Shopping in Paris: from Place Vendôme to Saint-Germain

In Paris, shopping is rarely just shopping. A window on rue Saint-Honoré, a department store staircase under a glass dome, a bookshop in a passage: the city turns a round of the shops into a walk. But such a walk has one condition. You need a place to return to during the day, to leave the bags, drink a coffee in peace and go out again. That is why we begin not with the addresses of boutiques, but with where to stay.

Three neighbourhoods, three manners

ACT 3 chooses its addresses across Paris. Here are three neighbourhoods at its very centre, each linked to Parisian fashion in its own way.

The 2nd. From here you walk to the Opéra and the department stores of boulevard Haussmann, and from the Opéra, rue de la Paix opens the way to place Vendôme. Nearby is the Palais-Royal with its arcades and quiet shops, and very close by begins the Galerie Vivienne, the most elegant of the covered passages.

The Upper Marais. Here fashion is younger and freer: concept stores, designers' workshops, small labels that have not yet had time to become famous. Merci, a former industrial building turned into a shop for clothing, homeware and books, is worth a visit of its own.

Saint-Germain-des-Prés. The Left Bank stays true to itself: bookshops, galleries, boutiques on quiet streets. Nearby is Le Bon Marché, the calm and refined department store of the Left Bank.

The addresses people come for

If the purpose of the trip is the great houses themselves, their map is well known.

• · Avenue Montaigne in the 8th: Dior, Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Valentino and other couture houses on a single street. It is a place to visit, not to live next to; it is easily reached from the centre.
• · Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré: the historic Hermès boutique, Goyard, classicism and restraint.
• · Place Vendôme: Mansart's ensemble and the leading jewellery houses, Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels, Boucheron, Chaumet.
• · Boulevard Haussmann: the Galeries Lafayette and Printemps. The stained-glass dome of the Galeries Lafayette is worth looking up at, even for those who buy nothing.

How to shape the day

The best day of shopping in Paris is like a play in several acts. Morning at the jewellers of place Vendôme, while it is quiet. Lunch in the neighbourhood, not on the run. After midday, back home: leave the purchases, rest, change. In the evening, the department stores or the small shops of the Marais, then dinner.

This is where an apartment is more convenient than a hotel. A spacious living room where you can sort through your purchases at leisure, wardrobes for clothes, separate bedrooms, a kitchen of your own. None of this is luxury for luxury's sake; it is simply the order of the day.

Concierge and discretion

Our concierge works seven days a week, and the team stays reachable at any time. A restaurant table, an airport transfer, an urgent request: we take care of it. The city becomes our concierge.

On tax refunds (tax free), it is best to ask in the shop at the time of purchase and to keep your receipts: the rules and thresholds are set by the shops and customs, not by us.

Where to stay

If your programme leans towards place Vendôme and the Opéra, the 2nd is the most convenient. If you want fashion without the big names, the Upper Marais. If it is the Left Bank, books and Le Bon Marché, Saint-Germain-des-Prés. Our neighbourhood guides will help you choose the neighbourhood before the apartment. All our apartments are air-conditioned, with two to four bedrooms.

See the collection or the page for the Saint-Germain-des-Prés neighbourhood. When you book direct, you get the best available rate with no service fees added to the price. If you are planning a long visit, read also our neighbourhood guide for long stays.

The ACT 3 Team