Paris Hotels

Paris has some excellent department stores, known as 'grand magasins' (large shops). These are mainly found in the centre around Boulevard Haussman and are also good places to have a beauty treatment or meet up with friends for a café au lait.

Galeries Lafayette Probably the most well known department store in the French capital, they have most of the brand name designers under one roof. You can find anything from an Agnes B cardigan to a stylish Waterman fountain pen. 40 Boulevard Haussman Tel 0142823456 and for non French speakers: 0142823640. Open every day from Monday to Saturday from 9.30 to 18.45 They also have a branch in the Montparnasse shopping complex. Tel 0145385287 which is open from 9.45 to 19.15 Monday to Saturday Metro: Opera, Chaussée d'Antin and Trinité. Rail station: Auber RER A, buses 22, 52, 53, 66 All major credit cards accepted.

BHV Originally the supplier for the Hotel du Ville (which is why it is called Bazaar du Hotel du Ville or BHV), this large department store has almost everything you need for the home as well as brand name clothing. Apparently, Napoleon used to shop here, (or ask his retinue to order his requirements), so although the shop goods have changed somewhat since the 19th Century, the grand exterior remains the same. They excel at stocking reasonably priced, well designed and useful kitchen equipment. 14, rue du Temple Tél : 01 42 74 90 00 Fax : 01.42 74 96 79 Open: Monday, Tuesday Thursday, Saturday : 9.30 - 19 Wednesday, Friday : 9.30 - 20.30 www.bhv.fr Metro: Hotel du Ville. Buses 70,72, 74

Le Bon Marché Another large department store, but this one is renowned for having a good food department (and at 2,700 metres it is huge). This was the first 'grand magasin', built by Aristide Boucicaut in 1852, It soon got a good reputation for having low prices and is also the only department store on the Rive Gauche (Left Bank) of Paris. The architect incorporated new metal structures which were being developed at the end of the 19th Century into his design and even Gustave Eiffel (who designed the famous tower) was involved. It is also less busy and more elegant than the Hausmann Boulevard department stores and has work by contemporary artists for sale.. 24 Rue du Sèvres Métro: Sèvres-Babylone Open 9.30 -19 Monday, Wednesday and Friday 9.30-20.00 Saturday and on Thursdays from 10.00 to 21.00 (late night shopping).

Flea-Markets in Paris

Paris is renowned for it's large and varied second hand markets. Even if you don't need an Eighteenth Century armoire, these passage ways are great places to wander through.

Marché d'Aligre Metro: Ledru Rollin This market is smaller than those on the outskirts of town, but it is well placed for a leisurely pursuit of something unusual. Open from early in the morning to 13.00 from Tuesday to Saturday Marché aux Puces de Montreuil, on Avenue de la Porte de Montreuil Metro: Porte de Montreuil. This is a good place for designer clothes and jewellery, linen and odd items for the home. Open from about 07.00 to 19.00 on Saturday, Sunday and Monday.

Other markets include:

Marché aux Puces de Saint-Ouen, along Rue de Rosiers and Avenue Michelet. This is a huge flea market, one of the biggest in Europe and each area has it's own speciality. Metro: Porte de Clignancourt, open Saturday to Monday from 07.30 to 19.00

Marché aux Puces de la Porte de Vanves. Based along Avenue Georges Lafenestre and Avenue Marc Sangnier, there is a good choice of junk here. Open Saturday and Sunday from 07.00 to 18.00 Metro: Porte de Vanves

Other areas to explore:

Top Avenue Montaigne The capital's wealthy bourgeoisie still rule this expensive and slightly pretentious area of Paris. Elegant women can be found in the avenue's swish hotels and luxury shops, such as Dior, Givenchy, Lacroix, and Bulgari . However, beware the scary store bouncers who might deter quite a few intrepid shoppers. If you don't manage to get inside the shops, (or even if you do), you can always linger over a glass of wine at the Bar de Theatres at 6 Avenue Montaigne.

Opera Shopping at Place de la Opera can be fun and inspiring. Younger women love the European chain Zara, but there are lots of other treats in store here.

St. Germain This district is the heart of the `Left Bank'. You can spend all day here, wandering round the shops and looking longingly at the gorgeous handbags, ties and suits. After all the shopping excesses, revive yourself with a coffee in the café opposite the famous Church where Simon de Beauvoir and Jean Paul Sartre hung out.

The 16th After visiting the Musée Marmottan, wandering around the 16th (Rue de la Pompe, Avenue. Victor Hugo) can be very pleasant. Franck et Fils is an impressive, less well-known department store.

Le Marais The back streets of Le Marais have some exquisitely decorated shop windows. The fashionable cutting edge can be found along almost any street as well as some nice bars to sit and ponder where to go next…

Faubourg St. Honoré Almost every expensive designer brand in the world can be found here.Pick up a chic scarf at Hermes but beware: along this grand street the prices are not cheap!