17000 boutiques, shopping streets and neighborhoods, malls and outlet malls, markets and flea markets and, most importantly, the title of the fashion capital - all this makes shopping tours to Paris the most desirable for fashionistas all over the world. Where to go for shopaholics arriving in Paris?
According to tourists' reviews of shopping in Paris, arrondissements 1 (Louvre) and 8 (Champs-Elysees) are the leaders in the competition for the title of "Best Places to Shop". Here you can find Sephora store (more than 12000 items of cosmetics and perfumery with prices from 5 to 500 EUR), luxurious Guerlain boutique, worthy to compete with Versailles (it is a crime not to come here, being in Paris!), several Chanel stores (including the one where Mademoiselle Coco created), the store of cult American cosmetics MAS.
Abercrombie and Fitch is also a popular store with democratic prices (for example, excellent jeans can be bought here for 20-50 EUR). Just beneath the Louvre is the underground shopping complex Le Carrousel du Louvre with 50 stores, including Swarovski, Lalique and L'Occitane, as well as France's first Apple Store.
Of Paris's major shopping centers, the Forum des Halles is in the center. It's a huge 5-story complex (4 floors underground) with 250 mid-range boutiques (Mango, Zara, Kookaï, H&M, Bershka, Sephora, Yves Rocher, etc.).
District 2 (Bourse) is famous for the Sentier quarter (wholesale of fabrics, leather goods and furs). It is also home to the Palais Royal galleries and one of the oldest shopping streets in Paris, Rue Saint-Denis. Districts 3 (Temple) and 4 (Hôtel de Ville) are famous for Rue de Rivoli (many boutiques of local and international brands, souvenir stores), Rue St-Antoine (fast fashion stores like Gap or Marks & Spencer), the Marais (with Sandro, Les Petites, Ba&Sh, L'Eclaireur, Marc Jacobs, Odetta, Vanessa Bruno).
District 7 has not only the Eiffel Tower, but also world-famous shopping centers in Paris. For example, Bon Marche -a five-story department store that opened back in 1852 and became the "ancestor" of modern malls. Or one of Europe's largest Les Quatre Temps centers, with more than 200 boutiques, mass-market Auchan and entertainment venues.
District 9 is home to the largest shopping centers and outlet malls in Paris. First, the famous Galeries Lafayette which is worth a visit just to gawk. The gallery consists of three centers: the first (Lafayette Coupole) presents goods for women, the second (Lafayette Homme) - for men, the third (Lafayette Maison) - furniture and home goods. The brands range from high-end to very affordable, and there are fashion shows on Fridays.
Second, it's in this arrondissement that one of the oldest department stores in Paris, the multi-story Printemps, is located. Cosmetics occupies 2 floors, clothes and shoes - 2-3 floors each, seven floors are given to designer boutiques. There is literally everything here: Alexander McQueen, Miu Miu, Chanel, Gucci, DSquared, Balenciaga, Dolce & Gabbana, Isabel Marant, Marni, Stella McCartney, Saint Laurent, Vanessa Bruno, Marc Jacobs and many other brands.
The majority of stores in Paris are open on weekdays and Saturdays from seven-nine in the morning to seven-eight in the evening. On weekends, shopping in Paris is best done in the outlet malls, according to customer reviews. The most famous is La Vallee Village.
Discounts on the most fashionable brands (Burberry, Christian Lacroix, Cacharel, Celine, Giorgio Armani, Cerrutii, Givenchy, etc.) are usually 35-50% here, and up to 75-90% during sale periods. The only downside is that the outlet is located near Paris, 45-50 minutes away by car.
