerging trendy areas are becoming popular with designers as the rents in the Marais go up. The streets there house purveyors of interior-design objects, clothing boutiques and art galleries. They make good places to visit in the late afternoon

Odorantes

• Shopping | Specialty Stores

Parisian movie stars and travelers from around the world adore this whimsical floral boutique near the Eglise St.-Sulpice. Whether it's black roses, white lilies or lavender snow peas, all of the bouquets are designed to smell magnificent, and they come w

Porte de Vanves

• Shopping | Markets

This is a popular flea market with locals.

Reciproque

• Shopping | Specialty Stores

Secondhand takes on a whole new meaning when the label says Chanel, Yves St. Laurent or Christian Lacroix. Reciproque, located in the posh 16th, is actually a cluster of seven shops that buy and sell men's and women's couture, jewelry and accessories. Reg

Rue de Rivoli

• Shopping | Malls and Shopping Areas

The stretch of the Rue de Rivoli from the Place de la Concorde to the Louvre is a good shopping choice for rainy days because it is entirely covered, allowing shoppers to stroll and window-shop at leisure without getting wet. Chic Parisians appreciate its

Shakespeare and Co.

• Shopping | Bookstores

Named after Sylvia Beach's bookstore (the first publisher of James Joyce's <i>Ulysses</i>), this English-language bookstore is a Left Bank landmark with a view of Notre-Dame. It was a prime hangout for Beat poets. The day-to-day employees can be unhelpful

St. Germain-des-Pres

• Shopping | Malls and Shopping Areas

Not to be outdone by the Avenue Montaigne, the Boulevard St. Germain also has its share of designers such as Sonia Rykiel and Armani. The Rue du Four and the streets surrounding the Place St. Sulpice are lined with chic but more affordable shops. The smal

Stamp Market

• Shopping | Markets

This market sells stamps and postcards.

The Marais

• Shopping | Malls and Shopping Areas

This is the hot spot for seekers of chic. Trendy and pricey boutiques have replaced most-but not all-of the old kosher butchers and bakeries. You'll find handmade wedding dresses, retro U.S.-style diners with vinyl-covered booths, tapas bars, vintage and

The Red Wheelbarrow

• Shopping | Bookstores

A small and friendly neighborhood bookstore in the Marais. Great selection of English-language books and books on Paris.

Viaduc des Arts

• Shopping | Malls and Shopping Areas

This street is a conglomeration of many small specialty shops. A number of the storefronts are the retail sections of workshops where artisans make ceramics, sculpture and jewelry. Other shops include a sports concept store and a shop selling fabrics, hou

Village St. Paul

• Shopping | Antique Stores

A collection of art and antiques dealers in an attractive courtyard in the Marais, a great place for browsing if you're in the area.

Village Voice

• Shopping | Bookstores

This very Left Bank bookstore is a mecca for readers of Anglo-American literature. Run by the gracious and erudite Odile Hellier, it carries an excellent selection of contemporary and classic English-language literature, as well as a wide range of literar

W.H. Smith

• Shopping | Bookstores

This British chain bookstore is large and well-stocked with both best sellers and classics in all genres. It stands alone in Paris for its unparalleled selection of English-language newspapers and magazines.