Even if you don't plan - or can't afford - to buy, browsing
in Paris's shops and markets is one of the city's chief
delights. Flair for style and design is as evident here
asit is in other aspects of Paris life. Parisians' epicurean
tendencies and fierce attachment to their small local traders
have kept alive a wonderful variety of speciality shops,
despite the pressures to concentrate consumption in gargantuan
underground and multistorey complexes. One of the best shopping
areas is the square kilometre around place St-Germain-des-Prés
, packed with books, antiques, gorgeous garments, artworks
and playthings. But in every quartier you'll find enticing
displays of all manner of consumables.
Opening hours:
Most businesses open Monday to Saturday, often with two
hours off at midday, and generally close at around 7pm.
In addition, the larger department stores tend to stay open
until 9pm or 10pm on Thursday nights. Almost all shops close
on Sunday and some stay closed on Monday as well, though
there is often a corner shop open in each neighbourhood
to fill in the gap.
Bookshops
The best areas for books are the narrow streets of the quartier
Latin and along the Seine, where rows of stalls are perched
against the river parapet. Here we've listed a few specialists
and favourites. For books in English, head...
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Clothes
The haute couture shows may be well out-of-bounds, but there's
nothing to prevent you trying on fabulously expensive creations
by famous couturiers in rue du Faubourg-St-Honoré,
avenue François-1er and avenue Victor-Hugo - apart
from the...
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>>
Department stores
Au Bon Marché 38 rue de Sèvres, 7e. Mº
Sèvres-Babylone. Mon-Fri 9.30am-7pm, Sat till 8pm.
Paris's oldest department store, founded in 1852. Prices
are lower on average than at the more upmarket Galeries
Lafayette and Printemps....
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Music
New cassettes and CDs are not particularly cheap in Paris,
but there are plenty of secondhand bargains, and you may
come across selections that are novel enough to tempt you.
Like the live music scene, there are albums of Brazilian,
Caribbean,...
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Sport and outdoor pursuits
Le Ciel Est à Tout le Monde 10 rue Gay-Lussac, 5e.
RER Luxembourg. Mon-Sat 10am-7pm; closed Mon in Aug. The
best kite shop in Europe. It also sells frisbees, boomerangs,
etc, plus books and traditional toys. Nomades ...
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Markets
Paris's markets , like its shops, are grand spectacles.
Mouthwatering arrays of food from half the countries of
the globe, captivating in colour, shape and smell, assail
the senses in even the drabbest parts of town. In addition,...
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