Shopping

Paris is, of course, a world-famous shopping destination -- and for good reason. The city marries art and commerce, elevating an afternoon of window shopping into a high-culture experience. Parisian department stores sell everything you could ever want under one elegant roof, while specialty shops hold countless small treasures, from jeweled safety pins to handcrafted candles. But true shoppers come to Paris for the fashion -- Chanel, Dior, Hermès, and Louis Vuitton call Paris home. The city is also home to iconic cosmetic and perfume houses, as well as endless gourmet food shops. But you don't have to buy anything to appreciate shopping in Paris: Peer in the vitrines (window displays), keep an eye out for new trends, and return home with a whole new interpretation of style.

Business Hours

Usual shop hours are Monday to Saturday from 10am to 7pm, but hours vary, and Monday mornings don't run at full throttle. Small shops sometimes close for a 2-hour lunch break and some do not open at all until after lunch on Monday. Thursday is the best day for late-night shopping, with stores open to 9 or 10pm.

Sunday shopping is limited to tourist areas and flea markets, though there's growing demand for full-scale Sunday hours. The department stores are now open on the five Sundays before Christmas. The Carrousel du Louvre (tel. 01-43-16-47-10), a mall adjacent to the Louvre, is open daily 10am to 8pm. The tourist shops lining rue de Rivoli across from the Louvre are open on Sunday, as are the antiques villages, flea markets, and specialty events. Several food markets enliven the streets on Sunday. For our favorites, see the box "Food Markets". Most of the shops along the Champs-Élysées stay open on Sunday.

Note: Many independent stores close for about a month at the height of summer, from late July to late August.

Getting a VAT Refund

The French value-added tax (VAT -- TVA in French) is generally 19,6%, but you can get most of that back if you spend a minimum of 175€ on the same day, in the same, participating, store. All department and luxury stores participate in the VAT refund program. Though some people find the trouble isn't worth the refund.

When you meet your required minimum purchase amount, you qualify for a tax refund. The amount of the refund varies with the way the refund is handled and the fee some stores charge you for processing it. So the refund at a department store may be 13%, whereas at a small shop it may be 15% or 18%.

You'll receive the Retail Export Form in the shop; some stores, such as Hermès, have their own, while others provide a government form. Make sure you have the form stamped before leaving the store.

All refunds are processed at the point of departure from the European Union (E.U.), so if you're going to another E.U. country, don't apply for the refund in France. At the airport of your last stop in the E.U. look for the Detaxe counter at the airport. Then expect to stand in line for as long as half an hour. You must show your ticket, your passport, the forms you collected on the day you bought the goods, and the goods themselves, so have them on you or visit the Customs office before you check your luggage. After Customs has checked everything, keep a copy of the form for your records then drop the original in the envelope provided and in the mail. After the papers are mailed, a credit will appear, often months later, on your credit card bill.

Be sure to mark the paperwork to request that your refund be applied to your credit card so you aren't stuck with a check in euros, which may be hard to cash.

To avoid refund hassles, ask for a Global Refund form (Shopping Cheque) at a store where you make a purchase. When leaving an E.U. country, have it stamped by Customs, after which you take it to a Global Refund counter at one of more than 700 airports and border crossings in France. Your money is refunded on the spot. For information, contact Global Blue, 18 rue de Calais, 75009 Paris (tel. 01-41-61-51-51; www.global-blue.com).

Duty-Free Boutiques

The advantage of duty-free shops is that you don't have to pay the VAT, so you avoid the red tape of getting a refund. Both Charles de Gaulle and Orly airports have shopping galore (de Gaulle has a virtual mall with crystal, cutlery, chocolates, luggage, wine, pipes and lighters, lingerie, silk scarves, perfume, knitwear, jewelry, cameras, cheeses, and even antiques). You'll also find duty-free shops on the avenues branching out from the Opéra Garnier, in the 1st and 9th arrondissements. Sometimes bargains can be found, but most often not.

Sales and Bargains

The French sales take place twice a year, over 5 weeks, beginning at the end of June for the summer collections and the beginning of January for winter. Remember, the first in are the best dressed.