A big big thanks to all for you imput!
I'm sure the girls will love it. Yes I will treat myself but seeing the girls have fun like I did so many years(and pounds ago) is a treat!

Mom: Don't forget to post back here after you've made some new discoveries!

Cheers

Could someone tell me about Bon Marche in comparison to Galleries Lafayette? I have not been to Bon Marche and have it on my agenda for March trip.

The first thing you'll notice is that Bon Marche is a LOT less crowded than GL and has far fewer tourists.
Also, IMHO, Bon Marche caters to a slightly older shopper, or at least it's not particularly oriented toward teens (hopefully someone will correct me on that if I'm wrong).
Bon Marche is very elegant and worth a visit, but don't expect to find cheaper designer clothes there.

There are some cool stores on the Boulevard St Michel, heading south from the Seine toward Boulevard St Germain. I like Naf Naf, and there's another great one whose name escapes me...argh...!

For department stores, don't forget BHV. I much prefer it to Galleries Lafayette and Printemps. Much more affordable in my opinion. I found Bon Marche to be even more expensive. BHV is by far my fav department store. It's a shame that Samaritaine is closed, it was a great store to shop in too.

I think young people would like the underground mall at Les Halles.

I agree that the shoppping in the Marais is great. We stayed in that area last time and spent lots of time just tooling around the area. I found lots of little shops that were great for little gifts that were not your typical stamped with 'Paris' souveniers. Shop in the Marais at least once on Sunday. It's the busiest day. Everyone is bustling around, it's like a street party.

cbleigh, when was the last time you were in Paris? BHV is now owned by Galleries Lafayette and the prices have gone up dramatically... Its still a great store and Galleries Lafayette has been modernizing it and making it a place for the younger set...

Oh no...they closed Samaritaine?

I would agree that Bon Marche is not geared to young people, but that kind of depends on their style and pocketbooks. I think Les Halles is really young and kind of junky, but most general-purpose dept. stores would be fine. Zara is a Spanish chain, but if one has never seen one or doesn't have one where you live, I think it would be about right. I think a lot of people that age would just like a dept. store and some of the stores on the Champs-Elysees (Zara is on there), or in St Germain.

I never liked Samaritaine myself, and don't feel any loss that it is gone. I thought it was really dowdy. I like BHV as a general dept. store, but never felt its prices were anything cheap. Actually, one "mall" I like is the one out at La Defense, which has a lot of stores.

I always liked Samaritaine. It has some fine examples of Art Deco. I hope they restore some of the original architectural features.
Too bad they are closed.

Since we are a shopping subject, can anyone tell me how they get their purchases home? I was overweight on my luggage on my return (and I wasn't inbound!) and had to pay $50 penalty.
should I bring a fold-down extra piece of luggage?

<b>Oui</b>!

I always pack a gym bag in my checked luggage. Then on the way home I fill the gym bag with laundry, put all my purchases in my carry-on if possible (ever since my flea market coffee grinder was stolen from my checked luggage), and check the gym bag and my suitcase.

in the marais, the rue francs-bourgeois is known for its boutiques. also the rue de turenne near the place des vosges. but really, they're everywhere. not cheap, but fun!

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