175 Best Shopping in Paris, France

The Paris flagship of this lauded label, whose global fame only skyrocketed with the design of the duchess of Cambridge's wedding gown, is glorious to behold. The late McQueen's hallmarks—tons of lace, gossamer fabrics, tartans, death's heads, and voluminous silhouettes—are all lavishly on display. But, while staying true to McQueen's vision, creative director Sarah Burton isn't as intent on pushing the boundaries as she is on creating her own magic in lavish gowns and dramatic ready-to-wear attire. Shoes, accessories, and surprisingly affordable jewelry to go with the garments are available as well.

There's nothing more luxurious for your face, body, and hair than these 100% natural, organic, and chemical-free beauty products. This beautiful, understated boutique in the Haut Marais is the perfect place for the kinds of beauty products that get results. Forget the multiple cleansers, creams, and serums, this four-step no-nonsense beauty regime delivers radiant skin in a matter of weeks. All products are refillable and the boutique ships to its many fans overseas.

Tea lovers will adore this art-centric tea boutique and salon set in a 17th-century stone building in the upper Marais, near the Centre Pompidou. In contrast to the behemoth sellers—Mariage Frères, Palais des Thés, and Dammann Frères—who focus on quantity over quality, this shop's hand-selected varieties come from surprising places around the world (oolong from Georgia, anyone?) and small artisanal producers. The friendly owners, a husband-and-wife team, love to share their extensive knowledge, and a tasting flight of four pots in the adorable tearoom is a delight. Upstairs is reserved for artists' books and limited-edition artworks. There's also a tempting array of handmade porcelain teaware.

Outfit the prince or princess in your life at Bonpoint (yes, royalty does shop here). The prices are high, but the quality is exceptional, and the adorable miniduds couldn't be more stylish: picture a perfect hand-smocked Liberty-print dress, a velvety lambskin vest, or a double-breasted cashmere sweater for Little Lord Fauntleroy. The Avenue Raymond Poincaré boutique is one of more than a dozen citywide.

Stroll through the vast ground floor of this high-end children's clothing store, located inside a 17th-century mansion, and you'll feel like royalty on a private visit to a friend's estate which happens to have beautiful clothing for babies and children on display. The rooms wrap around a large, private garden and helpful salespeople will assist in finding the perfect gift.

Although it only opened in 2014, you can be forgiven for thinking Buly 1803 is an antique apothecary—those jars overflowing with exotic herbs, powders, and elixirs are used to recreate 200-year-old recipes for the all-natural skin-care line. Delicious-smelling hand, body, and face products come in scents like rose and Scottish moss. All the products are organic, beautifully packaged, and impossibly chic.

At her multibrand concept store, jewelry designer and general fashionista-about-town Marie Gas does the work for you, mixing designers you already know and love (Spalwart, Ulla Johnson) with French and European créateurs that you definitely want to know (and will love). Browse a seasonal collection of everything from ready-to-wear to jewelry, leather goods, perfume, and design objects for the home.

Head to the streets between Rue du Bac, Rue de l'Université, Rue de Lille, and Rue des Saints-Pères to unearth museum-quality pieces. The more than 100 shops in this association of galleries and antiques dealers are marked with a small, blue square banner on their storefronts.

Phoebe Philo, who defined this bohemian-chic label for a decade, single-handedly redefined the codes of fashion for professional women, garnering a huge and fiercely loyal following for her streamlined, minimal designs, featuring flowing pants, long, unstructured jackets, and the Cabas bag. All heads turned when bad boy Hedi Slimane, who left Saint Laurent in 2016 after rocking the label to its core, was tapped to fill Philo's comfy shoes. After his first season's glittery minis tanked, Slimane did an about-face, channeling a bourgeois art-house look that felt distinctly Parisian. Now, he's relegated the sultry looks to evening and sells tailored blouses and contoured jackets that are singularly sexy.

This store's A-list fashion credentials come with a big bonus—everything here is ethically and ecologically sourced. Peruse racks of men's and women's wear from handpicked European and U.S. labels, then head to the stellar shoe department to complete your look. Beneath glass skylights as clear as your conscience, you'll also find a fine selection of natural candles, leather goods, and jewelry. The kids' store just around the corner ( 22 rue Yves Toudic) is one of the city's best, with toys, decor, and color-coordinated togs that express canal-side cool.

Elegant, modern looks with sex appeal and lasting value are Chanel's stock-in-trade. Although the spectacularly beautiful Avenue Montaigne flagship takes shoppers' breath away, the heart of this revered fashion house is still the boutique at 31 rue Cambon, where Chanel once perched high up on the mirrored staircase watching audience reactions to her collection debuts. Great investments include all of Coco's favorites: the perfectly tailored suit, a lean soigné dress, or a quilted bag with a gold chain. Handbags, jewelry, shoes, and accessories are all found at the fabulous 42 avenue Montaigne boutique, opposite the flagship store.

It seems the world's romance with heels so high they're potentially lethal will never end, thanks in no small part to the king of the iconic red-soled stiletto. Louboutin artfully weaves fantasy, glamour, and good cheeky fun into his towering heels, which have graced red carpets and the gangways of private jets. But you can also find more prudent models, including kitten-heeled mules and spiky sneakers, as well as chic and functional bags and a selection of lipsticks and nail polish that blend right in with your soles. His new, 3,000-square-foot boutique—done up in Louboutin red, of course—offers three floors of pure fetishistic pleasure.

The candles made by Cire Trudon have illuminated the great palaces and churches of Paris since the 1600s. Nowadays their products provide the atmosphere for tony restaurants and exclusive soirées. The all-vegetal, atmospherically scented wares come in elegant black glass, pillars of all sizes, or busts of clients past—like Napoléon and Marie-Antoinette.

A stone's throw from the Eiffel Tower, this boutique does all the work for you, with a handpicked collection of standout clothing and accessories from the best smaller French and European labels like Diega, Pomandere, Absolut Cashmere, Chloë Stora, Apuntob, C.T. Plage, and much more. It's an excellent one-stop shop for immediate Parisian chic.

After working with Pierre Hermé and at top palace hotels, Claire Damon opened her own pastry shop that translates to "Cakes and Bread", a simple name that downplays her artistic sophistication. Descended from a long line of accomplished chefs, Damon understands that the best results are produced with the finest ingredients. Her exquisite pastries and breads, made with carefully acquired, often organic ingredients are mouthwatering works of art. The individual fruit tarts are almost too beautiful to eat, but you'll be glad you did.

Harking back to the Victorian era, when every chic household had a stuffed bird or small mammal, this outstanding cabinet of curiosities mixes jewel-like butterflies and insects with astonishing specimens of wild animals, including giraffes, lions and tigers, polar bears, antelopes, zebras, and exquisite birds (all of the animals died of natural causes in zoos). More comical or whimsical pieces include pastel-colored chickens, winged monkeys or mice, and the Poe chandelier, complete with a raven. All items come with certification for easy export and can be shipped anywhere.

This wonderful 19th-century taxidermist has long been a stop for curiosity seekers. A 2008 fire destroyed what was left of the original shop, but it has been lavishly restored and remains a cabinet of curiosities par excellence. Create your own box of butterflies or metallic beetles from scores of bug-filled drawers or just enjoy the menagerie that includes stuffed zebras, monkeys, lions, bears, and more. Also in stock: collectible shells, corals, and crustaceans, plus a generous library of books and posters that once graced every French schoolroom. There is a line of decorative wallpaper murals, too.

Maria Grazia Chiuri, Dior's first female designer for a label that's traditionally defined the feminine, has quickly made the House of Dior thoroughly her own. Her feminist perspective—which brings together the glamour, high style, and comfort women of all ages really want, instead of a fantastical notion best-suited for models—has transformed the house of Dior, raising it to one of the most exciting Parisian designer brands in the city, not to mention the most profitable. Furthermore, the reopening of Dior's refurbished Avenue Montaigne flagship store ushered in a new benchmark for Paris boutiques. Covering more than 105,000 square feet, this pearl of a flagship brings together haute couture and ready-to-wear items, beauty, and menswear, along with a restaurant (Monsieur Dior) and pastry shop (by chef Jean Imbert of the Plaza Athénée), three gardens, guest suites, and a superb gallery space bound to rival the Musée Yves Saint Laurent.

When Victoire de Castellane was signed to create Dior's first line of fine jewelry, she brought a big dollop of wit and panache to the venerable brand. After her romance with death heads, the young designer has returned to what she does best—utterly flamboyant gems in raucous colors, but with a new delicacy and finesse that places her designs at the pinnacle of high jewelry.

A Paris mainstay since 1961, Diptyque's flagship shop is famous for its candles, eaux de toilette, and home fragrances in a huge range of sophisticated and subtle scents like myrrh, fig tree, wisteria, and quince. They're delightful but not cheap; the candles, for instance, cost nearly $1 per hour of burn time.

The raison d'être of the organization Métiers d'Art is to reward and promote French savoir faire—the traditional expertise of France's many fine craftspeople and artists passed down from generation to generation. To this end—and to the delight of local bobos (short for bourgeois-bohème or bourgeois-bohemians) decorating their Marais lofts—Métiers d'Art opened the capital's first crafts "concept store," which assembles the work of dozens of craftspeople and artists on four floors, including impeccably crafted glassware, porcelain, jewelry, leather goods, furnishings, housewares, fine art, and much more. It's an excellent place for a souvenir of French art de vivre.

Join Paris's chefs and head for G. Detou (get it, j'ai de tout—I have everything), just off the wonderful Marché Montorgeuil, for an absolutely astounding range of baking staples, nuts, chocolate, canned rarities, and other French and European delicacies. Basically, a bit of, well . . . everything.

The world's oldest perfumer has a gorgeous Parisian flagship store, just blocks from its very first shop founded by Pierre-François Guerlain in 1828. This outpost is a sumptuous affair, offering more personalized services and customization than ever before. A tablet helps you define your olfactory profile, and experts are on-hand to guide you through a private consultation in a special room decked out in blushing velvets. You can also have a private consultation with a house "nose" to design your own fragrance. If those options are out of your price range (as they are for most mortals), you can still personalize any of the perfumer's 110 fragrances from the "perfume bar," choosing from several crystal bottles and selecting the color of your label and ribbons.

Ever the statement maker, luxury brand Hermès has reopened its Left Bank store in an Art Deco former swimming pool. Their signature silk scarves, jewelry, home furnishings, and fragrances are arrayed around the tastefully decorated cavernous space with hand-painted walls by Matthieu Cossé. There is also a small café.

The go-to for those who prefer their logo discreet yet still crave instant recognition, Hermès was established as a saddlery in 1837, then went on to create the eternally chic Kelly (named for Grace Kelly) and Birkin (named for Jane Birkin) handbags. The silk scarves are legendary, known for their rich colors and intricate designs, which change yearly. Other accessories are also extremely covetable: enamel bracelets, dashing silk-twill ties, and small leather goods. During semiannual sales, in January and July, prices are slashed by up to 50%, and the crowds line up for blocks.

It takes up to several days of painstaking work to create one of Isaac Reina's refined handbags, satchels, totes, backpacks, or small leather goods. Meticulous detailing and gorgeous finishes are just some of the trademarks of this Barcelona native's elegant designs, all handcrafted in Paris in his sleek boutique near the Musée Picasso. These luxury bags are for people who appreciate superlative quality but don't care to flash a logo.

This inviting cave (literally wine store or wine cellar) focuses on wines by small French producers. Each is handpicked by the owner, along with a choice selection of estate Champagnes, Armagnac, and the classic Vieille Prune (plum brandy). The friendly and knowledgable English-speaking staff makes browsing a pleasure. Check the schedule for classes and tastings.

Founded in 1852, Le Bon Marché has emerged as the city's chicest department store. The fact that it isn't nearly as crowded as the department stores on the Right Bank is an added bonus. On the ground floor of the main building, look for makeup, perfume, and accessories; this is where celebs duck in for essentials while everyone pretends not to notice. On the floor above, you can do laps through dozens of glamorous and überhip labels. The next floor up is home to streetwise designers and edgy secondary lines. Under the restored glass ceiling, the gleaming Le Soulier shoe department assembles the crème de la crème of European shoes. Meanwhile, the menswear department has consumed the entire basement level and has even added a barbershop. Across the street, the home-goods store in the sister building is a great place to browse the latest designer furniture, stock up on French linens, porcelain, cookware, and luggage, or just relax over tea or a gourmet lunch in the soaring atrium restaurant. Before leaving, be sure to visit the spectacular La Grande Épicerie and cave (wine shop) on the ground floor of the main building; it's the haute couture of grocery stores. Artisanal jams, olive oils, and much more make great gifts, and the luscious pastries, fruit, and huge selection of prepared foods beg to be chosen for a meal or snack.

Elbé has been selling rare, original serigraphs, lithographs, and vintage posters since 1976, specializing in artists such as Roger Broders and Keith Haring. Air France's graphic posters featuring exotic destinations, a Brigitte Bardot movie classic, or Sean Connery in the French version of one of his roles as 007 are just a few examples of the large, frameable affiches (posters) sold here.

Louis Vuitton has spawned a voracious fan base from Texas to Tokyo with its mix of classic leather goods and saucy revamped versions orchestrated by Marc Jacobs. His 2013 exit left tall boots to fill, but Nicholas Ghesquière—a daring designer who single-handedly resurrected the Balenciaga label—has done an admirable job. Melding his signature edgy modernism with vintage touches and colors, Ghesquière is taking the legendary luxe label to a glorious new level.