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One of the most exciting things you can bring home to remind you of your trip to Paris is a piece of French history, whether it’s a console table, an example of Art Deco pottery, or a 19th century lithograph or book. Paris has a large number of interesting antique shopping districts.

Rue du Faubourg St Honore

This Right Bank shopping mecca is the place to go for high-end goods in Paris, including antiques. The many elegant shops here are worth browsing, even if you can’t afford the prices. Of particular interest are Didier Aaran for 17th and 18th century furniture, La Caliniere for French objets d’art and old lighting fixtures, and Verreglass for 19th and 20th century European glassware. Just down the street, across from the Louvre, the Louvres des Antiquaires is a three-story antiques “department store” with everything from fine art to furniture.

St. Germain

The Left Bank, especially the streets leading off of the Boulevard St. Germain, is home to a fun and quirky collection of antique stores, some of which are surprisingly affordable. La Hune is popular for antique and collectible books. Anne-Sophie Duval is a good place to find Art Nouveau and Art Deco items.

Le Marais

This trendy neighborhood in eastern Paris centers around the magnificent 15th century Place des Vosges. Along the square and in the streets leading from it are a number of eclectic and interesting antique shops. Here you’ll find lithographs, leather-bound volumes, hotel silver, linens, and other smaller items. There are also some excellent art galleries along the Place des Vosges arcade.

The Flea Market at St. Ouen

The oldest and best known of Paris’ flea markets, St. Ouen is a collection of over 2000 merchant stalls, divided into specialties, such as furniture, glass, Art Deco, and such. The 15-acre market is located north of the city center, a short walk from the Porte-de-Cligancourt Metro station. There is a little bit of everything here, from inexpensive baubles to elegant furniture. The market here is particularly known for its Second Empire pieces.

Drouot-Richelieu Auction House

For serious collectors, a trip to the great Paris auction house of Drouot-Richelieu, located off of the Boulevard Haussmann near the St. Lazare station, is a must. The proceedings are fast-paced and in French so if your command of the language isn’t the best, it’s wise to bring along a French friend or acquaintance. This venerable auction house, opened in 1858, is lesser-known, but of the same caliber as Christie’s in New York and Sotheby’s in London.

Shipping, the VAT, and Customs

In order to export a French antique, you’ll need to obtain a certificate of authenticity for any object older than 20 years. In addition, keep in mind these tips about shipping, taxes, and customs.
– Shipping. An important factor to consider is shipping when shopping for larger antiques. Most of the larger (expensive) stores can arrange shipping for you and can quote prices. With items such as furniture, you generally have the option of filling a single container or waiting until the store can combine enough items bound for the US to fill a shipping container. Sharing a container is almost always less expensive.
– VAT. The VAT (called the TVA in France) is a tax imposed on most goods and services sold in European Union countries. Non-EU residents staying in France less than six months are entitled to a refund of this tax if they spend at least 1,200 French Francs (approximately 183 euros) in one store in one day. Most stores carry the necessary form. You simply complete the form and drop it at the airport when you leave the country. Your refund, which varies from 13 to 19.6 percent, will be credited to your credit card or mailed to you in approximately three months.
– Customs. Authentic antiques, original art, and books are exempt from U.S. custom taxes. To avoid paying duty, you’ll need a certificate of authenticity from the dealer for any item over 100 years old and/or worth more than 1,000,000 French Francs (approximately 152,449 euros).

France offers you an enormous choice of goods, but the quintessential French purchase is clothing, especially designer fashions. If you’re on a budget, window shop at the great fashion houses to get a feel of what you want. Then head for the markets and budget shops to do your actual shopping.

Check the internet for cheap hotels in France

Shopping In Paris

Paris is divided into quarters or arrondissements, each with its own shopping opportunities. Marais is the place for elegance, St-Germain for international fashion brands and Montmartre is dripping with romance.

Paris is of course home to the large French department stores, les grands magasins such as Galeries Lafayette and Printemps and you can spend whole days browsing them. But the sheer joy of shopping in Paris comes from visiting the galleries or passages, the 19th-century glass-roofed shopping arcades that just ooze charm and transform rainy days into shopping adventures.

Bear in mind that most stores in Paris close on Sundays which gives you the opportunity to explore one of the city’s many flea markets.

Check the internet for cheap Paris hotels.

Shopping In Bordeaux

Few people outside Europe realise what a shopper’s paradise Bordeaux truly is. There are some of the world’s most popular brand names on parade here: Cartier, Hermes, Louis Vuitton, Mont Blanc, Christian Lacroix, Rolex and Tartine et Chocolat.

The pinnacle of shopping in Bordeaux is the Golden Triangle of the Allées de Tourny, the Cours de l’Intendance and the Cours Clemenceau. This triangle contains the Place des Grands-Hommes, home to the city’s most prestigious shops vending everything from foodstuffs the latest fashions.

You don’t have to shell out your last dollar on upscale designer shops, however. There are plenty of cheaper French chain stores here for you to choose from along with countless locally-owned boutiques where you can get something special at a reasonable price.

And of course don’t forget the wine. The whole Bordeaux region offer their local vintages for sale by the case and at very favorable prices.

Check the internet for cheap Bordeaux hotels.

Good news! I have more great Parisian hot spots yet for the readers of Paris-Eiffel-Tower-News.com. Read on, I believe you won’t be disappointed.

Wine tasting at Galerie Vivienne

If you like your wine, you won’t want to miss this French 1950s-style period wine shop. With its wood paneling and charming window displays, it opens up onto the Galerie Vivienne, one of the most stunning indoor arcades in Paris. There lie the wine cellars of ‘Legrand filles et fils’ (Legrand daughters & sons), some of the most highly reputed in Paris.

These cellars have been lovingly and expertly stocked by three generations of the Legrand family ever since the end of the World War I. Sadly enough, these cellars are not open to the general public. The shop offers however a warm family atmosphere.

Wine prices range from 5 to 10,000 euros a bottle, with a wide selection in the 5-15 euros price bracket. You won’t go hungry either, as the shop also carries a range of delicacies to bring out the flavor of the wine.

Worthy of note, the shop offers wine tasting and lessons! For 60 euros you can attend an introductory wine tasting session every Monday from 8 to 10 pm. Seating is limited, so book beforehand by phone or by e-mail.

The shop also features a wine tasting corner, open from 12:00 noon to 6:00 pm, where you can choose a wine and get a plate of accompanying delicacies specially selected to bring out the taste of your wine. The cost is 5.25 euros a glass and 15-30 euros a plate. You can also order desserts.

The shop has two entrances: No. 1 Rue de la Banque, and No. 12 Galerie Vivienne, 75002 Paris. For wine tasting reservations, call: 33 (0)1 4260 0712 or email: info[at]caves-legrand.com.

Monastica – craftsmanship steeped in tradition

This is a fantastic place where you can get your hands on authentic French handmade products, crafts and souvenirs steeped in tradition –- and do a good deed at the same time. If you wander at the tip of the St Louis Island, you’ll discover on Rue du Pont Louis-Philippe a boutique called Monastica, owned and run by the nuns of “Les Fraternités de Jérusalem” (The Brotherhoods of Jerusalem), a religious order originally founded in 1975 at the Church Saint Gervais in Paris, which has now spread out internationally.

Most products sold by the shop are made by the Order, the rest by lay craftsmen, but all profits go to the Order. Their products are typically French: stoneware crockery, jams, biscuits, chocolate, marzipan, Provence honey, perfumes, hygiene and beauty products, fine Catalan house linen, statues, decorations, etc. Their Catalan linen is particularly valued, and they have an incredibly wide array of soaps.

You can lay your hands on country jams for around € 5, essential oils from € 4 to € 8, post cards for € 0.80, soaps for € 2.75. Prices are very moderate.

Should you want to buy gifts, your purchases can be beautifully gift-wrapped. The nuns speak English too.

Once again, the address is 11, rue du Pont Louis-Philippe, 75004 Paris. You can reach them at: 33 (0)1 4887 8513 and 33 (0)8 7455 6685.

Free concerts in an awesome setting!

Free music anyone? While in Paris you can attend free concerts twice a week at Saint-Merri Church in downtown rue Saint-Martin. This church dates back to 1550. Its architecture has been inspired by Notre-Dame’s, and in fact it is known as ‘Notre-Dame la petite’ (the little Notre-Dame). It is chock-a-block with impressive stained-glass windows, frescos, bas-reliefs, sculptures, tapestries and paintings, not to mention its beautiful musical center-piece, an awesome organ with a long and distinguished history.

Concerts last around an hour and start on Saturdays at 9:00 pm and on Sundays at 4:00 pm. Although the musical genre is predominately classical, they do play jazz from time to time, and even rarer kinds of music: classical Indian, Chinese, Armenian, and medieval music. Donations are appreciated but entirely at your discretion.

On the first and third Sundays of every month the Church offers a guided visit of the building after the concert.

The Saint-Merri Church is situated at 78 rue Saint-Martin, 75004 Paris. The phone number is: 33 (0)1 4271 9393. The two closest metro stations are: Hotel de Ville (take exit Rue du Renard); and Chatelet (take exit Place Sainte Opportune).

Don’t miss my next issue of Paris-Eiffel-Tower-News newsletter, with yet more discoveries of hot spots, shopping gems and the best in authentic Parisian eateries.

Paris, better known as the fashion capital of the world is a good place for all shopaholics there. Name the latest fashion in the world and you’ll get in Paris. From the most modern design apparel to top quality bags and shoes to other fashion accessories, you would not be disappointed while shopping in this fashion capital.

Since Parisians take fashion quite seriously you will notice that shopping is an art in Paris. You will be amazed to see the variety and style of the stores in Paris that make a Paris shopping trip a must for any fashion-conscious traveler. Let us see what places specialize in different kinds of shopping in Paris.

Dress yourself in style

Fashion starts with dressing and Paris is a fashionable city no doubt. There are several markets areas and streets known for different kinds of occasional and regular dressing.

Trend-setting clothing and chic shopping

Walk any shop in Paris and you will come across all types of trendy clothes. However, shops at Rue Etienne Marcel and Place des Victoires are more famous for stylish dressings. If you look for the designer names then visit Rue des St-Pères and Rue du Bac. Then Avenue Montaigne in the 8ème arrondissement is popular for chic shopping. Here you find stores from the top names in international fashion, including Céline, Chanel, Dior, Dolce & Gabbana, Prada, and Valentino.

Visit boutiques by Chloé Christian Lacroix, Gucci, and Hermès at the Rue du Faubourg St-Honoré for the best art galleries and antiquaries. The 6ème arrondissement offers some youthful yet low-budget stores, often selling the previous year’s high- fashion stock at a discounted price.

Retail shopping

The famous boulevard at Champs-Élysées is a retail center, comprising four large arcade malls—Élysées 26, Galerie du Lido, Le Claridge, and Le Rond-Point. Browse a little and you are sure to meet any demand. Another shopping attraction is a superstore by Louis Vuitton.

Enjoy budget shopping in Paris

Contrary to common belief, shopping in Paris can be done on any budget. As it is the one of the fashion capitals, almost all the best designers of the world have boutiques in Paris. Obviously most of them quote high prices. If you do not want to spend much money on clothes, then enter any of these elegantly done boutiques and have an idea of the latest styles. Thereafter you can get visit an affordable departmental store where you may get similar style dress, comparatively at cheaper price.

Flea market

The flea markets in Paris are real places to find treasures. Explore these markets on Sundays as other stores keep close on Sundays. For budget shoppers, the flea markets offer the best shopping in Paris. the Porte de Montreuil in the 20 ème arrondissement and the Porte de Clignancourt in the 18ème are probably the best among other such markets.

Open-air markets

Open-air markets give a different kind of experience in shopping and Paris abounds with such places, more known as you can do economic shopping here.

Les grands magasins

Les grands magasins, the huge departmental stores of Paris must be included in the shopping trip. A visit to these stores and you know why they are the best shopping joints for many Parisians. Galeries Lafayette and Printemps are the most famous stores.

Above all, don’t miss a visit to the elegant galleries or passages, specially the Passage du Grand-Cerf.  These 19th century shopping arcades are glass-roofed and thus make good choice for any rainy day.

Tips for shopping

–Though shopping is considered a serious affair in Paris, but you may not receive a friendly welcome by the shopkeepers if wearing shorts, sneakers, or a printed t-shirt.  Better to dress up properly before you go shopping.

–Do not touch the displays as it is considered objectionable.

–If you need an assistance then be sure to ask for it with a polite “s’il vous plait” (please).

–As informed earlier, most stores in Paris are closed on Sunday, do not plan shopping on that day of week.

Why not plan a shopping trip to Paris

Shopping in Paris is an affair that you need to savor as much as you can like you enjoy your meals at a good place. With stores and markets ranging from the most luxurious to the bargain hunting joints, shopping in Paris remains unmatched. To get the real feel of it plan a trip to Paris, including advance booking of good Paris hotels. Check out Paris hotel reviews posted by travelers like you so that your stay in this great city is comfortable and thoroughly enjoyable.