Where are the great bargains in Paris??
 

Hello Everyone,

I am currently in Paris. I am trying to find great bargains in gifts to take back home such as french perfume, souvenirs and other things like that.

Can you help me, please?

Merci!

There are none. The 1980's are long gone. Hock your jewels and try one of the large department stores.

Which of the malls - Printtemps?, Lafayette? Anywhere else?

Thanks!

Monoprix is a chain of reasonably priced products, maybe in the range of a Target... you can go to their grocery sections and find chocolate bars, cookies, jams, mustards, coffees, etc. You can buy scarves or French beauty products, soaps..."one stop shopping"...

Sephora has branches all over Paris, but that isn't quite as much fun since you can just buy online or visit a branch in the US (if that is where you're from).

If I buy something for a good friend, I like to take a picture of the store and street so they get the 'feel' of the location. So even if you buy at Sephora, it's a <i>French</i> Sephora!

I agree with Travelnut - Monoprix is a good choice.

I like Longchamp products from Dept. Stores like Le Samaritaine, which has the added bonus of the great free view from the top (take the elevator to the top floor and then take the staircase the last flight.

As I recall there is a nice little souvenir shop when you get off the elevator, and of course the food on the roof is very reasonable as well with the ultimate view thrown in!

Samaritaine closed last year permanently. so...no more...

AHHHHH! That's horrible. :-(

Pourquoi?

http://www.lasamaritaine.com/

closed for 'works' due to building safety

I LOVE Monoprix. Stop there to pick up condiments, chocolates, cosmetics, baby clothes, etc.

Bargains are few and far between with the exchange rate what it is. Don't have time to write alot in this post, but here's a link to a list I made of some souvenirs that I've brought back for friends. All under 20 euros.

http://www.parisescapes.com/paris_souvenirs.html

I'd also recommend checking the body wash in Monoprix...I brought some back for several friends and they asked me to bring more on subsequent trips.

Another souvenir that worked well in the past was a pack of coasters with old black and white photos of Paris on them. I think you can get them most anywhere, particularly in the Latin quarter and also from the vendors on the Seine.

I live in Paris now, and can tell you that souvenirs can range in price from place to place, but probably not enough to have you bargain shopping and going crazy over a few Euro here and there. It seems like whenever you want something and try to find it elsewhere cheaper, you end up not finding it at the cheaper place.

On the more expensive end of foodstuffs, you can also try Hediard and Fauchon (metro Madeleine), although some of the larger Monoprix actually carry their products, so you may be able to do some one-stop shopping at Monoprix. I shop at the one on Place Blanche, because that's where we live, but there is a good large one on Avenue de l'Opera, fairly close to the metro Pyramides. There are other good larger Monoprix's as well, but not knowing where you are, I can't recommend one close to you.

You might also visit BHV, which is a department store, with a hardware department in the basement - a very fun place, particularly if you're into DIY. In the basement you can also pick up metal French street signs and numbers (the blue ones with white numbering that you find on the streets of Paris) as well as some that say things such as &quot;Sortie&quot; (exit) and &quot;Attention Chat Bizzare&quot; (which someone bought for us and our crazy cat!). There is also some garden stuff in the basement that might make good gifts. It's a great area to dig around - we brought friends there and ended up spending almost two hours in the store!

Enjoy your shopping adventures!!

the little eiffel towers always please try to find one which is a pencil sharpener.

Laguile knives (wood handles with a folding blade);

stuff from the Michelin store, ave de l'opera.

If buying perfume etc, make sure they give you a handful of samples; sometimes it's better to buy one thing at a time so you can increase the number of samples received.

Agree with Monoprix. Just came back from a trip to Paris (in May) where we didn't have very much time to go shopping - Monoprix grocery fit the bill beautifully. The store brand coffee, chocolate, mustard, tea, even cheese we bought were good - they even have upscale and organic variations of the store brand for many products. The grocery also sold stuff like Maxim's, Valhrona and other upscale brand chocolates and cookies; we saw some of the same stuff in the duty-free for more money. Oh, and check out their wine selection too... (Note that the grocery section of department stores is always in the basement level; at the Monoprix on Av de l'Opera, we had to go all the way to the back of the store, then downstairs.)

The rest of the store as Travelnut mentioned is a bit like Target. Pick up French toiletries, stockings, household items (I bought a cute sugar and creamer one year), etc.

Go to monoprix.fr and search for a location near you under &quot;Retrouvez-nous dans votre quartier&quot; (choose 75-Paris for &quot;votre d&eacute;partement&quot;).

Happy shopping!

Agree with the suggestion of Monoprix. Other grocery stores - Champion, Franprix and Leader Price - also stock everyday toiletry items that are cool (shampoo, shower gel, etc.) along with some spices and cooking ingredients not usually found back home in the US. Chocolate and cookies are also great buys. There's also Tati, sort of the Paris version of the dollar store, but it's a hit and miss thing in that sometimes you find something worthwhile, sometimes you don't. If you are in the area of Place d'Italie, there is a shopping center right there at the Metro stop that has both a Champion grocery and a Tati along with some other shops, many of them chains, even a branch of Printemps.

Monoprix, for sure! Also, there are five great kitchenware stores in Paris called La Vaissellerie, including one on the Blvd. Haussman near the main stores - they have fabulous little kitchen/food/dining trinkets at great prices. Also several Gudule silver jewelry stores with good bargains (it's mostly from North Africa, but her, you're buying it in Paris!)

Galeries Lafayette and Au Printemps are not shopping malls--they're huge department stores of the kind we don't see much any more.

If you want a wide choice of inexpensive souvenirs of Paris, head to the part of the Rue de Rivoli opposite the Tuileries Gardens and look in the little shops there.

When you guys mention Ave de L'Opera - that is the street near the Opera House, right?

We will stay in the International Le Grand at L'Opera - I assume we can find that upscale Monoprix and other wonderful shops mentioned here nearby, correct? I do know Blvd Haussaman is just round the corner from the hotel.

If you want excellent French perfume, toilet water and soaps, try Fragonard. Not dirt cheap but much less than the couturier brands and Fragonard makes some of the essences for them!
I found beautiful scaves for 5 euros in stand outside Galeries Lafayette. Prints of Paris can be found all over the city and are only a few euros. They look lovely framed. You can also buy prints in the museums. The supermarkets are great for packaged soups, candies, etc...

nho, Avenue de l'Opera is the boulevard that leads from the front of the Opera Garnier (the opera house) down to rue de Rivoli and the &quot;side&quot; of the Louvre. The Monoprix is on the right side as you descend from the Opera south towards rue de Rivoli, maybe about 1/3 of the way down? It's on a corner and is clearly marked. I think they're open until 9pm most nights, but closed on Sundays (as are a lot of shops in Paris). The Michelin store is also on Av de l'Opera, on the other side of the street.

A note of advice: Most of the caf&eacute;s in this area are geared towards tourists (read: pricey and mediocre). Look for smaller venues on the side streets and avoid anything where the waiter too readily addresses you in English! ;)

Cite Pharmacy on the corner of rue Bonaparte and rue de Four..Better prices than Monoprix and bigger selections of cosmetics and beauty supplies. And Oliver and co on rue de Seine.

There is a museum shop in le Marais that stocks all the items from all the various city museums. I'll look for the address.

Any supermarket has lots of goodies for gifts

Does Monoprix have a deli section?

I totally forgot how the Marche in Paris look like, after all, our previous visit were almost 10 years ago.

No wonder Monoprix is so crowded. It appears that we all shop there.

Mimo, some are much larger (huge) than others and have delis, groceries, bakeries etc.. plus all of the other things mentioned here.

DH still has and wears some black tee shirts that he bought from them years ago.

BHV's hardware basement is always on our list. We love it there and can wander around for several hours buying small signs, wine paraphenalia, etc..

Have a snack at their Bricolage Cafe in the basement. The rest of the store is very nice. Check out their drawer knobs. Great reminders of Paris. I think they are on the 2nd floor (??) with the bathroom fixtures. We have brought home TP and paper towel holders, tools for DH that are much cheaper there than here. One trip we even bought three spring loaded door closers.

Another great place for unusual and relatively inexpensive gifts, is Pylones. They have three stores in Paris. We usually end up at the one on St. Louis. They have a wide assortment of things, pens, baby bibs, cups. toys, umbrellas, and so much more. All in very festive colors. We've been shopping there for years and always find something new on each visit.

Our Shih Tzu puppy Monsieur Zebulon (Zebby) is eating and drinking from two really cute cat (!) face bowls that we bought at Pylones in October. We think it's cute - hey what does he know, he's only 10 months old.;-)

Tea towels make great gifts, for yourself or others. All of the above stores carry them, although they are more expensive at BHV.

We bought a metro map tea towel at Pylones for about $10.00.

Nina

WE loved Paris - but for decent shopping we had to hop on a train and go to Brugge - really, after a week of frustration in Paris looking at stuff that was obviously overpriced or just plain junk, my daughters came to me exhausted after a day in Brugge having found exactly what they wanted at resonalbe prices, and demanded of me, Dad, why didn't we come here first? Again, not complaining, we loved Paris, but the shopping did not impress.

Question: My wife actually found a very nice scarf at a price no dept store could match at a street market. Why hasn't anyone esle mentioned street markets?

A collection of slightly more original shops -- even open on Sunday -- can be found at Bercy Village (www.bercyvillage.com) at metro Cour Saint Emilion. R&eacute;sonances is particularly popular for kitchen and bathroom items, Andaska has a lot of travel items, Nature &amp; D&eacute;couvertes has a lot of natural products, and there is also a S&eacute;phora and a FNAC Eveil &amp; Jeux (for children's items), as well as a handicraft store. And even the Club Med World complex has some interesting things in their shop.

A friend just returned from Paris with honey for souvenirs that she bought at La Maison du Miel, 24 rue Vignon - nearest metro stop is Madeleine. She said the packets were so appreciated by friends that she is mail-ordering more to give away. Not only unique but could be purchased to represent any part of France. I don't know about cost but I think she is pretty frugal...FWIW

We buy tasty treats from Faunchon near the madeline, Hediard another foodie heaven is also nearby.

I like the small north African shops fifty meters west of the Gare du Nord, and similar shops in small roads south of the Gare de l’Est. I bought gloves, handkerchiefs, and a walking stick there for my own use. You might need to buy gift wrapping, too, to gain the effect you want.

Ben Haines, Lobdon
[email protected]

The street markets are great for scarves, handbags, all kinds of food, foie gras (tinned, to bring home). Richard Lenoir market is excellent. I like museum shops for interesting post-it pads. The stationery sections of department stores or individual stores have beautiful writing items. Olive oil, mustards, chocolate,food from the supermarche on the corner--or Monoprix.

Oh, and I LOVE the idea of bargain shopping in Brugges--only the price of a TGV ticket away. I could shop in Paris for that price.

That brought a smile to my face as well.

We, too, shopped at Monoprix. Loved it. I also still love the &quot;fake pashmina&quot; that I bought from the street for about 6 euro. My girls bought t-shirts from the street stalls - they are actually nice, fitted shirts with cap sleeves, rather than baggy t-shirts.

I was in Paris in 1985 when the dollar was so strong...but I was so poor!

topping

nho, the Monoprix on Av de l'Opera has a deli and cheese counter, as well as a wide range of prepackaged deli meats and cheeses. I almost missed the counter because it's tucked all the way in the back! Go down the stairs to the main part of the market, and instead of turning right into the fresh veggie area, turn 180 degrees. Walk past the up-escalator and all the way to the back. BTW, it's pretty cold in there - the whole back area is refridgerated. :)

The shop at the old (not new) Bibliotheque National has great and unusual paper items. I see a little paper booklet that I bought my very style conscious brother there years ago, still on his coffee table. Very inexpensive.

And the Fleur de Sel from the Ille de Re (oh god, no French spelling skills) that I buy at Fauchon is a HUGE hit with anyone I give it to.

Maybe I missed something, but we stayed in Brugges for a week a few years ago and I (the consumate shopper) don't remember seeing any fabulous bargains. Although we did get some lovely lace at a decent price. We brought home a lamp from the 4500 square foot lighting store (not to be missed if you love light fixtures and lamps, as we do, and would have brought home more if we could have fitted it in our luggage.

In Paris, I always buy scarves from the street vendors. I don't know if they are really bargains, but the prices are very cheap.

On my first trip to Paris many years ago, I bought a scarf from a street vendor as a gift for my girlfriend. She was thrilled that I had brought her a something from Paris .... then she read the label 'made in India'. Good friend that she is, she was still thrilled that it came from Paris.

We too buy small jars of honey from the various street markets, but selfish as we are..... we keep them for ourselves ;-)

Nina

Careful with that website mention &quot;o&quot;. People do not take kindly to advertising on this website - advice yes, ads no.

You can also try Mariage Freres, who have some nice upscale tea emporiums.

http://www.mariagefreres.com/

..just to reiterate no bargoons but I did find some lovely handmade necklaces on my last trip. very good value for $ and unique. I think I paid about $80; these constitute my Xmas shopping for my nieces.

I don't know if I should post this as a new thread, but where can one buy the old art posters announcing openings and shows that are in windows all over town? The bookshop on rue DAuphine used to sell these used posters, but no longer. I looked in every poster shop we saw, but found only brand new posters. These are my son's favorite gift from Paris!

Taking notes as I read. Thank you.