Paris, a city synonymous with fashion and style, offers an endless array of shopping experiences. While the famous avenues like Champs-Élysées and the grandeur of Galeries Lafayette are well-known to tourists, the City of Light harbors hidden gems that offer unique and authentic shopping experiences. Dive into our guide to discover the lesser-known but equally enchanting shopping destinations in Paris.

Fashion and clothes

Many international brands have beautiful shops in Paris. But let’s take a look at some of the best spots…

Noir Kennedy (22 rue du roi de Sicile): a hidden gem in Le Marais, known for its selection of vintage and contemporary fashion. It’s perfect for those looking to blend classic styles with modern trends.

The Kooples (108 Rue Vieille du Temple) : A French brand located in the heart of Le Marais, offering chic and edgy clothing that encapsulates a Parisian rock ‘n’ roll aesthetic.

L’Eclaireur (10 rue Hérold) : This store is renowned for its avant-garde selection, showcasing pieces from both established and emerging designers.

Spree: Nestled at the foot of Montmartre, Spree is a boutique with a carefully curated selection of French and international designers, offering a mix of chic and bohemian styles.

Kiliwatch Paris (64 Rue Tiquetonne): a must-visit for vintage lovers. This large store offers a wide range of retro and second-hand clothes, perfect for finding unique pieces.

Gerard Darel (174 Bd Saint-Germain): A quintessentially Parisian brand known for its timeless, elegant designs. A great place to find classic pieces that never go out of style.

A greatplace to do fashion shopping with a mix of major brands and local creators is in the Department Stores. From affordable to luxury, they offer a quintessential parisian shopping experience :

• Galeries Lafayette and Printemps (boulevard Haussmann): beautiful buildings with a huge choice. They’re more focused on foreign customers these days, but it’s still a great parisian experience.
• BHV Marais (metro Hotel de Ville): you’ll find many Parisians here (more than tourists) with less luxury products and more affordable clothes. You’ll find also many cooking tools and devices, decoration items, cosmetics and much more.
• Bon Marché (metro Sèvres-Babylone): a wonderful building in a very chic place, with many luxury or premium items.

Wine

Looking for a great value wine in a Parisian supermarket is like a mini treasure hunt – there’s always something delightful to find! Here are three types of wines that generally offer fantastic value for money, and are commonly found in Parisian supermarkets:

Languedoc Reds: the Languedoc region in Southern France produces some excellent reds that are very reasonably priced. Varieties like Grenache, Syrah, and Carignan are common and offer a lot of character for their price.

Loire Valley Whites: these are often a steal! Look for a Chenin Blanc or a Sauvignon Blanc from the Loire Valley. They’re crisp, refreshing, and pair wonderfully with a variety of foods. A good occasion to remember that white wine is ALWAYS the best match for cheese! Though many people still drink red wine with it (a shame)…

Côtes du Rhône: these are versatile and widely available. They’re blends, usually dominated by Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvèdre. Great for a casual evening or a hearty meal.

For specific brands, it’s a bit tricky without knowing the exact selection of the supermarket you’ll visit, but here’s a tip: look for bottles priced between 10 to 20 euros. This range often hits the sweet spot of quality and value in Paris.

If you’re looking for something specific or for some advice, try one of the small wine shops that can be found everywhere in Paris.

Food

In France, supermarkets have a great range of foods, including high-quality items. But if you want some advice, go for smaller shops. Especially for cheese (ask for vacuum packaging to preserve your cheese before going back home).

French cakes (dry ones are safer for transport, like macaroons for example), candies, chocolates can be great presents to take back home.

You will find lots of great places for chocolate in Paris, but my favourites are Patrick Roger, La Maison du chocolat, and Jacques Genin.

• Gérard Mulot (76 rue de Seine, metro Saint-Germain-des-Prés) is a wonderful spot for gourmet treats, from chocolates to delicately prepared dishes perfect for a picnic.
• G.Detou (58 rue Tiquetonne) : the emblematic shop for food known by all French people who love cooking and buy delicious vanilla, saffron, almonds, pistachios, mushroom powder, almond flavour and other key ingredients with one of the bests price-for-value in Paris.
• La Grande Epicerie du Bon Marché (metro Sèvres-Babylone) : this upscale food hall offers everything from fresh produce to gourmet French and international products. The place in itself is a great experience.

And of course, do pay a visit to one of the open street markets (there are 90 of them) that take place on different days (check places and days here). They open from 7 am to 1 pm. Most Parisians do their shopping here to find a great choice of fresh foods : fruits, vegetables, dairy, meat, cheese… Beautiful for the eyes, gor the nose (grilled chicken) and for the ambience. A must for any visit in Paris.

Check my page about tasting and buying cheese in Paris…

Cosmetics & perfumes

Paris is a great place for shopping for cosmetics. Departments stores are good options, but try also chain stores such as Sephora, Marionnaud or Nocibé, where you will get good prices and good advice. Avoid buying perfumes and cosmetics on open-street markets, where products are often lower quality or even counterfeit products.

A great place for cosmetics is the biggest and cheapest pharmacy in Paris : CityPharma (26 rue du Four, in 6th arrondissement). Always crowded but you’ll get a great choice at great prices.

And if you’re hungry, don’t miss the best boulangeries (bakeries) and patisseries in Paris!