Shopping a camera in Paris

Are you interested shopping cameras? Paris is a good place for you. There are numerous camera shops in Paris, selling new and second hand, traditional or digital, small format or grand format, various brand of cameras and other photography equipments.

If you are going to buy a camera for normally use, or just to see what photography equipment are available in Paris, you should first go to fnac. fnacs are large stores that originally a book store. But now, it sells computer and electronic appliances, video and audio products, and cameras. They also provide services in film development and prints.


There are several fnacs in the city center, for cameras, the one in Saint Lazar and the other in Chatelet are larger ones with all possibilities. fnacs not only sell new cameras and lenses, they also sell second hand. Sometimes you can find very good gadget in very good price. Because when they sell new equipment, they also take back your old stuff and it seems they do not earn money from resell second hand equipment.

There are many specialty photography equipment stores in Paris. There is even a photography street -- Blouvard Beaumarchais, beside Bastile. Just mention a little: Le Moyen Format, that is also official Rollei Dealer, Le Grand Format, La Maison de Leica, Le Numerique, Photo 40, Odeon, and so on. You can buy, you can rent, you can sell your equipment here. All stores sell new quipments as well as second hand. If you want to have your equipment repaired, this is place to go. Price is reasonable. Some times you can find a surprise.


The famous camera street is just near the Place Bastile. This pillar named "Colonne de Juillet". It is 50 meters high and includes a spiral staircase. It is built on the graves of the victims of the July Revolution and is engraved with the names of the 504 who died.


Leica maison, if you know cameras, you should know, or at least you should be able to guess what Leica Maison means.


Moyen Format means Medium Format. If you find some second hand 35 mm format equipment in very low price here, do not be surprised: perhaps they do not care these "cheap" gadgets.


Sell, buy, exchange, new or second hand, and reparations.


If you are really interested in photography equipment, you may be interested at a camera fair. Every year, on the first Sunday of June, there is a large open photo fair in a small town called BIEVRES. That day, collectors, dealers, ordinary camera fans go there from all over the world. shopping there is a great pleasure.


You can sell you cameras here like the lady.


You can find easily ancient camera at the foire BIEVRES.
To be continue...

Shopping in Paris supermarkets and commercial centers

There are few large supermarkets in Paris city center. It is said that maximum area of a supermarket in Paris city downtown must be under 200 squre meters. Parisians buy their grocery in Monoprix, Franceprix, ATAC , ED, Leader Price and so on, relatively smaller supermarkets in every street corner.

Large supermarkets such as Carrefour, Auchan and Intermarche are distributed at the outskirts of Paris. Most of them are open in a shopping center. Larger supermarkets sell every thing, from the food stocks to clothes, soft drinks to spirits, small electric appliances to computers, some even sell diamonds. If you want to buy some special French products such as foie gras, fromages, champagnes, French wines, you can simply go to a larger supermarket to find them. The price is low, and the quality is as good, that is the place where French consumers buy their every day consumer goods.

Like other metropolitans, more and more giant malls have grown up in farther suburbs of Paris, Ile De France. Many Parisians and inhabitants of the Ile de France region surrounding her (10 millions people altogether) do their shopping in huge suburban shopping centers. Easily reachable by car, as well as by Metro, by RER, located in the residential districts, they usually include a gigantic Auchan, Carrefour. They also include lots of restaurants and stores selling clothes, books, records and other stuff.

You can find very interesting shopping centers along RER A: Les Quatre Temps in La Défense, Forum les Halles in Chatelet Les Halles; and larger ones at Val de Fontenay, at Neuilly Plaisance, at Noisy le Grand, at Torcy, at Val d’Europe. Here we should emphasize commercial center in Val d’Europe, which is new one, one stop to Disneyland, it is called as international shopping center. Some foreign guests often visit there.

This is shopping center Forum des Halles - most crowded shopping center in Paris. It is located at the heart of Paris: Châtelete. All shops are underground, directly connect to the RER - Metro station: Châtelete - Les-Halles. RER A, RER B, RER D and Merto No.1, No.4, No.7, No.11, No.14 all stop here. This plaza was the city’s principal market in the middle ages. Today, it has become a paradise of consumers. This huge shopping arcade offers a selection of chain shops catering for a young and mixed crowd, as well as cinemas and a swimming pool, though there is not a hypermarche in it. The Espace Créateurs (Porte Berger, Level -1) is a special section where you can browse and buy the creations of young and up-and-coming Parisian designers. On the surface, it is a beautiful garden. an attractive visit point even not for shopping.

This is more tradictional Paris commercial center - a “passage" If you have time walking around, you will be able to discover it. Arts, fashion, traditional French restaurants are all gathering in these “passages"

Newly built shopping center at Torcy. A giant Carrefour, Darty, and a Leroy Marlin and many boutiques are included in this large commercial center. RER A: Torcy

Many foreign visitors like shopping in Val d’Eulope. This shopping center is located at the east of Paris, just one stop to Disneyland Paris by RER A. This commercial center is very new, but also very complete. There is a large supermarket Auchan, an large electronic store Darty, and Fnac and many smaller boutiques. If you are tired, you can relax by listening to music, watching movie, visiting the exhibition Sea life, enjoying seafood and various style cuisine in the commercial center.

Not only young girls like jennyfer.

Different style restaurants in the terran offering good service to costumers of the shopping center.

Other shooping centers in Paris downtown or outskirts:

Bercy 2
4, place de l’Europe - 94228 Charenton
Metro: Charenton-Libert

Boutiques du Palais des Congrès
Porte Maillot - 75017 Paris
Metro: Porte Maillot

Carrousel du Louvre
99, rue de Rivoli - 75001 Paris
This underground shopping center is connecting to Museum Louvre. Open time is similar to Louvre: daily from 11:00 am to 8 pm except Tuesdays.
Metro: Palais Royal / Musée du Louvre

Centre commercial Galaxie
30, avenue d’Italie - 75013 Paris
Metro: Place d’Italie

Galeries marchandes des Champs-Elysées
Lido, passage des Champs-Elysées, Berri, Claridge, Rond-Point des Champs-Elysées - 75008 Paris
Metro: George V, Franklin-D-Roosevelt

Les 4 temps
15, le Parvis de la Défense - 92092 Paris la Défense
RER and Metro: La Défense

Les 3 quartiers
23, boulevard de la Madeleine - 75001 Paris
Metro: Madeleine

Maine Montparnasse
Tour Maine-Montparnasse - 75014 Paris
Metro: Montparnasse-Bienvenue

Marche Saint-Germain
rue Clément - 75006 Paris
Metro: Saint-Sulpice, Mabillon

Passage du Havre
12-14, rue du Havre - 75009 Paris
Metro: Saint-Lazare

Shopping in Paris Departments Stores

Department stores should be the first consideration when you are going to buy some thing. The “grands magasins"in Paris are great places to stay all day. Paris department stores are beautifully decorated and displayed. In these “grand magasins" besides various usual departments, there are restaurants and cafés, gourmet food stores, beauty salons, free public toilets because department stores could take all day to properly explore. In Paris, there are serveral deparment stores. Among them, we like Galeries Lafayette, Primtemp, BHV and Samaritaine best.

Galeries Lafayette is the largest department store in France and in europe. With over 65 locations throughout France, you are likely to find a Galeries Lafayette store when you visit France.
The beautiful roof of Galeries Lafayette flagship store in boulevard Haussmann

Métro: Chaussée D'antin-la-Fayette. RER A: AUBER.You don’t need to remember the address and the stations. Lafayette and Printemps offer Paris maps to hotels, anyone can get it in hotels. Finding the way is very easy. For example, you go from GIS hotel Paris. You take RER A to Auber, and then follow the sign Blouvard Haussmann and Grands Magasins, when you come out to the surfaces, you will find yourself already in the Store in a few minutes after you take off the train. Printemps is just beside Lafayette. If you don’t want to follow the sign undrground to Grands Magasins, instead, you go to the surface at first, you can go to the Opera at first, then, these two department stores are standing behind Opera.

The flagship store of Galeries Lafayette on boulevard Haussmann is really looked like an art gallery. It pays tribute to the luxury and contemporary creation, by placing at the disposal of the world's most famous brand, all its windows on boulevard Haussmann, and its art gallery. The products displayed in the windows create links between tradition and modernity. Even you are not going to shopping, Lafayette is still a must place to be visited.



There is a Fashion show in Galeries Lafayette. It is presented by a team of 6 models coming from top international agencies and presents the latest trends giving an overall impression of the most famous designers and couturiers collections such as Jean Paul Gaultier, DKNY, Galliano, Kenzo, Paco Rabanne, Sonia Rykiel, Westwood, Feraud,... The fashions show lounge "salon opéra" located on the 7th floor of the Main Building is fully equipped with stage lighting and sound. The 30 minutes performance includes a commentary in English. Galeries Lafayette Fashion Show is free of charge, held at the flagship store on boulevard Haussmann on Tuesday all year long at 11 : 00am.


Most area of the ground floor of Lafayette is occipied by perfume and cosmetics. This is probably largest perfume shop in the world.

Printemps is “spring" The Printemps department store is standing just beside Galeries Lafayette, boasts her three buildings with 43,000 sq. m of selling space on Blouvard Haussmann.

Printemps is also one of the leading department stores in Paris, through its flagship store on Boulevard Haussmann. Located near the Saint Lazare station and the Church of the Madeleine, in a rapidly changing strategic district in the heart of one of the Europe's main business areas, it attracts not only a domestic but also an international clientele. Printemps has four stores in the Paris area, and another twelve in France's major cities.
Printemps has a wide and varied product offering showcasing the major brands, including hundreds on an exclusive basis, through various departments, such as Men's Fashionwear, Women's Fashionwear, Lingerie, Beauty care, Home Furnishings and Accessories.

printemps has also a private fashion show on all Tuesdays at 10:30 in the morning.

BHV is the abbreviation of “Bazar de l'Hôtel de Ville?--- Bazaar of the Town Hall. In the heart of historical Paris, the BHV boasts 8 levels of merchandise, including fashion (minimal), home decor, household linens, furniture, electric household appliances... and its most dazzling highlight: a hardware department with 365 vendors and a good hundred salesmen.

Today, BHVs are not only a Bazaar beside the Paris Town Hall. It has become a big group with 16 stores in France. Only in Ile de France, you can find nine BHVs.

Metro: Hôtel-de-Ville




La Samaritaine, Metro: Louvre, Châtelet, Pont Neuf; RER: Châtelet-Les Halles


La Samaritaine takes it name from an old water pump near the Pont Neuf. The pump was decorated with the woman of Sameria giving a drink of water to Jesus. The store now occupies four buildings.

La Samaritaine is a less expensive department store, one can find anything at La Samaritaine. But the greatest specialty of this department store has to be the Maison Déco (7000 sq. meters), with the most unique bedding department in Paris, and a grand selection of astute and tasteful furniture.

At a corner of Samaritaine.


Look for the signs to the panorama , at the top of the building of Samaritaine (10th floor), there is a cafe bar wih a wonderful 360 degree view of Paris.

Paris, a shopping paradise!

Shopping in Paris is a pleasure. According to tour leaders who company tour groups to various countries and cities in Europe, Paris is always their major shopping place. Whether you going to spend one million euros in Paris, or simply enjoy the window-shopping opportunities, Parisian shops are an integral part of the city's cultural identity, and make it the ultimate destination for visitors.

Being a metropolitan, Paris itself is a great market. Varieties of goods, atmosphere of shopping, good service of all kinds of shops, Paris is really your market place. Even talking about prices, we can also say that Paris is a shopping paradise. You can find very noble, luxurious, rare and high price goods in exclusive shops, you can also easily find popular shops that selling good quality goods with astonished low price. No matter you are millionaires or ordinary working people, you will find your shopping place, you will find some thing interesting in Paris.

Some general information about Paris shops:

Most shops are open from Monday to Saturday, closed on Sunday and festivals. Only some shops that mainly serve to tourists open on Sunday and festivals.

Most shops open from 10:00am to 7:00pm, while supermarkets usually open from 9:00 am to 10:00pm.

All shops accept credit cards, and cash in Euros. Very few shops accept foreign currency cashes.


In this page, we hope we can provide some information useful to visitors to Paris.

We think Paris department stores is a must of your Paris visit, so there are some tips to these “grands magasins?at first.

Every one needs supermarket nowadays, you have some choice here: supermarkets and commercial centers.

Are you interested buying a camera, please share our discoveries in camera shops.

If you are interested in houte couture of Paris, France, we shall show you to a special street, where you can find real Parisian style in their exclusive shops.

Perhaps you are interested to find some antiques? Have a visit to the flea market.

If you are not living in Europe, you can refund your purchase tax, here are some information about duty free or tax refund procedures.

Finally, you need to find a nice hotel to lodge for your Paris tour, there is some idea here.

Paris on sale. There are two seasonal discounts every year in Paris, in France: one in January, one in July. Most Parisiens make their shopping in these two months.