GR

Any tips on great Paris souvenirs, such as favorite foods/wine? Or do you have tips on the best flea markets for stuff you can actually carry back in a suitcase?

SusanP

I can help you with food. Laduree has the most delicious macaroons, although be aware that they don't keep all that well, so you wouldn't want to buy large quantities. I've been to the one in the 6th, corner of rue Bonaparte and rue Jacob, although there are other branches.

Right down the street at 6 rue Jacob, check out l'Huilerie Artisanal J. Leblanc et Fils for mustards and flavored olive oils. I also got a tampenade while there in Sept but haven't tried it yet. This is a tiny store with great things! Also really nice olive oil soap if you're interested. Note that they don't take credit cards.
Enjoy!

Gretchen

Go to the Vanves Market on Saturday and Sunday. Lots of small stuff--you just never know what will strike you.

Gretchen

Oh, and if your friends like foie gras there are tins available in many sizes.

AJPeabody

Check out the street markets, and look for "artisanal" foods. If you are lucky, you will chance on something great that you can't find anywhere else. I am using my last little jar of honey and nuts (the nuts are pureed into the honey). If you see the organic oils from Mille et Une Huiles, taste and buy them. I particularly like the pistache (green pistachio oil) and the pignon de pin (pignoli). They are great as condiments on seafood and salads, and for dipping. You never know what else you'll find. Got some great cordials at a weekend fair along the banks of the Seine. You get the idea.

kellyee21

I didnt think you could bring foie gras through customs, in the US at least. I was asked about that specifically last time I went through.

wondering

you can find good quality mustards even in a grocery store...no need to hunt for gourmet shops...i think foie gras is fine if it is in cans....

BTilke

For tea, nothing beats Mariage Freres (IMHO). Even their tea bags are elegant little muslin sacks, not cheap papery bags. The tea is always fresh and wonderfully fragrant. They also sell very attractive teapots. I made the mistake of buying some high-priced tea and coffee at Fauchon's and both were stale.
One recommendation, when you get to Paris, buy a couple of French home decor magazines and also the Cote Est, Cote Sud, Cote Ouest magazines. Not only are the magazines interesting souvenirs in themselves, full of design tips, they also tend to offer leads to unique shops, restaurants, etc., that aren't found in any guidebooks (although the Cote mags focus on areas outside Paris, they always include several Paris recommendations).

ira

I was told by the last Customs Inspector I met that fresh fois gras (even if vacumm sealed) was not permitted, but that canned pate de fois is OK.

Gretchen

Tinned foie gras is fine--as is cheese. Have done that repeatedly--and even asked about it. There is an Oliviers&Co. shop on rue Cler that has 15 different olive oils that you can taste. I brought back 2--one very floral and one very spicey. They also have tapenades and olive confiture. The poster is correct about just shopping in supermarkets. I got dried morels and chantelles to bring home. No weight there!! Bring back big chocolate bars of 70% cocoa butter!! Lots of different mustards that are delicious.

GR

These are all great ideas! I knew I could count on this group for help. Thank you so much!

My stomach is growling just thinking about all the stuff I want to bring back.

Travelnut

Scarves are a nice Parisian souvenir, however true French scarves are usually expensive - the cheaper ones are usually made in Italy (at least for those I looked at, ie. Galeries Lafayette).

At BHV I bought the kit with wine bottle stoppers and pump to get the oxygen out, use it almost daily at home. Lots of other wine-related souvenirs are possible. Also at BHV, I bought house number tiles and put them above the garage door.

At fleas, I bought pretty plates that hang across my kitchen wall above the cabinets, and old sheet music I used as background in my photo album. Hubby has found Lagiole knives a couple of times.

At Esmerelda souvenir shop by Notre Dame, and one other one on same block, I have bought several 'tapestry' style pillow covers. Stuffed them with foam once back home and now they adorn my sofa. At a nearby ceramics type store, I have bought several egg cups which my best friend collects - also found a Christofle egg cup at a flea once.

uhoh_busted

I found an inflatable Eiffle Tower in a funny little teen-oriented gift shop in the Marais. Wish I'd bought several as it is such a hoot.

sandi_travelnut

I brought home peppercorns from the market in the Latin Qtr as well as tins of foie gras. I bought beautiful scarves and lavendar soaps and my husband purchased a handsome wine bottle opener from a lovely wine shop on Rue de Bac.

Travelnut

Yes! Soaps... they are a great souvenir, fit in suitcase (in fact, just leave one in there to perfume it), and then you can enjoy the souvenir daily...then, you run out of soap and must return to Paris to buy MORE.
(Yes I know you can buy French soap in the U.S. - just let me be....)

PalenqueBob

For Paris Metro Souvenirs head to the Maison R.A.T.P., the headquarters of the Parisian metro/RER system of buses and subways. Here you can buy models of buses, metro trains and huge posters of the metro system as well as other metro sundries. Not a huge selection but something different. (Opposite Gare de Lyon, southside facing the Seine; open Mon-Fri business hours 9-5 or so.) They also have real relics on display like old metro cars, though these change from time to time and somethimes more than others. (Free). You can also pick up a dozen or so free and very detailed maps of Paris districts with bus and metro lines on them - superb maps not generally available at every metro station.

Gregg_G

one of the biggest flea markets in paris is in clignancourt (last stop on the #4 metro). Unless you want to look at the touristy stuff, walk underneath the freeway on rue michel. on your left will be a maze of streets and shops. we spent hours going around, finding amazing things. antique swords, guns, military uniforms, paintings, sculpture, flatware, china, etc... the market is on friday, saturday & sunday only. if you have time left, montmartre is a 15-20 minute walk or you can mtero.

Gregg_G

forgot wine shops:
cave auge
116 blvd houssmann 01 45 22 16 97
an excellent shop with a large selection.

la derniere goutte
6 rue de bourbon le chateau 01 43 29 11 62
excellent selection for languedoc, and the rest of the rhone. a few burgs and bords in the back.

there is also a new multilevel wine shop in paris opened within the last year that has a dizzying array of wines, or so i'm told. they have a sister store in spain. unfortunately i cannot remember the name.

imo-avoid nicholas shops-nothing exciting and a bit overpriced.

Surfergirl

I also like mustards. One thing I always pick up in Paris is little pots of solid perfume at the Fragonard shop (on rue Scribe by the AmEx or in the 6th) -- my favorite is Murmure. Easy to transport and makes a great gift!

Flea markets -- I'm always looking for French signs, particularly tin road signs.

Gretchen

The Clignancourt Marche is open only Saturday, Sunday and Monday--and not everything is open on Monday. These are very interesting shops but quite expensive. Most of the shops are branches of central Paris antique shops.
The flea market at Porte de Vanves is much more like our "fleas" and fun to poke around on Saturday and Sunday mornings.