Anyone who knows me well knows that I detest shopping. Shopping centres, malls, clothes, ugh, it is what I imagine one of Dante’s seven levels of hell to look like. So imagine me now writing about shopping in Paris! But there are so many different types of shopping here. Yes there are the massive centres of the Galleries Lafayette and Printemps, the types of places that give me nightmares. But there are also the beautiful undercover gallery walkways, the flea markets, the local food markets, and the lovely boutiques and second hand stores in Marais. There is something for everyone in Paris, even for a shopaphobe like me.

Department Stores
Galleries Lafayette to the prima dona of department stores. The building itself is a sight to behold, a reason to visit in and of itself, regardless of the shopping to be done there. On arrival in Paris I had to buy a new wardrobe for my upcoming trip to Champagne (couldn’t be visiting the Champagne houses in my backpacker clothes I’d been wearing through South East Asia) and Galleries Lafayette was where I started. Unfortunately it was sale season (or maybe fortunate, at least everything was cheaper. But the people….everywhere….my shopping phobia kicked in big time). Nonetheless, I found a gorgeous pair of shoes here.

Printemps Haussmann is directly next door to Galleries Lafayette, and again if shopping isn’t your thing then head straight for the sixth floor café and the views across Paris.

Undercover Galleries
These cute and quaint undercover walkways can be found all across Paris, and my favourite was located in the Les Halles area. A lovely walkway filled with haberdashery stores and knickknacks, it was so pleasant to stroll through here, out of the heat and crowds.

Marche aux Puces de St-Ouen, the largest flea markets in the world and located only three metro stops from where I was staying. These markets have been going since 1885, cover seven hectares and 3,000 sellers, and it is impossible to see everything in one visit. My friend Corinne and I tried our best though. The temporary outer market stores which have sprung up are reminiscent of Bangkok and Khao San Road, but once through this throng of traders you discover the real deal. Stores selling old records and 2nd hand books. Old toys which I remember owning, and wondering how much they’d be worth if I had kept them. Vintage clothes, including vintage haute couture…..Dior, Chanel, Jean Paul Gaultier, beautiful, beautiful dresses, shoes, bags and jewellery. Then there are the antiques. Chairs, chaises, tables, desks, lamps, vases, chandeliers, bookcases, whole wooden spiral staircases, artwork, silverware, crockery, linens, and the list goes on. Fascinating and huge amounts of antiques. Beautiful and interesting to look at, though not to my style to live in. The whole markets are a fascinating place to window shop.

Food markets
Everywhere you go in Paris there is somewhere to eat and someone to sell you food. But nothing beats visiting the local fresh food markets, stocking up and creating your own meals in your own little apartment like a true Parisian. Two of the most popular markets are the Marche Bastille, which runs for almost a kilometre up Boulevard Richard Lenoir and is open on Thursday’s and Sunday’s, and Marche Moufftarde, which finishes at Place Monge on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday mornings. My favourite was Marche Bastille. Rows of stores selling cheese, fruit and vegetables, fresh fish and seafood, butcher’s, stores of olives and nuts and grains, fresh baguettes and pastries.

Champs Elysees
What used to be ‘the’ street for high end shopping, it is now just a tourist strip filled with stores such as H&M, Marks and Spencer, The Disney Store, and McDonald’s. Still, it’s the quintessential wide Parisian boulevard, ending with the Arc de Triomphe.

Marais
I was surprised to learn that most shops are closed on Sunday in Paris (as a friend pointed out, perhaps this means that Perth is the Paris of Australia?) The Marais area however is at its best on Sunday, when the roads are closed to traffic and you can wander the narrow streets of small boutiques, vintage stores, art galleries and falafel stores in relative peace. Stop for a drink (an Aperol Spritz goes down well on a hot day) at the hidden courtyard Café Cour, housed opposite the Musee de Archives National.