Paris Shopping

  1. Abbey Bookshop

    More like a book-lined private lounge, this heritage-listed townhouse-turned-bookshop has more than 18,000 new and used books (slide the shelves aside to see more books hidden behind). Canadian owner Brian Spence serves continuous free tea and coffee (with maple syrup), and organises weekend hikes around Paris as well as literary events where wine and conversation flow in equal measure.

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  2. agnès b

    Style and photography guru agnès b excels in extremely wearable, durable and comfortable (yet sometimes quirky) clothes. She also happens to be one of the more affordable Parisian designers. The basics are excellent; the rest has somewhat lost its cachet of late. On the same street you'll find her men's and children's stores.

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  3. Alexandra Sojfer

    Parapluies and ombrelles (parasols and umbrellas) don't come more elegant than these creations handmade by Alexandra Sojfer, whose beautiful shop is devoted exclusively to them. If nothing catches your fancy, have one custom-made.

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  4. Antoine et Lili

    All the colours of the rainbow and all the patterns in the world congregate in this wonderful Parisian institution specialising in designer clothing and hip home decorations. They have a knack for choosing those things you wish you'd thought to bring back from your travels in India or Thailand.

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  5. Bazar de L'Hôtel de Ville

    BHV is a straightforward department store - apart from its enormous but hopelessly chaotic hardware/DIY department in the basement, with every type of hammer, power tool, nail, plug or hinge you could ask for. Service is decidedly in the DIY vein too.

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  7. Boutique Paris-Musées

    This lovely boutique stocks museum reproductions, especially of art and sculpture on exhibit at museums run by the City of Paris, such as the Musée Carnavalet and the Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris.

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  8. Cacharel

    Another mid-20th century label undergoing a revival, Cacharel (named for a bird from Provence's Camargue region) was founded in 1960 and unlike many fashion houses, remains a private company. It's best known for its floral-printed silk georgette dresses and perfumes like the airy orange blossom, rose, lily and jasmine-scented Anaïs Anaïs.

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  9. Carrousel du Louvre

    Built around IM Pei's inverted glass pyramid beneath the place du Carrousel and next to Paris' most famous museum, this shopping centre contains some three dozen upmarket shops, restaurants and even the Comédie Française Studio Théâtre. It's open 365 days a year.

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  10. Clair de Rêve

    Stringed marionettes bob from the ceiling of this endearing little shop. Papier-mâché and leather marionettes start at around €100 for a petite puppet, going up to €630 for one made of porcelain. The shop also sells wind-up toys.

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  11. Colette

    There's no sign - two sky-blue circles indicate you've arrived at this impossibly hip concept shop, subtitled 'styledesignartfood' (yes, in English). Footwear, fashion, homewares, books, art and cosmetics change according to the Zeitgeist (resulting in some astounding sales). In the basement, the wi-fi'd bar caters to Colette's model clientele with 100 varieties of water, plus salads and champagne.

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  13. E Dehillerin

    Spread over two floors and dating back to 1820, this shop carries an incredible selection of professional-quality matériel de cuisine (kitchenware). You're sure to find something you desperately need, like a coupe volaille (poultry scissors) or a turbotiére (turbot poacher).

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  14. Fauchon

    The most famous food store in Paris: six departments sell the most incredibly mouthwatering (and expensive) delicacies, from foie gras (duck or goose liver) to confitures (jams). The fruit - the most perfect you've ever seen - includes exotic items from southeast Asia, including mangosteens, rambutans and jackfruit. Fauchon also has several eat-in options.

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  15. Forum des Halles

    It seemed like a good idea at the time: move Paris' wholesale markets (and disease-breeding rats) outside the city, and replace them with an open park and underground mall. Today, the park attracts illicit 'vendors', while below, artificially lit, could-be-anywhere corridors of chain stores (including a vast Fnac) wrap around a sunken courtyard and the Julio Silva sculpture, Pyegemalion .

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  16. Galerie Véro Dodat

    For a quick taste of 19th-century Paris, it's hard to beat this shopping arcade, which opened in 1826 and retains its original skylights, ceiling murals and storefronts. The shops specialize in antiques, objets d'art, art books and fashion accessories.

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  17. Guerlain

    Guerlain is Paris' most famous perfumerie, and its shop, dating from 1912, is one of the most beautiful in the city. With its shimmering mirror and marble decor, it's a reminder of the former glory of the Champs Élysées. You can shop for its perfumes (including its address' namesake Champs-Élysées ), or take a decadent beauty treatment at its heavenly spa.

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  19. Issey Miyake

    Issey Miyake's avant-garde designs strike a fine balance between tradition and innovation, handcrafting and textile technology. Beauty and functionality are integral to his ethos, and he has a devoted following around the world. This is his flagship store.

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  20. Kenzo

    While Kenzo himself retired from designing in 1999, Sardinian Antonio Marras has brought a new joie de vivre to the label. The Pont Neuf flagship store is a tantalising temple to fashion and beauty. The building also houses the Philippe Starck-designed Kong bar.

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  21. La Grande Épicerie de Paris

    The exquisitely presented chocolates, pastries, tins of biscuits, fruit and vegetables, seafood, cheeses, wines and other luxury goods in this glorious grocery store, attached to Le Bon Marché, all appear far too beautiful to eat. It's a sight to behold even if you're not here to buy.

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  22. La Petite Scierie

    Strewn with feathery real-life (or rather formerly real-life) stuffed ducks, this tiny shop specialises almost exclusively in foie gras. Foie gras purchases include a gratis bottle of Coteaux du Layon wine, which you can also taste in-store along with foie gras on chunks of baguette.

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  23. Le Bon Marché

    The name's a misnomer - bon marché is French for 'bargain', and this beautifully laid-out store isn't that, by any stretch of the imagination. But it is a Paris institution, built by Gustave Eiffel in 1852 as the city's first department store, and has designer salons and a fantastical food hall, La Grande Épicerie .

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  25. Le Mots à la Bouche

    'On the Tip of the Tongue' is Paris' premier gay and lesbian bookshop, with stacks of information about gay Parisian life. On the ground floor you'll find English-language books, including travel guides; things steam up when you go down (stairs).

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  26. Le Printemps

    One of Paris' most spectacular grands magasins (department stores), Le Printemps is actually three separate stores - de la Mode (women's fashion), de l'Homme (for men) and de la Beauté et Maison (for beauty and household goods) - offering a staggering display of perfume, cosmetics and accessories, as well as established and up-and-coming designer wear.

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  27. Les Belles Images

    The kind of place that would be at home on London's Carnaby St c 1970, this retro boutique stocks Vivienne Westwood originals among other wild-child designers as well as ab-fab homewares.

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  28. Librairie Gourmande

    All the classic texts of the culinary arts are here at this food bookshop, along with new collections of recipes accompanied by mouthwatering photography.

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  29. Librairie Ulysse

    You can barely move in this jam-packed shop piled high with antiquarian and new travel guides, National Geographic back-editions and maps. Opened in 1971 by intrepid travel writer Catherine Domaine, this was the world's first bookshop dedicated solely to travel. Ulysse's hours can be erratic, but knock on the door or telephone and Catherine will open up if she's around.

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