by Isabella Sharipova-Williams, published 13th June 2024
Part of the trouble with the city of beauty, fashion, and art – a shopaholic’s paradise – is deciding on where, and how, to get a piece of it all, and all at once, ideally. With your permission, allow me to present you with a list of the most celebrated bonnes addresses of Paris departments stores.
Les Galeries Lafayette
An 1890s chain that heaps decadence on you from all corners. They have fashion, furnishings, and even a food hall boasting stalls from Pierre Hermé and Alain Ducasse.
They have three shops in Paris proper:
Magasin Galeries Lafayette Champs Elysées
60 Avenue des Champs Elysées, 75008 Paris (Franklin D. Roosevelt 1, 9)
Tel : 01 83 65 61 00
Monday – Sunday : 10 am – 9pm
Galeries Lafayette – Paris Haussmann
40 Boulevard Haussmann, 75009 Paris (Opéra 3, 7, 8)
Tel : 01 42 82 34 56
Monday – Saturday : 10am – 8.30pm ; Sunday : 11am – 8pm
Magasin Galeries Lafayette Beaugrenelle
Centre Commercial BEAUGRENELLE, 7 Rue Linois, 75015 Paris (Charles Michels 10)
Tel : 01 83 18 08 00
Monday – Saturday : 10am – 8pm ; Sunday : 11am – 7pm
Printemps
One of two Paris department stores on which Emile Zola’s Au Bonheur des Dames is based.
They have two shops in the centre:
Printemps Haussman
64 Boulevard Haussmann, 75009 Paris (Saint-Lazare 3, 12, 13, 14)
Tel : 01 71 25 26 01
Monday – Saturday : 10am – 8pm ; Sunday : 11am – 8pm
Printemps Nation
20-25 Cours des Vincennes, 75020 Paris (Nation – Trône 1, 2, 6, 9)
Tel : 01 71 25 26 01
Monday – Saturday : 10.30pm – 7.30pm
Samaritaine
An Art Deco treasure for all your shopping, dining, and beauty needs, wants, and desires.
9 Rue de la Monnaie, 75001 Paris (Pont Neuf 7)
Tel : 01 88 88 60 00
Monday – Sunday : 10am – 8pm
Le Bon Marché
The second bastion of luxury that inspired Zola’s Au Bonheur des Dames, one of the greatest of the great department stores in Paris.
24 Rue de Sèvres, 75007 Paris (Sèvres-Babylone 10)
Tel : 01 44 39 80 00
Monday – Saturday : 10am – 8pm ; Sunday : 11am – 8pm
Le BHV Marais
Your destination for everything, from stationery to tech, to DIY, to high fashion.
52 Rue de Rivoli, 75004 Paris (Hôtel de Ville 1, 11)
Tel : 09 77 40 14 00
Monday – Saturday : 10am – 8pm ; Sunday : 11am – 7pm
I warn you – these places are ridiculously splendid, and all the displays are designed by people who have cracked the human will. The customer service is also reverent, resourceful, rapid – to wit, unmatched. You may leave surprised at how much lighter your purse is, but in the sound knowledge that you have bought from the very best that Paris has to offer.
Perhaps, after all this shopping, you are hungry. In this case, we invite you to peruse our article on must-eat sweet treats in Paris.