How to Christmas Shop in Paris

Paris offers a myriad of shopping opportunities, and no time is as special for shoppers as Christmas time. The department stores are decorated for the season, special merchandise abounds and the sounds and smells of the holidays make working through your shopping list fun.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

1. Start your Paris shopping outing at the city's several department stores. Shop Le Printemps on the Right Bank for perfume, fashion and housewares. Check out the Beaux-Arts Galeries Lafayette, located next door to Le Printemps, for up-to-the-minute fashion and accessories. Get gifts for all of your food and wine-loving friends at Bon Marche's excellent food hall on the Left Bank.
2. Browse the shops on the Left Bank. You'll find quirky, avant-garde fashion, a wide selection of antiques and food stuffs along the Boulevard St. Germain, located just across the Seine River from the Louvre and other Paris sights. This district offers everything from roasting chestnuts to French etchings to fine wine.
3. Remember the museum shops. The gift shops inside Paris' many museums offer a spectacular array of unique merchandise for the holidays. At the Louvre and the Musee d'Orsay, you'll see jewelry, art prints and reproductions, and note cards--just name a few items. At the Fashion Museum, you'll see hand-painted scarves, artist-made jewelry and books about many of the city's legendary designers.
4. Visit the Champs Elysees. Not only is this famous boulevard adorned for the season with thousands of lights and carols piped from every building, but the Champs-Elysees is home to the largest Christmas market in Paris. From late November until New Year's Day, you'll find hand-made ornaments, manger scenes, canned goods and freshly baked bread, and numerous craft items.
5. Shop for gourmet food at Fauchon. Fauchon, located on the Right Bank near the Madeleine, is "the" place to go in Paris for gourmet mustards, fine chocolates, flavored vinegars, exotic spices and a host of prepared foods. This elegant store has items in all prices ranges.