Au Bon marché : 38, rue de
Sèvres - M° Sevres-Babylone
Paris 's oldest
department store, founded in 1852. Prices are lower on average than at
more upmarket Galeries Lafayette and Printemps. Excellent kids'
department and a legendary food hall.
Galeries Lafayette :
40, bd Haussmann, M° Havre-Caumartin
The store's forte
is, above all, high fashion. Two complete floors are given over
to the latest creations by leading designers for men, women, and
children. Then there's household stuff, tableware, furniture, a huge
parfumerie, and much else - all under a superb 1900 dome.
Au Printemps : 64, bd
Haussmann, M° Havre-Caumartin
Books,
records, a parfumerie even bigger than that of rival Galeries
Lafayette, excellent fashion for women - less so for men.
La Samaritaine : 75,
rue de Rivoli, M°
Louvre-Rivoli
The largest of the
department stores, spread over three buildings, boasts that it can
provide anything you could possibly want. You get a superb view of
paris from the eleventh-floor rooftop, and from the inexpensive tenth
floor terrace café.
