A Casual Guide to Paris Shopping (2024)

Paris is a city of easy pleasures. Wine, cheese, croissants. What’s not to love? Isn’t that what Netflix built the popularity of the très unrealistic “Emily in Paris” on? Except the thing about Paris is that it seems like a foolproof place, but it’s not. Rather, it is a city that rewards research.

Prioritize idiosyncratic shops. Paris is still the kind of place where you can stumble upon a boutique that sells only gloves or umbrellas. There is nothing better than being able to announce to anyone listening that you got some supple belt or slipper or lamp or toothpaste in Paris.

Definitely check on the hours that shops are open because they can be highly unusual from a New Yorker’s perspective. Some require appointments, but don’t be intimidated by that. Be enticed at the potential, the uniqueness, the fun.

Strategize your day by neighborhood groupings. In the morning, go to a few stores around, say, Place Vendôme, capped off with a lazy lunch and some of the all-time great people-watching at Hotel Costes. (A fun game: “Is that his daughter or his girlfriend?”) If you’re a real demon, move on to another neighborhood. Otherwise take a nap, then go to a small museum like Musée de la Chasse etde la Nature, which is like entering into a Wes Anderson film set.

Paris has many of the same designer boutiques as New York and other large cities, so you might skip them. However! Between the exchange rate and the VAT return (a.k.a., tax refund), designer goods can be significantly cheaper. You’ll need your passport in store. At the airport, remember to scan the forms or have them stamped before you check in and go through customs, as sometimes they ask to see the goods in person. Basically, thisis a crucial way to justify buying things.

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