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Shopping

  Paris, Shopping

The Parisian ideal is elegant rather than funky. Trends may come and go but Paris is always at the forefront and there are few cities where you can find so many top‐quality designers. These include some British designers – John Galliano at Dior, Julian McDonald at Givenchy and McDonald’s precedessor Alexander McQueen, who recently signed an ‘own label’ deal with Gucci – as well as that ever‐controversial Frenchman, Jean‐Paul Gaultier, with his own store near Bastille.

The exclusive designer shops are in the 8th, enclosed in the golden triangle formed by avenue des Champs‐Elysées, avenue Montaigne and rue François 1er and along rue du Faubourg St‐Honoré. A less rarefied but typically Parisian shopping experience is to be had at the main department stores on boulevard Haussmann, 8th – Les Galeries Lafayette with its huge coloured dome and Au Printemps.

Métro Temple or Republique take the bargain shopper to the cheapest department store in the city, Tati, 172 rue du Temple, 3rd (). Cut‐price designer gear can be snapped up at the Mouton à Cinq Pattes, 8 rue St‐Placide, 6th. The sales sweep through Paris in January and July.

Those who enjoy intimate, friendly boutiques should head for the Marais district, in the 4th. Rue des Francs‐Bourgeois in the gay quarter sells designer kitsch, while the winding rue des Rosiers in the Jewish quarter has plenty of young designers whose works are displayed at L’Eclaireur. This area is at its busiest on Sunday, with many shops closed on Saturday due to the Jewish sabbath. It is ideal for a quick falafel snack, while the best ice cream is for sale at Berthillon, 31 rue de St‐Louis‐en‐L’Ile, 4th.

The Carrousel du Louvre, under the glass pyramid in the Louvre courtyard, is a good place for tasteful gifts but shoppers determined to take home plastic Eiffel Towers should head for rue de Rivoli, home to tourist kitsch.

The American‐run Shakespeare & Co, 37 rue de la Bûcherie, 5th, has the city’s widest selection of second‐hand books in English. French books are best purchased at the city’s FNAC stores, one of which is at the shopping arcade, the Forum des Halles, 1st. Bouquinistes sell second‐hand books along the River Seine.

Expensive antiques are to be found at Le Louvre des Antiquaires, beside the Louvre on place du Palais Royal. For bric‐a‐brac, there are the renowned flea markets (marchés aux puces), including the Porte de Montreuil, 20th, which open Saturday, Sunday and Monday 0700‐1900 and St‐Ouen/Porte de Clignancourt, 18th, open Friday 0600‐1400, Saturday 0830‐1730, Sunday 1030‐1800 and Monday 1030‐1700. There are numerous morning food markets in Paris, while the Ile‐de‐la‐Cité has one of the largest flower markets in Paris.

Most shops are open Monday to Saturday 0900/1000‐1900/2000 and close between about 1200 and 1430 for lunch. Sales tax is 20.6%, as standard, although it varies widely between what are regarded as essential items and luxury goods. Non‐EU visitors can get a tax deduction on purchases of over &Euro;182.94 in any one establishment by obtaining a form at the relevant shop and presenting it to customs on departure.