Shopping A-Z

Food Markets

Outdoor markets are plentiful in Paris. Some of the better known are the Marché Buci ; the rue Mouffetard market, open Tuesday to Sunday from 9:30am to 1pm and Tuesday to Saturday from 4 to 7pm (6e; Métro: Monge or Censier-Daubenton); and the rue Montorgueil market, behind the St-Eustache church, open Monday to Saturday from 9am to 7pm (1er; Métro: Les Halles). The trendiest market is Marché Biologique, along boulevard Raspail, a tree-lined stretch lying between rue de Rennes and rue du Cherche-Midi, 6e. It's open Sunday from 8:30am to 6:30pm (Métro: Montparnasse).

An Open-Air Canvas Gallery

The Paris Art Market (tel. 01-53-57-42-60) is "the place to go" on a Sunday. At the foot of Montparnasse Tower, this market is like an open-air gallery and has done much to restore the reputation of Montparnasse (14e) as an artistic quartier. Some 100 artists participate, including painters, sculptors, and photographers, even jewelers and hat makers. Head for the mall along the boulevard Edgar Quinet for the best work. Go anytime on Sunday between 9am and 7pm (Métro: Montparnasse).

A Discount Shopping Village Outside Paris

Just 35 minutes from the center of Paris, La Vallée Village, 3 Cours de la Garonne, 77700 Serris (tel. 01-60-42-35-00; www.lavalleevillage.com), is home to some 75 outlets in a chic, purpose-built shopping village. So, it might lack some of the charm of the Avenue Montaigne, but you'll find hot French brands like Agnès b, Robert Clergerie, Sandro, Maje or Givenchy selling last season's collections at up to 70% off. From the center of Paris you can take RER to the Val d'Europe station; by car, follow the A4 motorway out of Paris to exit 12.1 (signposted from there).

Antiques

Village St-Paul -- This isn't an antiques center, but a cluster of dealers in their own hole-in-the-wall hideout. It really hops on Sunday. Bring your camera, because inside the courtyards and alleys is a dream vision of hidden Paris: dealers in a courtyard selling furniture and other decorative items in French-country and formal styles. The rest of the street, stretching from the river to the Marais, is also lined with dealers. Open Thursday to Monday 11am to 7pm. 23-27 rue St-Paul, 4e. No phone. www.village-saint-paul.com. Métro: St-Paul.

Books

If you like rare and unusual books, there's not only the choice of city's exceptional bookshops, you also have the choice to patronize one of the bouquinistes, the owners of those army-green stalls that line the Seine (on the Left Bank between the Quai de la Tournelle and Quai Malaquais, and on the Right Bank between Pont Marie and the Quai du Louvre). This is where tourists in the 1920s and 1930s went to buy "dirty" French postcards. You might get lucky and come across some treasured book, such as an original edition of Henry Miller's Tropic of Cancer, which was banned for decades in the United States.