Paris is a city where you want to shop. Perhaps it’s the fashionable French people you see passing the café window as you sip your café au lait. Or perhaps it’s all those Audrey Hepburn, Brigitte Bardot and Audrey Tautou movies which make us want to be equally stylish. But after those first few forays into the department stores and boutiques, it all begins to seem a bit of a burden on the credit card. So here are my top four tips for bargain shopping in Paris.
Ralph Lauren collection at Galeries Lafayette - Photo courtesy of thinkretail via Flickr
- Monoprix. This is a chain of stores throughout France which, along with food, sell an excellent range of clothing, household items and gifts. Their t-shirts, stationary, espadrilles and pajamas are some good staples to take home for that feeling of Paris long after you’ve left French soil.
- Galeries Lafayette. These legendary department stores focus on clothes, shoes, handbags, jewelry, etc. You’ll find some affordable labels amongst the very expensive. Take a sandwich up to the rooftop and have a bargain lunch overlooking the rooftops of Paris and nearby Paris Opera.
- La Vallee Village. Outside Paris but an easy day trip (near Euro Disney), this is the place to find all the designer labels on sale in their outlet stores. Exhausting but exhilarating.
- Vide greniers. You’ll need some help from a French-speaker for this one, but vide greniers – which literally translates as “attic clearance” – are the equivalent of car boot sales or flea markets. This is the place you can bag a real bargain. There is a great website where you can search by date but ask your hotel to help you translate the theme of the market and locate the exact address.
Planning a trip? Browse Viator’s Paris tours and things to do, Paris attractions, and Paris travel recommendations, or book a private tour guide in Paris for a customized tour!
Posted on February 13, 2012 in Best Of Lists, Local Recommendations.