10 Best Places for Shopping in Paris

“Paris is undeniably the fashion capital of the world and the perfect fit for the shopaholic traveller.”

The birthplace of haute couture and at the forefront of global fashion trends, the capital’s luxurious department stores and upscale boutiques line the popular boulevards. Champs-Élysées, Rue Saint-Honoré, Avenue Montaigne and Boulevard Haussman are home to the world’s top fashion labels including Dior, Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Yves Saint-Laurent, Guerlain, Lancôme and L’Oreal. Alongside them, find emerging designers and uniquely Parisian concept stores. Family-owned retailer Galeries Lafayette reclaimed an Art Deco landmark on the Champs-Elysées and transformed it into a premium shopping space. Another spot is Le Bon Marché which dates back to the 1850s. The oldest department store in Paris, the elegant Left Bank institution is celebrated for its airy layout and selection of the world’s best designers.

Independent bookshops have always been standalone attractions in Paris, and 7L Bookstore by the late bibliophile and fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld is one to look out for. Saint-Ouen, a commune in the Seine-Saint-Denis department, has become synonymous with its world-renowned flea market, named Marché aux Puces de Saint-Ouen. The largest antique and second-hand marketplace in the world, the 1700 vendors are spread over an area of about seven hectares – so allow plenty of time to search out those rare treasures. Clothes, accessories, jewellery, shoes, vintage clothes and handbags are the best things to shop for in Paris. Rue de la Paix and Boulevard Saint-Germain are other popular shopping centres in Paris. Know that in general luxury brands are cheaper in Paris, when compared to London and New York, and if you’re looking to save a bit, don’t miss the January and August biennial sales, which offer excellent value.

The BusinessClass.com guide to Best Shopping Areas in Paris.

Golden Triangle or Triangle d'Or

The Golden Triangle in Paris's 8th Arrondissement is tucked between three of Paris’s most famous boulevards: the Avenue des Champs-Élysées, the Avenue Montaigne, and the Avenue George V. Known to offer the best of Parisian shopping, it is considered the cradle of French luxury and is where you’ll find the finest Haute Couture shops in the world – from fashion to luxury car dealerships. In a word, the Golden Triangle is all about location. A traditionally upper-crust neighbourhood studded with high-end boutiques, fashion houses, and some of the city's most iconic sites, it naturally attracts the most glamorous crowd. Like in many other parts of Paris, most homes are mid-to-late 19th-century and in the Haussmann style. 

These historic buildings are interspersed with modern ones that have been added in the last 50 years. This exclusive enclave does not disappoint with the world’s most famous designers and fashion houses, legendary hotels and restaurants having their home here. High-end boutiques such as Louis Vuitton, and French fashion houses Chanel, Saint Laurent, Dior, Balmain, and Chloé to name just a few. When you've had your fill of shopping, there are excellent options for a drink, meal or afternoon tea. These include the luxurious Plaza Athénée and famed Four Seasons George V. Montaigne, Maison Blanche, Manko, Yeels, and the trendy L'Avenue are worth booking a meal at and don’t be surprised if you encounter a famous face or two, dining there too.

Rue du Faubourg St Honoré, Place Vendome

The Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré is a street with an enormous amount of high-end luxury stores in the city’s 8th Arrondissement. Rather narrow, especially in comparison to the nearby Avenue des Champs-Élysées, it is cited as one of the most fashionable streets in the world thanks to the presence of virtually every major global fashion house from Givenchy, Azzaro, Prada, Chanel, to Hermès. Extending over 2 kilometres, this famous Paris street starts at Rue Royale and finishes at Place des Ternes, not far from the Arc de Triomphe. 

At number 112 there's one of the most beautiful and famous luxury hotels in Paris, the Hotel Le Bristol, which regularly welcomes dignitaries. At number 55 is the Palais de l’Elysée, the official residence and offices of the President of the French Republic. The street is home to embassies such as the United States Embassy at number 41 and the British Embassy at number 39. Coveted for its beautiful boutiques, the Faubourg Saint-Honoré attracts more tourists each year for its renowned luxury shops. If you continue walking towards Place Vendôme and Rue de la Paix, there are other great luxury jewellery brands, this time jewellery.

Marché aux Puces de Saint-Ouen

Marché aux Puces de Saint-Ouen at Clignancourt in the northern Ile-de-France suburb lies 6.6 kilometres from the centre of Paris. Founded in 1885, it lays claim to being the largest flea market in the world and is made up of a total of 14 antique and flea market emporiums, plus hundreds of independent dealers. Marché Vernaison is the first of the markets, and possibly the most characterful. A delight for bargain hunters and those who love to browse unusual items and collectables, old uniforms and weapons, posters, books, and precious antiques at potentially great prices. It sees several million visitors each year as a leading tourist and cultural destination. 

If you know where to look, you can find everything from museum-quality 17th-century furniture and 18th-century crystal chandeliers and gilded mirrors, Art Deco objects from the 1930s and American leather jackets from the 1960s.  Open on Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays throughout the year and to professional buyers on Fridays. Whatever you can imagine, you can likely find it here. Given the scale of the market, you might consider a guide to help you find what you are looking for.

La Vallée Village

La Vallée Village is just 35 minutes from Paris' city centre and 5 minutes from the much-loved Disneyland Paris. The unique open-air shopping haven opened in October 2000 and is undeniably a great success with its pedestrianised streets and intimately scaled buildings. Designed to evoke the charming rural towns and villages of the Île-de-France region, amid the retail stores you’ll find a sense of calm in the open-air setting and the tree-lined pedestrian streets. 

Each boutique is housed inside a low building with pastel-coloured façades and tiled roofs, which further adds to the ambience of your shopping experience. La Vallée Village has more than 110 fashion and accessories boutiques including the biggest French and international brands – all at irresistibly affordable prices. Let yourself be tempted by Claudie Pierlot and Isabel Marant, Paul Smith, Repetto and RedValentino, Baccarat Jewellery and trendy kids brands such as Bonpoint. You’ll find that no boutique has the same product, which makes shopping here even more interesting. Open 7 days a week. For first-timers, check in at the Concierge Services for guidance. 

Au Printemps - Galeries Lafayette

Family-owned retailer Galeries Lafayette was founded in 1912 when Théophile Bader restored an Art Deco landmark on the Champs-Elysées and transformed it into a premium shopping space that spanned four floors, with multiple categories and layouts to create ease of movement from fashion to food to accessories. Now expanded to branches across Europe, the Galeries Lafayette flagship store is located on Boulevard Haussmann, just behind the Opéra Garnier in the 9th Arrondissement, which it moved to in 1998. 

With over a century of existence, Galeries Lafayette and its sister brand Au Printemps is known for their upscale fashion, gourmet food, and beautiful architecture and is home to 3500 brands, from the most affordable to the most prestigious of brands, including international fashion, beauty, accessories, food and interior design. Be sure to take in the unobstructed views of Paris from the Galeries Lafayette 7th-floor Terrace and join a guided heritage tour in the famous neo-Byzantine style Dome. There are wine-tasting sessions, beauty workshops, fashion conferences and more. Close to the Opéra Garnier and Gare Saint-Lazare, the store has certainly benefited from its location on Boulevard Haussmann, just one street from Printemps, making it easy to combine your visits to both.

Rue de Rivoli

Rue de Rivoli is a commercial street in central Paris with a range of stores that are home to leading fashion brands and stretches through most of the 1st and 4th arrondissements that make up the city centre on the Right Bank. The street bears the name of Napoleon's early victory against the Austrian army, at the Battle of Rivoli, which was fought on 14–15 January 1797. Today the only battle being fought is the one for the best bargain! There is much to do on this stretch of street where you will find stores selling everything from ‘cheap’ Parisian souvenirs to high-end fashion labels. A must is time at Bazar de l’Hôtel de Ville on the Marais side of the Rue de Rivoli in the 4th arrondissement. 

This department store is owned by Galleries Lafayette and the layout and merchandise are very similar, only the prices are notably less. Moving toward the 1st arrondissement from the Bazar you’ll come into a block filled with bookstores and galleries. Libraries Galigani is beautiful and calm, with WHSmith being more mainstream. The Angelina tea house is somewhat of an institution for the elite groups of Paris and is a good place to pause – and be seen. After all, Coco Chanel herself was known to hang out here by day, enjoying the teas and treats that Angelina’s provided.

Le Marais

The fashionable Marais district in the 4th Arrondissement, also known as SoMa, for South Marais, is filled with stylish boutiques, galleries, and bars. Stretching from Haut Marais to the banks of the Seine, this district has a village atmosphere reminiscent of Parisian days gone by. Historically the city's Jewish quarter, the area still has numerous kosher restaurants, the area was built over marshland – ‘Marais’ in French, and was the neighbourhood of choice for the aristocracy from the 13th to the 17th centuries. Unchanged by Haussmann's 19th-century rebuilding of Paris, it has many 17th-century private mansions, typically built with white freestone and featuring a large entrance through which a horse-drawn carriage could easily pass. Some of these now house the best museums in the city. With its beautiful cupola and bird’s-eye view of the Hôtel de Ville, BHV MARAIS is a Paris retail icon. 

This department store was built in 1856 in the heart of the Marais and has all the brands under one roof. It also stocks a wide range of leisure and design items and has a variety of dining options. The surrounding streets are filled with shops of every description, notably Rue Vieille-du-Temple, Rue du Temple and Rue Charlot. Several concept stores have cropped up in the Marais and in recent years, luxury brands such as Karl Lagerfeld, Gucci and John Galliano have all opened boutiques here. The oldest market in Paris, Le Marché couvert des Enfants Rouges, is on Rue de Bretagne in the Upper Marais. With colourful stalls, fresh produce, flowers and tasty dishes prepared on the spot, it is a popular meeting place for Parisians.

Canal St Martin

Canal Saint-Martin is both a waterway and a drawcard with the 4.5 kilometre-long canal. Connecting the waters of northeast Paris to the Seine via nine locks, beginning where Canal de l'Ourcq pours into Bassin de la Villette up in the 19th Arrondissement, and the first lock is beneath Metro Line 2 at Stalingrad. In the centre of this busy Right Bank neighbourhood is la Place de la République, known as Répu by Parisians. A massive monument that marks the embodiment of the French Republic in the middle of a large, lively city square. Wide Haussmannian avenues come together at the square, making it a great place to meet before going out in the nearby Oberkampf neighbourhood or around Canal Saint Martin. 

An up-and-coming neighbourhood, Canal Saint Martin is filled with younger Parisians who are attracted to the cheaper rents, the restaurant scene, and the canal itself. The perfect mix of lively and tranquil. It’s French ‘bobo’ – Boboïsation being a mix of bourgeois and bohemian. Look out for street art and art installations along the canal, the shops, restaurants, stunning flower shops, vintage stores and delicious bakeries. A wonderful area to stroll and explore. Why don’t you grab a baguette and some cheese for a picnic canal-side when you’re done shopping? It couldn’t be more ‘local living’.

Boulevard St Germain

Boulevard Saint-Germain is on the Rive Gauche of the Seine River. It curves in a 3.5-kilometre arc from the Pont de Sully in the east to the Pont de la Concorde in the west and runs through the 5th, 6th and 7th arrondissements. One of the most beautiful and intriguing streets in Paris, it is popular with Parisian locals and visitors from abroad. Capturing the essence of Paris, the French National Assembly building from the late 1800s is here, standing proud with its 12 Greek-style columns and the blue, white and red flags waving in the wind. 

Known as the meeting point for existentialists, painters, and writers in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, it is now one of the best shopping areas in the city with cafes, brasseries, bars, and restaurants flourishing wherever you look, including the famous Cafe de Flore, Les Deux Magots, and Brasserie Lipp. You’ll also find art galleries, antique stores, theatres and cinemas, street markets, and the upscale department store, Le Bon Marché.

Forum des Halles

Forum des Halles is a very lively pedestrian area in the 1st Arrondissement that is named after the old Halles Baltard, the original food market of Paris which used to stand here. Closing its doors in January 1973, it was knocked down and replaced with an underground shopping centre – Westfield Forum des Halles. Since fully evolved into a shopping and leisure destination, and was fully renovated in 2016. The centre is characterised by its striking canopy, which bathes the indoor-outdoor space in natural light and has breathed new life into Les Halles, enhancing its reputation as a dining and shopping destination. The addition to the four floors of household-name stores means that hundreds of thousands of people now pass through the area daily. 

At night, the canopy roof is lit up and the crowds thin out. Head straight into the multilevel Monoprix, where you'll find everything from clothing to house brands to a vast selection of French beauty products. The home goods section and the bakery are worth a visit as well. Besides the obvious shoppers, the Forum des Halles attracts visitors for a variety of other activities. Look for the pool, where they offer aqua cycling along with swimming access. The arts have found a home here as well, everything from an acting school to recital halls. If you want to prolong the open-air-market experience, head to Marché Saint-Eustache Les Halles close to the Forum, or walk down the famous nearby market street Rue Montorgueil. A dinner at Alain Ducasse's Champeaux is well worth the splurge.

The BusinessClass.com guide to the 38 Best Luxury Hotels in Paris

The BusinessClass.com guide to the 30 Best Things to Do & See in Paris

The BusinessClass.com guide to the 20 Best Restaurants in Paris

BusinessClass.com searches hundreds of travel sites simultaneously to help you find the best premium flight offers on Business Class tickets to Paris. BusinessClass.com also compares all the major hotel suppliers to give you the very best prices in the finest hotels.

Search, Book & Save on your next premium flight to Paris with BusinessClass.com today: