Get FREE email communications from Fodor's Travel, covering must-see travel destinations, expert trip planning advice, and travel inspiration to fuel your passion.
The flagship stores of big luxury brands rub elbows here with independent boutiques and concept stores notable for their fashion cachet. The fabulous Rue St-Honoré—a bastion of Parisian chic—is the area’s retail spine, but the Marché St-Honoré and the Faubourg provide tempting detours. Whatever you do, don't miss the gorgeous Palais-Royal gardens, where flashy fashion stars mix with the discrete purveyors of handmade gloves.
Dating to 1520s Venice, this venerable bookstore opened in Paris in 1801 and was the first to specialize in English-language books. Its present location, across from the Tuileries Garden on Rue de Rivoli, opened in 1856, and the wooden bookshelves, creaking floors, and hushed interior provide the perfect atmosphere for perusing Paris's best collection of contemporary and classic greats in English and French, plus a huge selection of gorgeous art books.
This bookseller formerly associated with chain WHSmith has stepped out on its own with this newer, independent shop that remains a must-visit for Anglophone bibliophiles. You won't just find a multitude of travel and language guides, cookbooks, and fiction for adults and children—it also has the best selection of foreign magazines and newspapers in Paris. Upstairs, enjoy a delightful afternoon tea in George Washington's former Paris apartment.
