Shopping in and around Paris
Guest post by Bonney Bailey
Paris has to be one of the most popular shopping cities in the world. Here, high-end chic rubs shoulders with vintage fashion, making this the ultimate city to shop ’til you drop. Whether you’re spending a romantic weekend away or taking the kids to Eurodisney Paris you’ll never be far away from some first class shopping opportunities.
1. Avenue Montaigne and Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré
Dedicated to high end fashion, Avenue Montaigne is the place to shop – and be seen. This famous street is home to fashion houses such as Chanel, Dior, Louis Vuitton, Versace, Fendi, Ralph Lauren, Christian Lacroix and Bulgari. You can easily do some credit card damage here, although there’s nothing wrong with window shopping! The fashion continues along neighboring Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, where you’ll find the flagship stores of Hermès, Lanvin and Lancôme. Not surprisingly, it’s also where you’ll find two of the major Parisian powerhouses – the President of France at the Élysée Palace and the headquarters of French Vogue.
2. Les Puces de Saint-Ouen flea market
There is nothing like a Parisian flea market to bring out the bargain hunter in even the most high-end fashionista. From antique jewelery to vintage perfume bottles, this is a magical place to rummage for treasures, whether to find souvenirs, gifts for someone special, or a beautiful trinket to call your own. Get in early for the crème de la crème of clothing, jewelery, art and home goods.
3. Le Marais district
Vintage fashion has had something of a revival over the past few years. Yet, while this now seems to extend to the shiny polyester collections of second-hand stores of England, Parisian vintage fashion is on another level of style altogether. Les Marais is home to one of the greatest concentrations of vintage shops in Paris. From appointment-only costumiers to general vintage stores, a determined rummage might reveal a rare Chanel jacket or Hermès scarf. Prête-Moi Paris’ very first blog post was on one such of these vintage stores!
4. La Vallée Village
Even Disneyland Paris holidays can involve some Parisian retail therapy. (Why should the kids have all the fun?) La Vallée Village is a luxury outlet center featuring a huge collection of major designer brands at over 95 boutiques, and everything is at a reduced price. Conveniently, it’s only five minutes away from Disneyland Paris, so you can spend the day enjoying the rides with the kids and then take a little shopping spree with them afterwards. (There’s even designer children’s wear available here!) For those staying in one of the Disney hotels, there’s a dedicated shuttle service that runs straight to La Vallée Village. This shopping haven is open 7 days a week (excluding Christmas day, January 1st and May 1st) so you can easily fit your shopping trip into your Disney trip.
5. Les Galeries Lafayette
This 10-storey department store in the 9th arrondissement of Paris covers everything from bedding to bridalwear. There are some huge designer names here, from Burberry to Vivienne Westwood, but there is plenty for those whose budget won’t quite stretch to luxury brands. There is even a gourmet food and drink department with all manner of foodie indulgences, and an on site travel agent. Its huge glass dome and art deco interior makes this one of the chicest department store experiences you can have.
Another perk about this department store is the free fashion show held there on Fridays to show the different designers that the store features!
As you’ll have gathered, Paris offers a diverse selection of unrivaled shopping experiences, so break out the credit cards or save up your euros, wear comfortable shoes and hydrate and feed yourselves. This is not shopping to be taken lightly!
