How to Shop the Champs Elysees

Want to spend the day window-shopping at glamorous boutiques? Then the local mall is not your answer. For the price of a plane ticket to Paris, you can enjoy browsing one of the most famous shopping streets in the world, the Avenue des Champs Elysees.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Maps
• Calculators
• Travel Services
• Fanny Packs
• Maps
• Calculators

1. Pick a nice day for your shopping excursion. Most of the stores along the Champs Elysees are not enclosed like your local mall.

2. Change some money at one of the many banks or money agents along the Champs Elysees. You can choose from BNP, Citibank, Societe Generale, Thomas Cook Change and many others.

3. Visit one of the Avenue des Champs Elysees' many luxury shops, including the world-renowned House of Guerlain. Guerlain's most famous scents include Shalimar and the newer Jicky.

4. Shop for a new car. Fiat, Peugeot, Renault and Mercedes-Benz dealers can all be found along the Champs Elysees.

5. Satisfy your growing hunger pangs with a quick lunch at a street side café such as Montecristo or Le Madrigal. Or choose from one of several fast-food restaurants, if you must.

6. Take in an afternoon movie at one of Champs Elysees' numerous cinemas.

7. Buy gifts for friends and family you left at home. Chichi French boutiques reside alongside American chains like the ubiquitous Virgin Megastore.

8. Take care of any last-minute business, such as sending postcards home at Le Poste or filing a claim for lost luggage at Air Afrique, Air France or Iran Air, to name a few.

Tips & Warnings

• Take a calculator to figure exchange rates. Stores will give you totals in French francs (FF).
• Try at least two money agents before changing any money to make sure you are getting the best exchange rate.
• Never carry more than 400 to 500 French francs, just in case your purse or wallet is lost or stolen. Credit cards can be canceled and traveler's checks replaced, but cash is gone forever.

on 8/8/2006 Virgin records? Not American. If you're shopping for music in France, go to FNAC, a French chain.