The 20 Best Places to Shop in Paris

Set back in a cobbled courtyard in the Haut Marais, Merci, Paris’ concept store par excellence, where a choice selection of men’s and women’s fashion mingles with housewares (think French waffle towels and linen sheets in dreamy hues), pottery and furniture, stationary, a great jewelry selection, and lots more. Also in the Marais, we love L’Éclaireur’s inspired selection of the best French and European designs for women and men. The three onsite cafés are popular meeting spots in the neighborhood.

At Serge Lutens Palais Royal, a fairy tale jewel of a perfume shop tucked away under the elegant arcades of the Palais Royal gardens, you’ll find the entire range of heady fragrances created by Parisian perfumer Serge Lutens, along with his sumptuous cosmetics in a rich palette of irresistible hues (142 Galerie de Valois).

The famous candle-maker Diptyque’s Saint-Germain-des-Prés flagship carries the full line of irresistibly scented candles in flower and fruit fragrances like black current, rose, lily of the valley, orange flower, tuberose, fig, amber, and many more. There’s also a range of home fragrances, seductive perfumes, body lotions, bath scents, and soaps all wrapped in their signature three-tone papers for the perfect gift or deliciously scented memento of Paris.

Celebrated in the 18th century for perfecting snowy white beeswax for candles, Trudon provided tapers to the French nobility. Now these sublimely scented candles come in elegant colored glass in four sizes.

La Dernière Goutte, a convivial wine seller tucked away on a charming street in Saint-Germain-des-Prés, offers a meticulously hand-picked selection of natural and small estate wines from every region of France, including a choice array of small-producer Champagnes, Armagnac, Cognac, and the classic Vieille Prune. The friendly and knowledgeable English-speaking staff makes browsing a pleasure.

Cave de la Mère Germain, an offshoot of the Mère Germain trio of hotel, Michelin-star restaurant, and wine shop in Châteauneuf du Pape, specializes in the wines of Provence, along with top wine vintages and spirits from around France and the world. Tucked between Saint-Germain’s legendary cafés, it’s a great place to scout out a rare vintage or bottle of Champagne.

The French Métiers d’Art—bestowers of the coveted Best Craftsperson of France awards and promoters of French expertise—is also behind the capital’s only crafts concept store. You’ll find the work of dozens of top artisans and artists over four floors, including impeccably crafted glassware, porcelain, jewelry, leather goods, furnishings, housewares, fine art, and more. An excellent place for a souvenir of the French art de vivre.

If the Place Vendôme’s famous haute jewelry houses are out of your reach, WhiteBird has your back—and your fingers, ears, neckline, and wrists. This is one of Paris’s best collections of contemporary French and international jewelry designers, specializing in everything from delicate dewdrop diamonds to showstopper cocktail rings. At the Rue des Saints-Pères, Rue du Mont Thabor, and Filles du Calvaire boutiques you’ll find a great selection of statement ear studs along with WhiteBird’s signature line of well-priced staple pieces that easily transition from day to evening.

Since 1892, Causse gantiers have provided stylish Parisians with exquisite handmade gloves in buttery lamb and kidskin and a range of exotic leathers manufactured by hand in the historic glove-making town of Millau. From perforated feather-light driving gloves to silk- or cashmere-lined fashion styles with feathers, metallics, or reptile scale, every glove is as supple and comfy as a second skin. Maison Fabre, founded in 1924, even includes a perfumed pair—a nod to Queen Marie de Medici, who loved giving fragrant pairs (and sometimes poisoned ones) as gifts, along with their popular two-toned styles. You’ll pay more than for run-of-the-mill gloves, but nothing can compare for comfort, fit, and staying power.

A long and cherished tradition in Paris, and now a trend in fashionable interiors, these are the city’s best and most varied taxidermy boutiques, where you’ll find everything from a full-size giraffe to tiny lap dogs that sit silently and still. At Deyrolle, providers of educational French posters for schoolkids for nearly two centuries, you’ll find splendid sculptural artist-designed boxes and a stunning array of insects and butterflies. Design et Nature’s exotic menagerie includes beasts that range from the truly impressive to the hilarious (pastel-colored chicks), along with design-your-own insect boxes.

The world capital of chocolate, with Saint-Germain-des-Prés as its epicenter, Paris now boasts at least two dozen world-class chocolatiers, and maybe more, each with its own personality and signature chocolates. All masters with their own signature creations, it’s impossible to choose a “best,” but we love Jacques Genin’s delicate handcrafted squares for their originality, tenderness, freshness, and flavor. What’s more, Genin’s elegant silver tins, starting with a dozen pieces (€18) up to 72 (€79), make excellent gifts or tasty mementos of Paris.

Mademoiselle Chapeaux is one of the last high-fashion milliners in the capital to make all of its models by hand in its onsite atelier. Hats in straw, wool, rabbit felt, or silk range from a jaunty silk pillbox to the Lorenzo fedora, the Colette cloche, or the chic Paradise in lightweight straw for summer. Prices start at €50 for a baseball cap to around €425 for the fabulous wide-brimmed Le Provençal in fine handwoven straw. All of the models come in a range of stylish colors. Allow up to three months for a custom hat handmade to your size.