Best Shopping in Paris: Sunday Rules, Tax Refunds, Stores and Markets (2026)

The best shopping in Paris is spread across five or six districts with very different rules, and the rules decide a shopping day more than the addresses do. A Sunday on boulevard Haussmann works. A Sunday on rue des Martyrs mostly does not. A €95 scarf earns no tax refund, while a €101 one does. A flea market trip on a Tuesday finds locked gates, and a department store recommended by half the internet, the BHV Marais, has been closed since November 9, 2026.

Most “best shopping” pages give a list of streets and brand names and stop there. They skip the Sunday trading zones, the national sales calendar, the VAT refund threshold and the PABLO kiosk at the airport, and they rarely say which shops have closed. Several still send readers to Colette, which shut in December 2017, or to the BHV as if nothing happened. This guide starts with those rules, then goes district by district and type by type, with the arrondissement, the metro line, and the opening days for each place named.

Store hours, refund rules, sales dates and market days below were checked against official websites in November 2026.

The Rules Come Before the Addresses

Three rules shape every shopping day in Paris.

Sunday trading is a map, not a habit. French law gives employees Sunday off, with exceptions. In Paris, the main exception is the international tourist zone, known in French as a zone touristique internationale. Inside these zones, shops may open every Sunday and until midnight on weekdays. Outside them, a shop can open on at most 12 Sundays a year, chosen by the mayor and published before the previous December 31. That is why the Marais is crowded with shoppers on a Sunday afternoon and the 11th is quiet.

Sales happen twice a year, on national dates. French retailers may only call a price cut a solde during two four-week windows set by decree. Outside them, shops run “private sales” and promotions, but the deep markdowns cluster in January and late June.

The VAT refund has a threshold and a deadline. Visitors from outside the European Union can recover part of the 20% VAT on goods they take home, but only on purchases over €100 in one store or retail group, and only if the paperwork is validated when they leave the EU.

Everything else in this guide sits on top of these three points. The tax refund guide goes further into the paperwork, and the Paris on a Sunday guide covers what else is open that day.

Sunday Shopping: The Tourist Zones

The City of Paris lists the zones where Sunday opening is allowed all year:

Being inside a zone allows a shop to open on Sunday. It does not oblige it. Small independent shops in the Marais and Saint-Germain often take Monday off instead, or open only on Sunday afternoon. The big stores are reliable: Galeries Lafayette and Printemps open on Sunday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., Le Bon Marché from 11 a.m. to 7:45 p.m., and La Samaritaine keeps its 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. schedule all week.

Outside the zones, Sunday morning belongs to bakeries, cheese shops and street markets, which mostly close by 1 p.m. or 2 p.m. Then the city goes quiet until Tuesday in some neighborhoods, because many independent shops also close on Monday. The arrondissements guide explains which areas keep shopping hours and which go residential.

Public holidays work differently again. May 1 is the one day when almost everything closes, including La Vallée Village, which shuts only on May 1 and December 25. Other holidays such as November 11 bring exceptional openings in the big stores. The public holidays guide lists each date.

Sales Dates: Winter and Summer Soldes

France fixes its sales calendar by a ministerial order of May 27, 2019. The rule reads like a puzzle, but it produces predictable dates.

Winter sales start at 8 a.m. on the second Wednesday of January. When that Wednesday falls after January 12, the start moves to the first Wednesday. They last four weeks.

Summer sales start at 8 a.m. on the last Wednesday of June. When that Wednesday falls after June 28, the start moves one week earlier. They also last four weeks.

The first three days carry the best selection, especially at Galeries Lafayette, Printemps and Le Bon Marché, which often open early or late on the first Wednesday. Prices fall again in the second and third weeks, a step the French call the deuxième démarque, but sizes run out. Luxury houses on avenue Montaigne and rue Saint-Honoré do not join the sales in their own boutiques. Some of their goods reach the outlet at La Vallée Village instead.

The summer 2026 extension is a reminder that the government can change the end date. For a trip timed to the sales, check the official calendar on service-public.fr once it appears, usually a few weeks before the start. The Paris sales dates guide tracks each year’s announcement.

The VAT Refund: Threshold, Kiosk, Deadline

France charges 20% VAT on most goods. A visitor who lives outside the EU can recover part of it. The conditions published by the French ministry of the economy and the customs service in 2026 are these:

• You live in a country outside the European Union. Andorra, San Marino, the Vatican and the French overseas collectivities such as French Polynesia count as outside the EU.
• You are 16 or older.
• You are in France for less than six months.
• You spend more than €100, tax included, in one store or retail group, on one day or across up to three days.
• The goods travel in your personal luggage and are not for business use.
• The store agrees to sell tax-free. It is not obliged to.

Tobacco, weapons, cultural goods, petroleum products and private vehicles are excluded.

At the store

Ask for the tax refund before paying, or at the tax-free desk right after. Show your passport. The store issues an electronic export slip, the bordereau de vente à l’exportation, with a barcode. You and the seller both sign it. At Le Bon Marché the tax refund area is on the third floor, and the store asks that the refund be requested on the day of purchase or within two calendar days. Le Bon Marché and Galeries Lafayette both quote a 12% refund for non-EU residents on purchases over €100. That 12% is what reaches the traveler after the refund operator’s fee, not the full 20% VAT.

At the airport

Before checking your bags, find the PABLO kiosk, which sits next to the customs desk at Charles de Gaulle, Orly and other international exit points. Scan the barcode of each slip. A message reading “OK Bordereau validé” means customs has validated the export, and the refund goes to your card or account. A refusal sends you to the refund operator named on the slip. Customs may ask to see the goods, so keep them in a bag you can open. If you chose a cash refund, the refund office is near the kiosk.

The deadline is the end of the third month after the month of purchase. A coat bought on November 20 must be validated before the end of February. If you leave the EU through another country, such as on a flight from Amsterdam or Frankfurt, validation happens at that country’s customs, not in France.

Where it goes wrong

Three things cost travelers their refund. Splitting a €150 purchase into two €75 receipts in different stores of different groups. Packing the goods in checked luggage before reaching the kiosk. Missing the kiosk because of a tight connection, which customs does not accept as a reason for late validation. Retroactive validation exists only when the kiosk was broken or no customs officer was on duty, and the request must be made within six months of purchase. Customs answers questions on 0 800 94 40 40 from France and +33 1 72 40 78 50 from abroad.

Department Stores

Paris has four working department stores in November 2026, and each suits a different shopper. The Galeries Lafayette and Printemps guide covers the two Haussmann stores in more depth.

Galeries Lafayette Haussmann

A very large selection under one roof, and a free rooftop view. The main building, under its glass and steel dome, is at 40 boulevard Haussmann in the 9th arrondissement. The men’s store is at number 48, and Galeries Lafayette Gourmet, with home goods, is across the street at number 35. Opening hours are Monday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. The Gourmet food floor opens daily from 9:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Chaussée d’Antin-La Fayette station on lines 7 and 9 has a direct entrance, and Opéra on lines 3, 7 and 8 is a few minutes’ walk.

The rooftop terrace is free, needs no ticket, and follows store hours. It can close in bad weather. From November 24, 2026, to January 3, 2027, the roof becomes a temporary ice rink, and the free terrace may not be accessible. La Douce Heure, a paid bar, has operated on the roof since June 2026. Under the dome, the Christmas tree and the animated windows on boulevard Haussmann draw large crowds through the holiday season, so weekday mornings are the calm hours.

The limit: the dome floor is a crush of luxury handbag queues on weekends and during the first days of the sales. For quieter browsing, start with the upper floors or the Gourmet building.

Printemps Haussmann

The better choice for a calmer department store on the same boulevard, with a strong beauty and men’s offer. Printemps is at 64 boulevard Haussmann in the 9th, a two-minute walk from Galeries Lafayette. It opens Monday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Havre-Caumartin station on lines 3 and 9 sits at the door, and the Auber RER A station is underneath the area. The store is split into several buildings: Printemps Femme, Printemps Beauté Maison Enfant, and Printemps Homme, which also houses the Printemps du Goût food floors.

The limit: the buildings connect through underground and upper-floor passages that confuse first-time visitors. Pick up a store map at the entrance.

Le Bon Marché Rive Gauche

The most pleasant department store to walk through, with the strongest home and design floors. Le Bon Marché is at 24 rue de Sèvres in the 7th arrondissement, facing the small Square Boucicaut. It opens Monday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 7:45 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 7:45 p.m. Sèvres-Babylone station on lines 10 and 12 is one minute away, and Saint-Placide on line 4 is seven minutes on foot. The selection runs through women’s and men’s fashion, beauty, children’s clothing, home and design, with frequent design exhibitions under the central escalators. Four places to eat sit inside: Rose Bakery and Primo Piano on the second floor, Grace Café on the first, and La Table above La Grande Épicerie.

The tax refund area is on the third floor. The store also lends strollers and wheelchairs at the information desk against an ID deposit.

The limit: prices sit at the top of the market, and the store has fewer mid-range brands than the Haussmann pair.

La Samaritaine

The best building of the four and the most luxury-focused. La Samaritaine reopened in 2021 after a 16-year closure and is run by DFS, the travel retail arm of the LVMH group. The entrance is at 9 rue de la Monnaie in the 1st arrondissement, facing the Pont Neuf. It opens every day, Sunday included, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Pont Neuf station on line 7 is next door, and Châtelet, on lines 1, 4, 7, 11 and 14, is five minutes away. The Art Nouveau staircase and the glass roof with its painted peacock frieze are worth a look even without buying. The building has lifts and ramps throughout, accessible toilets and assistance on request.

The limit: the brand list leans heavily toward luxury and beauty, with few affordable labels. For a broad range, Galeries Lafayette serves better.

What happened to the BHV Marais

The BHV Marais, at 52 rue de Rivoli in the 4th facing the Hôtel de Ville, closed at 4 p.m. on Monday, November 9, 2026. The store had gone through a difficult 2025 and 2026: a partnership with the online retailer Shein that management later called a strategic error, a takeover by its management in June 2026, a partial reopening of the ground floor, and receivership in early November. Its managers said the closure was linked to an insurance policy that could not be transferred. It did not reopen on November 10 as announced, and the store’s own website listed it as closed. The mayor of Paris said it would probably remain closed for a long time.

For the hardware, kitchen and home goods the BHV was known for, Le Bon Marché’s home floor and the Galeries Lafayette Gourmet and home building are the closest substitutes. For kitchen equipment, the shops around rue Montmartre and rue Coquillière in the 1st have long supplied professional cooks.

Streets and Districts by Type of Shopper

Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, rue Saint-Honoré and avenue Montaigne (1st and 8th)

The luxury corridor. Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré runs through the 8th arrondissement past the Élysée Palace, with Hermès at number 24 and most major fashion houses within a few hundred meters. It continues as rue Saint-Honoré into the 1st, toward place Vendôme and its jewelers. Avenue Montaigne, between the Champs-Élysées and the Seine, holds the couture houses. Concorde station on lines 1, 8 and 12 serves the eastern end, Madeleine on lines 8, 12 and 14 the middle, and Franklin D. Roosevelt on lines 1 and 9 avenue Montaigne. All of it lies inside tourist zones, so Sunday opening is allowed, though several houses keep their own schedules.

Worth it if you plan to buy at a European luxury house and can use the tax refund. Not worth a special trip for window shopping alone, since the façades are discreet and the doors are guarded. Colette, the concept store that defined rue Saint-Honoré for twenty years, closed in December 2017 and is not coming back. The Champs-Élysées guide covers the avenue itself, which is now mostly chain flagships.

The Marais (3rd and 4th)

The best district for independent fashion, design and Sunday browsing. The main shopping axis runs along rue des Francs-Bourgeois, rue Vieille-du-Temple, rue des Rosiers and rue de Turenne, then north into the upper Marais around rue de Bretagne and rue Charlot in the 3rd arrondissement. Saint-Paul on line 1 and Rambuteau on line 11 serve the south, Filles du Calvaire and Saint-Sébastien-Froissart on line 8 the north. The Marais guide maps the streets in detail.

Merci is the concept store that set the template for the Marais, with clothing, home goods, stationery and a café at 111 boulevard Beaumarchais in the 3rd. Saint-Sébastien-Froissart on line 8 is the nearest station. In March 2025 Merci opened a second store at 19 rue de Richelieu in the 1st. The Beaumarchais store opens every day, from 10:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Monday to Wednesday, until 8 p.m. Thursday and Friday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Sunday. The Richelieu store opens daily from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

The limit: the southern Marais around rue des Rosiers is packed on Sunday afternoons, and the quietest hours are weekday mornings. The 4th arrondissement guide covers the area around the Hôtel de Ville, where the closed BHV leaves a gap.

Saint-Germain-des-Prés (6th and 7th)

The Left Bank alternative: smaller, quieter, with more design, antiques and bookshops. The streets between boulevard Saint-Germain, rue de Rennes and rue du Bac hold fashion boutiques, perfumers and decorators, and the area between rue de Seine and rue Bonaparte in the 6th arrondissement is lined with galleries and antique dealers. Saint-Germain-des-Prés on line 4, Mabillon on line 10, Saint-Sulpice on line 4 and Rue du Bac on line 12 all serve the area. Le Bon Marché anchors the western end.

Deyrolle, at 46 rue du Bac in the 7th, has sold taxidermy, entomology boxes and natural history wall charts since the 19th century. The first floor reads like a museum of animals, and the ground floor sells garden tools and educational posters. It opens Monday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and closes on Sunday. Rue du Bac station on line 12 is three minutes away.

The limit: Deyrolle’s mounted animals are protected or regulated in many cases and cannot always be exported or brought into the United States. Ask the shop before buying.

The Saint-Germain-des-Prés guide covers cafés and walks in the same streets.

Rue des Martyrs (9th)

The best food-and-small-shops street for an afternoon outside the tourist zones. Rue des Martyrs climbs from Notre-Dame-de-Lorette station on line 12, in the 9th, toward Pigalle on lines 2 and 12. The lower half is a neighborhood food street with bakeries, cheese shops, pastry shops and greengrocers. The upper half, past rue Victor-Massé, turns to clothing, vintage and gift shops. It sits outside the international tourist zones, so expect many closures on Sunday afternoon and Monday. Walking the whole street takes 20 minutes, longer with stops. The street links naturally with the Montmartre walking route.

The limit: shops on rue des Martyrs change often. The street’s character holds, the names do not, so treat it as a walk rather than a list.

The covered passages (2nd and 9th)

The 19th-century glass-roofed arcades are the best rainy-day shopping in the city. Galerie Vivienne, behind the Palais-Royal in the 2nd arrondissement, has mosaic floors, a wine shop and a secondhand bookseller. Passage des Panoramas, off boulevard Montmartre, is known for stamp and postcard dealers and small restaurants. Across the boulevard, Passage Jouffroy in the 9th continues the line with toy, cane and book shops. Grands Boulevards station on lines 8 and 9 sits between the Panoramas and Jouffroy, and Bourse on line 3 serves Galerie Vivienne. The passages close at night and several shops inside close on Sunday. The covered passages guide gives a walking route.

Flea Markets

Saint-Ouen: Marché aux Puces de Paris Saint-Ouen

The biggest antiques and vintage market in Paris, and worth it for anyone interested in furniture, decorative objects, vintage clothing or simply watching dealers at work. The market lies just outside the ring road, north of the 18th arrondissement, in the town of Saint-Ouen.

Opening days, as published by the market in 2026:

• Saturday and Sunday: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• Monday: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., with many stalls closed
• Friday: morning only, partial, aimed at trade buyers
• Tuesday to Thursday: closed

The market opens on public holidays that fall on its days. Metro line 4 to Porte de Clignancourt is the classic route, about 10 minutes on foot. Garibaldi on line 13 and Saint-Ouen on line 14 are alternatives that avoid the crowded walk under the ring road. Bus 85 stops at Marché aux Puces.

It is not one market but about a dozen, each a separate covered or open-air section with its own atmosphere:

• Marché Vernaison: the oldest, a maze of narrow alleys with small stalls of glassware, linens, toys and curiosities. The best section for small, affordable finds.
• Marché Paul Bert Serpette: high-end dealers in 20th-century design, furniture and decorative art. Prices match galleries.
• Marché Dauphine: a covered two-level hall at 132-140 rue des Rosiers, Saint-Ouen, with books, prints, vintage clothing and furniture. It opens Friday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Monday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Marché Biron: classic antiques, French furniture and silverware.
• Marché Jules Vallès and Marché Malassis: smaller sections with mixed antiques and collectibles.

The limit: the walk from Porte de Clignancourt passes under the périphérique through rows of stalls selling counterfeit sneakers, phone cases and sunglasses. That stretch is not the flea market and is a known pickpocket spot. Keep phones and wallets inside a closed bag. The pickpocket guide and the scams guide name the other hot spots. The Saint-Ouen flea market guide goes market by market.

Shipping is the other practical point. Dealers in Paul Bert Serpette and Biron work with international shippers and can quote on the spot. Large pieces bought from a Vernaison stall usually need a separate arrangement.

Porte de Vanves (14th)

The better flea market for a short Saturday or Sunday morning and for smaller objects. The Puces de Vanves set up on the sidewalks of avenue Marc Sangnier and avenue Georges Lafenestre in the 14th arrondissement, next to Porte de Vanves station on line 13. The City of Paris lists Saturday from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Sunday from 7:30 a.m., with a separate new-goods section on Sunday afternoon. In practice, the secondhand dealers pack up in the early afternoon on both days. Prints, silverware, jewelry, postcards, small furniture and kitchen objects dominate, and prices are generally lower than at Saint-Ouen.

The limit: it is an open-air sidewalk market, so rain thins it out, and the best pieces go before 9 a.m.

Food Shopping

La Grande Épicerie de Paris

The most complete fine-food store in the city, and the easiest place to buy edible gifts in one stop. La Grande Épicerie has two stores. The original, Rive Gauche, stands at 38 rue de Sèvres in the 7th, next to Le Bon Marché, and opens Monday to Saturday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. The store’s site also shows extended weekday hours of 8:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. in its footer, so check on the day for an early or late visit. Sèvres-Babylone on lines 10 and 12 is the station. The second store, Rive Droite, is at 80 rue de Passy in the 16th arrondissement, open Monday to Saturday from 9 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 12:45 p.m., near La Muette station on line 9.

Inside: a bakery, pastry, cheese counter, butcher and fishmonger, a wine cellar, a large shelf of oils, vinegars, mustards, jams, chocolate and tea, and an international grocery section. Packaged items in sealed jars and tins travel best.

The limit: prices run well above a neighborhood shop for the same product. Mustard, salt, honey or tea bought from a specialist or a street market often costs less.

Galeries Lafayette Gourmet and Printemps du Goût

Both Haussmann department stores have food halls. Galeries Lafayette Gourmet, at 35 boulevard Haussmann, opens daily from 9:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., later than most food shops in the 9th. Printemps du Goût sits in the Printemps Homme building. Both are convenient for a single trip combining fashion and food gifts.

Markets and specialist shops

Street markets and cheese shops are the cheapest source of food gifts, and every arrondissement has several. The Paris food markets guide lists them by day and arrondissement, the cheese shops guide explains what can go home in a suitcase, and the Paris food guide covers the rest of the eating side. Food bought in a market can also count toward a VAT refund, but only where a single vendor sells more than €100 and agrees to the paperwork, which few market stalls do.

Bookshops

Shakespeare and Company

The most visited English-language bookshop in Paris, and still a working bookshop rather than a museum. It is at 37 rue de la Bûcherie in the 5th arrondissement, facing Notre-Dame across the Seine. The bookshop’s site lists Monday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., with Thursday to Saturday possibly until 9 p.m., and Sunday from noon to 7 p.m. The antiquarian annex opens Monday to Saturday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 7 p.m., with a one-hour lunch break. The café next door opens daily from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saint-Michel on line 4 and the Saint-Michel Notre-Dame RER B and C station are a few minutes away, as is Cluny-La Sorbonne on line 10.

The shop limits the number of people inside, so a line forms at busy times, though it generally moves quickly. Photography and filming inside the bookshop are not allowed. The shop sometimes closes early for author events.

The limit: the line and the crowd make browsing slow on weekend afternoons. Go at opening time on a weekday.

Beyond Shakespeare and Company

Paris has several other English-language and French bookshops worth a visit, along with the green-box bouquinistes on the Seine quays between the Pont Marie and the Louvre. The Paris bookshops guide compares them with addresses and opening days.

Outlets: La Vallée Village

The only real outlet option near Paris, and worth it for travelers set on European designer labels at reduced prices. La Vallée Village is an open-air outlet village in Serris, east of Paris, next to the Val d’Europe shopping center and one RER stop before Disneyland Paris. It opens every day from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., except December 25 and May 1, with occasional extended hours on special dates such as late November.

By RER: take the RER A toward Marne-la-Vallée-Chessy and get off at Val d’Europe, then walk through the Val d’Europe mall, a few minutes. The ride uses the standard Métro-Train-RER ticket at €2.55, valid across the whole region except the airports since the 2025 fare reform. Check that the train goes to Marne-la-Vallée-Chessy, since RER A splits into several branches. The ride from Châtelet-Les Halles takes about 40 minutes, 13 stops on the RER A.

By shuttle: the outlet’s Shopping Express coach leaves from a pickup point near Cour Saint-Émilion station on line 14, in the 12th, at 9 a.m., returning at 2:30 p.m. for the half-day trip or 6:45 p.m. for the full day. Tickets must be booked online at least two hours ahead. Fares are set on the operator’s booking page. In November 2026 PARISCityVISION, which runs the coach, listed adult fares between €25 and €30 depending on the trip.

The limit: discounts vary widely by brand, and the newest collections are not sold here. Combining the outlet with a Disneyland Paris day works on paper, but both take a full day.

By Situation

You have one afternoon and want the most choice

Go to boulevard Haussmann. Galeries Lafayette and Printemps stand two minutes apart, both open until 8 p.m. or later, and the Galeries Lafayette rooftop gives a free view to finish. Galeries Lafayette Gourmet, open until 9:30 p.m., handles food gifts on the way out.

You are in Paris on a Sunday

Choose a tourist zone. The Marais in the 3rd and 4th suits independent shops and a late lunch. Le Bon Marché and La Grande Épicerie de Paris both open on Sunday, the latter from 10 a.m. La Samaritaine opens at 10 a.m. as on any other day. Avoid rue des Martyrs and the covered passages, where many shops close.

You want antiques or vintage

Plan a Saturday or Sunday at Saint-Ouen, starting at Marché Vernaison for small pieces and Marché Paul Bert Serpette for design. For a shorter morning with lower prices, go to Porte de Vanves on Saturday and arrive before 9 a.m.

You want gifts that are actually from Paris

Go to the Left Bank. La Grande Épicerie de Paris covers food. Deyrolle on rue du Bac sells natural history prints and posters. Shakespeare and Company stamps its books with the shop’s seal. The Paris souvenirs guide lists what travels well in a suitcase.

You plan to spend more than €100 in one store

Bring your passport. Ask for the tax-free form at the till in the department stores, which handle it quickly. Keep the goods in your carry-on until you have scanned the slips at the PABLO kiosk before check-in. The CDG to Paris guide helps plan airport time.

You are traveling with children

Galeries Lafayette’s rooftop and Christmas windows, the La Grande Épicerie sweets aisles and Deyrolle’s animals hold children’s attention better than fashion floors. Le Bon Marché lends strollers at its information desk. The Paris with kids guide covers the rest of the day.

What It Actually Costs

Two costs rarely appear on price tags. Card issuers outside the euro zone often add a foreign transaction fee of a few percent, and paying in dollars at a terminal that offers conversion usually costs more than paying in euros. And for American travelers, US customs grants $800 per person in duty-free goods. Above that, duty applies on the excess.

What Other Guides Get Wrong

1. They still recommend the BHV Marais. The store on rue de Rivoli closed on November 9, 2026, during receivership, and its reopening had not been scheduled a week later. Pages listing it as Paris’s practical department store for home goods are out of date.

2. They say Paris shops close on Sunday. That has been only half true since 2015. In the international tourist zones, including Haussmann, the Marais, Saint-Germain and the Champs-Élysées, shops may open every Sunday. Galeries Lafayette, Printemps, Le Bon Marché and La Samaritaine all do. What closes on Sunday is the independent shop outside those zones.

3. They give the old tax refund threshold. The minimum fell from €175.01 to more than €100 on January 1, 2021, and purchases in one store can be combined over up to three days. Several guides still quote €175, and many also promise the full 20% VAT back, when the department stores refund about 12%.

4. They list Colette. The concept store at 213 rue Saint-Honoré closed in December 2017. It remains in recycled “best concept stores” lists. Merci in the Marais is the closest equivalent still trading.

5. They give the sales a fixed date. The French sales do not start on a fixed day of the year. They start on a Wednesday set by the 2019 rule, January 6 and June 23 in 2027, and the government can extend them, as it did to July 28 in summer 2026.

6. They treat Saint-Ouen as a single market open all week. It is a group of about a dozen separate markets, open fully on Saturday and Sunday, partly on Monday and Friday morning, and closed Tuesday to Thursday. The counterfeit stalls under the ring road at Porte de Clignancourt are not part of it.

Detailed Guides

• Galeries Lafayette and Printemps: which rooftop is free, how the tax-free desks work and when the Christmas windows open.
• Saint-Ouen flea market: each market by type and price level, the best day to go, and how to ship furniture home.
• Paris sales dates: the winter and summer soldes for the current year, the rule behind them and the extensions.
• Paris souvenirs worth bringing home: food, stationery and design objects that survive a suitcase and a customs check.
• Paris covered passages: a walking route through Galerie Vivienne, Passage des Panoramas and Passage Jouffroy, with closing days.
• Paris bookshops: Shakespeare and Company compared with the other English-language and French bookshops.
• Paris tax refund: the €100 threshold, the three-day rule and what to do when the PABLO kiosk refuses a slip.
• Paris food markets: which street market runs on which day, arrondissement by arrondissement.
• Paris cheese shops: the shops worth crossing town for, and which cheeses can legally fly home.
• Paris on a Sunday: what opens, what closes, and how to fill the day around the tourist zones.

Where to Go Next

Shopping fits best around the rest of a trip, so the 3-day itinerary shows where an afternoon on boulevard Haussmann or in the Marais slots in between museums. The Marais guide and the Saint-Germain-des-Prés guide cover the two best shopping districts for walking, cafés and the streets around the shops. For the cost side, the Paris travel budget puts shopping next to hotels, meals and tickets, and the Paris in December guide covers the Christmas windows, markets and holiday opening hours.