Must-see shopping in France

  • Shakespeare and Co bookshop.

    Shakespeare & Company

    Latin Quarter

    Enchanting nooks and crannies overflow with new and secondhand English-language books. The original shop (12 rue l’Odéon, 6e; closed by the Nazis in 1941)…

  • Galeries Lafayette Department Store

    Galeries Lafayette

    Paris

    Grande-dame department store Galeries Lafayette is spread across the main store (its magnificent neo-byzantine stained-glass dome dates from 1912), its…

  • Bouquinistes

    Paris

    With some 3km of forest-green boxes lining the Seine – containing over 300,000 secondhand (and often out-of-print) books, rare magazines, postcards and…

  • Marché aux Puces de St-Ouen

    Montmartre & Northern Paris

    Spanning nine hectares, this vast flea market was founded in 1870 and is said to be Europe’s largest. Over 2000 stalls are grouped into 15 marchés …

  • Le Bonbon au Palais

    Latin Quarter

    Kids and kids-at-heart will adore this sugar-fuelled tour de France. The school-geography-themed boutique stocks rainbows of artisanal sweets from around…

  • Merci

    Le Marais, Ménilmontant & Belleville

    A Fiat Cinquecento marks the entrance to this unique concept store, which donates all its profits to a children’s charity in Madagascar. Shop for fashion,…

  • Cave du Félibrige

    Aix-en-Provence

    Run by committed oenophiles Francois and Vincent, this trove of rare and delightful bottles aims to cover the many French styles and terroirs, paying…

  • LN Mattei

    Bastia

    Run by Bastia’s famous distillery, this iconic boutique has the look and feel of a grocer from the 1900s. The enticing array of bottles naturally includes…

  • La Grande Épicerie de Paris

    St-Germain & Les Invalides

    The magnificent food hall of department store Le Bon Marché sells 30,000 rare and/or luxury gourmet products, including 60 different types of bread baked…

  • Le Bon Marché

    St-Germain & Les Invalides

    Built by Gustave Eiffel as Paris’ first department store in 1852, this is the epitome of style, with a superb concentration of men’s and women’s fashions,…

  • PARIS, FRANCE - AUGUST 29, 2015: The open-air market in the Bastille district is one of the largest and busiest in the city selling fresh produce from France and other European countries. ; Shutterstock ID 318453461; Your name (First / Last): redownload; GL account no.: redownload; Netsuite department name: redownload; Full Product or Project name including edition: redownload

    Marché Bastille

    Paris

    If you only get to one open-air street market in Paris, this one – stretching between the Bastille and Richard Lenoir metro stations – is among the very…

  • Flower stall at Marche aux Fleurs (Flower Market).

    Marché aux Fleurs Reine Elizabeth II

    Paris

    Blooms have been sold at this quaint flower market since 1808, making it the oldest market of any kind in Paris. On Sunday, there's also a cacophonous…

  • Marché de St-Girons

    The Pyrenees

    In the village of St-Girons, a massive market spreads along the riverbank every Saturday throughout the year. If you're in the area, it's well worth…

  • Prao Boutique

    La Rochelle

    Vinyl collectibles and beautiful objects for the home, many handcrafted in the region, fill this small concept store. Design posters inspired by local…

  • Sézane

    Montmartre & Northern Paris

    As if fashionistas needed any confirmation that northern Paris' 'nouveau quartier' Clichy-Batignolles is the place to be: iconic fashion brand Sézane has…

  • Veja

    Le Marais, Ménilmontant & Belleville

    Living proof that Parisian fashionistas are increasingly green: every Saturday and Sunday huge queues snake outside this 2019-opened store, much-loved for…

  • Morning Market

    Aix-en-Provence

    No spot in Aix revs up your taste buds more than the city’s premier food market, where trestle tables groan each morning under the weight of marinated…

  • Serendipity

    Bordeaux

    Romantic and youthful, this delightful 'cabinet de convivialité' inspires bags of instant feel-good factor. After several years in Paris, Claire…

  • Marché d’Aligre

    Paris

    A favourite with chefs and locals, this chaotic street market's stalls are piled with fruit, vegetables and seasonal delicacies such as truffles. Behind…

  • Fromagerie Alléosse

    Montmartre & Northern Paris

    On stall-filled foodie street rue Poncelet, heady fromagerie Alléosse has its own cheese-ripening caves (cellars) spanning 300 sq metres with four…

  • 38 Saint Louis

    Paris

    Not only does this contemporary, creamy white-fronted fromagerie (cheese shop) run by young, dynamic, food-driven duo Didier Grosjean and Thibault…

  • Chocolaterie Saunion

    Bordeaux

    Follow local gourmets to this exquisite, oh-so-bourgeois chocolate shop, run by the same family since 1893. Fourth-generation chocolate-maker Thierry…

  • Blue Madone

    Bordeaux

    Vintage designer fashion for men and women is the mainstay of Mathilde Milande's exquisitely arranged boutique, peppered from head to toe with an…

  • Les Halles

    Dijon

    Northwest of Palais des Ducs is Dijon's fabulous 19th-century covered market, Les Halles. Enshrined as a national monument in 1975 (when it narrowly…

  • Aux Marocains

    Auvergne

    A staggering range of sweet temptations fill this richly decorated 19th-century boutique, with some recipes barely changed since it was founded in 1866…

  • Les Récupérables

    Montmartre & Northern Paris

    Eco-conscious Parisian designer Anaïs Dautais Warmel takes unwanted fabric scraps from upholstery workshops and haute-couture fashion houses in Paris and…

  • Belle de Jour

    Montmartre & Northern Paris

    Be whisked back in time to the elegance of belle époque Paris at this Montmartre shop specialising in perfume bottles. Gorgeous 19th-century atomisers,…

  • Kerzon

    Le Marais, Ménilmontant & Belleville

    Candles made from natural, biodegradable wax in Parisian scents such as Jardin du Luxembourg (with lilac and honey), Place des Vosges (rose and jasmine)…

  • Gautier-Debotté

    Nantes

    A young Jules Verne was awed by this beautiful chocolate shop's chandeliers, marble floors and circular velvet banquette where Nantais have lingered amid…

  • Thanks

    Montmartre & Northern Paris

    Former financial-trader-turned-jeweller Arnaud Soulignac is the creative mastermind behind this tiny boutique specialising in stylish and unique homewares…

  • Fromagerie Goncourt

    Le Marais, Ménilmontant & Belleville

    Styled like a boutique, this contemporary fromagerie is a must-discover. Clément Brossault ditched a career in banking to become a fromager and his…

  • La Maison du Beurre Bordier

    St-Malo

    The cheeses and butters handmade by the world-famous Jean-Yves Bordier are shipped to renowned restaurants around the globe. Showstopping butters include…

  • Cave Briau

    Bordeaux

    Not only does the wine sold at this fantastically well-stocked cellar cover the whole range of prices (read: €2.50 to €5000 a bottle), bottles are also…

  • Marché de la Libération

    Nice

    After the Cours Selaya produce market, this is Nice's largest outdoor display of fresh fruit and veggies – and an authentically local experience. When it…

  • L’Intendant

    Bordeaux

    Welcome to what must be the grandest wine shop in the whole of France. A magnificent central staircase spiralling up five floors is surrounded by…

  • Maison Auer

    Nice

    With its gilded counters and mirrors, this opulent shop – run by the same family for five generations – looks more like a 19th-century boutique than a…

  • Storie

    Paris

    Beautiful objects with une histoire (a story) is what this backstreet boutique is all about. Hand-woven items from West Africa pile next to silk and…

  • Empreintes

    Le Marais, Ménilmontant & Belleville

    Spanning four floors, this design emporium is a concept store for unique, handcrafted pieces by emerging and established French artists and designers…

  • Do You Speak Français?

    Bordeaux

    Gaëlle and Maxime are the creative duo behind this inspiring concept store stocking fashionable tote bags, t-shirts, fashion accessories and homewares…

  • Marché Provençal

    Antibes

    A wonderful – and as its name hints, very Provençal – local market selling fruit, vegetables, meat, cheese and local products like tapenade (olive spread)…

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