Suzanne2

Can you purchase ice in Paris? We wanted to buy some ice for our Champagne bucket while we were there and could not find any. You know, like the bags of ice you get at the grocery store or 7-11. They have ice in the butcher shops and the fish markets so they must sell it somewhere.

SuzieC

Funny you should mention this, we bought it from the fish mongers themselves.
Oh us crazy americans!

Suzanne2

Really, How much was it and how did you ask for it? Is this common practice to buy it from the fish mongers?

MorganB

Some larger grocery stores have bags of ice in their freezer section.

SuzieC

Well, we weren't in Paris but in a barge on the Soane at Chalon Sur Soane...
We smiled and just asked if we could have some and showed one of the empty plastic bags. The first one was free. The second one, they got wise, and asked for a Euro.
What a fortune someone would make along the barge stops selling ice to americans!

StCirq

I've bought ice from fishmongers at markets in the Dordogne for packing drinks in a picnic cooler.
I've never seen ice for sale anywhere else in France. You can buy those hard plastic things you fill with water and put in the freezer, but they're not very convenient for cooling champagne.

Dave_in_Paris

One set of visitors took their own container and obtained ice cubes from the corner restaurant/bar, but I think this could only happen in the friendly 11th arrondissment!