Paris Shopping Tips by JLBG

Bazaar Hotel de Ville - (BHV): Everything for do-it-yourself Bazaar Hotel de Ville - (BHV) Review

The Bazar de l'Hôtel de Ville (of Paris) is better known as the BHV (say: Bay Hash Vay). It is a Paris must visit, a department store founded in 1852.

What to buy: They have everything but are especially known for their do-it-yourself department and for their house equipment department. Even if you do not plan to buy anything, you should visit it, especially the underground level.

The web site Bazar de l'Hôtel de Ville will give you a distorted figure of the real shop. You must see it live!

Address: Corner of Hotel de Ville.

Theme: Department Store

Confort pieds sensibles: For the tender footed

When you visit Paris, you always must walk extensively. Therefore, you must wear the most comfortable possible shoes.

What to buy: If you have easily sore feet, this address might be a heaven for you!

"Confort pieds sensibles" are specialized in shoes for the tender footed!

Directions: Near the Hôtel de ville

Theme: Shoes

Izraël: Any spice

When you want to get unusual or just fresh spices, Izraël is the place where you should go. It is the reference shop in France for spices. For example, they have a dozen different peppers from various origins, all kinds of aromatic seeds, etc…. You ask anything, ,they have it !

Address: 30 rue François Miron Paris 4

Directions: They have no website but here are two sites that report on the shop :
Izraël 1 and Izraël 2

Phone: 33 (0) 1 42 72 66 23

Theme: Food and Drink

Librairie l'Astrolabe: Maps and guide books of the world

L'Astrolabe opened a few years after Ulysse but has now, to my opinion, more books and especially maps than Ulysse. The shop is much wider and their map department is amazing. What they have not, they can order for you. They are very helpful and know well what they are talking about.

Address: 46 rue de Provence - 75009 Paris

Phone: 33 (0)1 42 85 42 95

Theme: Books

Librairie Ulysse: Guide books of the world

Ulysse bookstore was created in 1971 and is the oldest bookstore in Paris dedicated to travel. If you are looking for guide books, dictionary, maps on unusual countries, you will find it at Ulysse. You will also find books on history, local customs and generally speaking, everything you must know before going into a country.

Address: 26 rue Saint-Louis en l'Ile - 75004 Paris

Phone: 33 (0)1 43 25 17 35

Theme: Books

Simon: Sheperd's umbrella

If you are not aware, you will walk in front of this shop that you will not even notice. They sell umbrellas. Not the ordinary kind of umbrellas that are made nowhere and that you will buy in supermarkets (may be they will even give it to you for free as this is what it is worth). No, I mean umbrellas that will protect you in a hurricane, the kind of umbrella that our shepherd ancestors used when they kept their flocks of sheeps high in the mountain and that thunder was rumbling, skylights were flashing, wind was blowing hard and it was raining cats and dogs. For this kind of umbrella, their main purveyor is Laurillac. Another feature of this shop is that it is owned and run by a lady who must be well over 90 years old. She has always lived in umbrellas, knows everything about umbrellas and will certainly die under an umbrella.

Address: 56 Boulevard Saint Michel, 75 006 Paris

Theme: Sporting Goods

Le Vieux Campeur: Anything for travelling

If you are in Paris to visit Paris, you don't need to go to the "Vieux Campeur". Though, perhaps, why not… If you plan to travel across the world, you cannot avoid visiting one of their shops.

They have everything for every kind of travel and sport. Actually, as their aim is to be the best, they do not deal with every outdoor activity. For example, they have abandoned cycling and horse riding. In the beginning, in 1941, it was a small shop that sold tents and campers equipment. As people traveled more and more, the shop had to extend which was impossible in its busy surrounding. They bought one by one commercial premises in the same district. They have now 4000 square meters in 21 different shops in the Boulevard Saint-Germain, Rue Saint Jacques, Rue des Écoles district. Each shop sells one kind of equipment. One shop will be for snowboards, one for special outdoor expedition food, one for diving, one for mountaineering, one for trekking. Each of them will have everything that exists for its dedicated activity. They have 150 different brands of skis, 70 kind of sleeping bags, 150 types of polar jacket, etc… At first, you won't know in which shop to go. Just walk into the first one and ask them, they will tell you where is the shop you are looking for, which, anyway, will be at a very short distance, in the same block or just next block.

They have now also shops in Lyon, Thonon, Sallanches, Toulouse, Strasbourg, Moulin

Other Contact: infos@auvieuxcampeur.fr

Theme: Sporting Goods

Website: http://www.au-vieux-campeur.fr/gp/

Dehillerin: More equipment

But when you are in the shop, besides that you will find THE device you have always been looking for but have never found, you will realize that they have (professional) customers from all over the world. Even if the attendants seem to be from another century, they serve there customers in English, in Spanish and may be in other languages but these are the 2 languages I have heard in the shop. Actually, this is a shop that professionals know worldwide. This is not for tourists, but why wouldn't you have a look ?

Address: 18 & 20 rue Coquillière, 51 rue J-JRousseau, 75001

Phone: 33 (0) 1 42 36 53 13

Theme: Food and Drink

Website: http://www.e-dehillerin.fr

Dehillerin: Equipment for the kitchen

This shop is really amazing. They sell al kind of equipment for the professional kitchen, of any size. They have the smallest pan for sauce making and the hugest ones for bulk cooking. At first, it looks like an old time store, and this is true as it was created in 1820 and has not much changed since then, which would make it worth a visit, anyway.

Address: 18 & 20 rue Coquillière, 51 rue J-J Rousseau

Phone: 33 (0) 1 42 36 53 13

Theme: Food and Drink

Website: http://www.e-dehillerin.fr

Izraël: and even drinks !

They have also alcohols from everywhere in the world. Anis spirit from Spain, Chouchen (mead) from Brittany, Vodkas and Whiskys (and Whiskeys). Even if you do not plan to buy anything, have a look and smell. It is worth the visit. Anyway, I am sure that you will be tempted by one thing or another.

Address: 30 rue François Miron Paris 4

Phone: 33 (0) 1 42 72 66 23

Theme: Food and Drink