What are some great buys to bring home from Paris
 

This site posted some great ideas from Italy. Does anyone have good ideas to bring home from Paris? Small soveniers for friends or something special for myself or son.

Little Eiffel towers.

a small piece of art - I pick up small pen and ink drawings; and got a beautiful small oil painting from an artist behind Sacre Coeur. There is also a small art fair behind Notre Dame on Sundays, but I don't know when they start but they go on during the summer. Pottery from a lovely little shop on Rue Jacob - I believe the name is La Maison Ivre.

hi marbie,

Things special to remember paris by for you:

Silk scarves from shops on the rue du Rivoli

French Tapestry squares for framing or pillow making from a small tapestry and lace shop near the sacre couer

Small watercolors of paris scenes or lithographs from shops in montmartre.

For your son...TSHIRTS...TSHIRTS...TSHIRTS

I also love shopping the markets for trinkets and china. I am not looking for matched sets, I am looking for the unusual. I found two china tea cups with saucers. One in parisian blue and had a octagon shape (odd for a teacup) and a beautiful french country rose pattern. Same with a teapot.

I always recommend to find things you collect, although you look for them with a parisian flair or theme.

It is hard to find european writers here in the states, so if I can find them even translated into english there I am happy.

French lace, wine or scarves make great gifts for close family members. My mother loves scarves and I found a wonderful shop that sold really large ones with beautiful fall color themes (my mom's favorite colors). She wears them all the time.

hope this helps! Have a wonderful time!

With the dollar so weak, I don't think there ARE any bargains in Paris. But if you must shop, go to papetières and the big department stores for small novelties. Also the Bazar Hotel de Ville always has fascinating stuff in the basement. And FNAC has good deals on CDs of French singers and musicians. Also, the chain store La Vaissellerie, which has five stores in Paris, has inexpensive and interesting kitchenware and gadgets. But bargains? Not at this exchange rate!

My one real Paris bargain came from La Vessaillerie, four Limoges canapé plates for the equivalent of $5 apiece. Williams-Sonoma was then selling a set of six for $75.

My own secret souvenirs are the wonderful raised metallic stickers to be found in France, much nicer than the ones here. I have a whole collection: flowers, musical instruments, Christmas-themed, hot-air balloons, Paris monuments...I love them. I expect kids would also. You can find the stickers at stationery stores and even tabacs.

Something special for you, Marbie, might be one or two of the lovely miniature ceramic buildings representing village scenes. You can see them in shops along the Rue de Rivoli; there's one store in particular that has a wide selection. Another possibility would be a Limoges tabatière, one of those beautiful little boxes in all sorts of designs: teapot, stack of books, animals, picnic boxes, all sorts from which to choose. They're not inexpensive, but collecting them is fun.

I love the little Occitane soaps; they sell now for 3,50 in Paris and $5 plus tax here in Pgh. Good buy? :-) Regardless, I still like to buy them in Paris at the shop on Ile St. Louis!

I did buy a nice tapestry to hang on my wall on rue de Rivoli at Maison Blanche; I think it was a good price--better than what I see in catalogues here in US for similar French wall hangings.

Have fun!

Since the D'Orsay won't part with some of my favorites, I bring back a "ticky-tacky" from each trip with the Eiffel Tower as a theme. I wouldn't part with the collection for a million dollars! (Well, perhaps that is a small exageration.) My friends get them too. They might not be as fond, but.....

Small foodie gifts, from little jars of jams to truffle sauce to mustards to chocolates, are always popular with my friends (and me)!

My favorite place to go is Fauchon, which is also right next to Hediard, both in Place de la Madeleine, just next to Place de la Concorde. They have a lot of items that are not only wonderful to eat, but are fun to give as gifts or even display, as they are usually stamped "Paris", and one of the two (I forget which - maybe both) has fabulous chocolates in little tins that look like the store front.

For you: silk scarves and perfume.
For friends: chocolates.

They have a good gift shops at the museums and you can find something in every price range.

DO NOT rule out that "little" or perhaps not so little Eiffel Tower...someone brought me one when I was a child and I still have it. When I finally visited the real thing in 1970 I saw all of them for sale...but I cherish my own and it has lasted a LOT LONGER than any T-shirt.

Coffee. Cafe Malongo from Galleries Lafayette is the best.

I'm with grandmere. I stock up on L'Occitane when I'm in Paris. If you buy enough, you can get VAT refund (though that will make your luggage rather heavy).
And grandmere, I LOVE the L'Occitane store on Ile St Louis. The guy who works there could not be any friendlier! He even gave me serveral bunches of dried lavender (I was there in Sept)!

I?ve bought the little Eiffel Tower key chains, and a larger one for my desk (about 8? high) which I love!; French soaps and herbs de Provence from the markets (really inexpensive); cans of pate or rillettes, small prints (yes, they?re copies, but really nice and very inexpensive); I don?t buy t-shirts as they typically fall apart so soon, but purchase nice colorful sweatshirts; magnets, etc.

Ditto the Fauchon recommendation. Chocolates, vinegars, mustards, etc are just superb.
And don't forget the regular grocery stores. The Belgian ginger cookies I love (spekuloos) are sold for about a euro or two whereas here in the states they are much more expensive. Many even have a nice assorment of chocolates.

A good place to shop for a wide variety of French food items (and English, too) is the big épicerie at Le Bon Marché department store. Even if you don't buy anything, the displays in the refrigerated cases are enough to make you swoon.

One of my favorite reminders of Paris is a bottle from Oliviers and Co. which I keep (filled with olive oil) by my stove. While shopping at the Mouffetard market, we went in O & Co and bought olive oil (yes, it was expensive) but I love the bottle. It is about 10 inches high with a slender neck. The bottle is rounded on the front side and triangular on the other side. I also bought my son a large Eiffel tower filled with olive oil (not at O & Co.) CJ

Maybe a soccer jersey for your son.

There was just a post on this last week (or within the last 2 weeks) all about souvenirs from Paris, France. I buy those lovely coasters alongside the Seine. They are reasonable (4 euros) a set, and make a great gift!