6 Best Areas To Shop Like A Parisian

Rue de Charonne

You can’t get much more central than the 11th arrondissement, but luckily this independent spirited street has kept the chain stores and the it-crowd at bay with its down to earth attitude and wonderful mash up of styles. If you are wondering where to shop in Paris then Rue de Charonne is the answer. Tucked away just behind the Bastille, you won’t find hordes of lost looking tourists; instead, Parisians indulging in a day’s shopping breeze in and out of chic boutiques, artisan shops and effortlessly cool concept stores. There’s also a wonderfully diverse sprinkling of bistros, globally diverse eateries and cafes where you can pause to sip a glass of wine or a coffee, stop for a quick bite (I’d recommend Paris-Hanoi) or savour a long (and probably well deserved) lunch. If clothes shopping in Paris is your main goal then this is the place to be. Amongst the boutiques, which have price tags ranging from those you’d probably rather not think about to bargains in the vintage stores, you’ll find French labels like Isabel Marant and the fair trade, ethically minded department store Altermundi. Other shops to drop in to are So We Are, an eclectic and effortlessly stylish boutique, and Repetto, the renowned sellers of all things ballet (as well as leather goods and shoes). 

Haut Marais

Haut Marais 

Sure, there’s plenty of shopping to be done in Le Marais, but when it’s all commercial high street ventures and dodging crowds of tourists, who’s really interested? For some of the best shopping in Paris head north into Haut Marais, which runs from the Picasso Museum to the Place de la République and is where Parisians really shop. You’ll still get the charming cobblestone streets and ivy-clad buildings that you’d expect from this quartier, but head to Rue Charlot and you’ll also get the boutiques of up and coming designers, independent and quirky little clothes shops and a sprinkling of galleries for good measure. You can easily get some of the best shopping in Paris done here and for those who like hunting for one-off treasures rather than buying off the rail - check out Yves Andrieux & Vincent Jalbert, whose pieces from homeware to clothing are all made from antique fabrics that have been sourced anywhere from ex-army uniforms to your local flea market, and Pring, who makes the kind of neo-Cinderella glam-rock shoes your mum wouldn’t like but you can’t help buying anyway. True to its bobo (bourgeois bohemian) personality, as well as the tangle of tiny streets around the Rue de Bretagne where you can find clothing that's made for this effortless-chic style, the recently reopened Carreau du Temple market is redefining the area's working class roots. 

Montmartre

Montmartre

If you are wondering where to shop in Paris you may have overlooked Montmartre, which tends to scream tourist hotspot and pickpockets, not unique boutique shopping, but some of the best shopping in Paris can be done here. Skip the madness of the area’s souvenir shops selling an impressively tacky selection of things you definitely don’t want and head straight to the, where you’ll find the unique, speciality and chic boutiques you were looking for all along. From the French staples like Comptoir des Cotonniers to wonderfully off the wall fashion stores like Et Vous, Rue des Abbesses is a wonderful mash-up the brings together everything I love about Parisian style. There’s speciality beauty boutiques like Oh My Cream!, the vintage treasure trove Homies where you’re sure to unearth something special (they also sell contemporary ready-to-wear) and Coco Bazar, an eclectic shoe shop. And if that’s not enough, there’s also the Marché St Pierre where you’ll find anything from nicknacks to fabric so you can get creative and run up some of your own clothes!