Merci, storefront
Paris, guide cover
France
Paris
Paris rewards the unhurried. The best shops hide behind courtyards and on side streets in the 3rd, 10th and 11th, close enough to walk between before lunch runs long. Come midweek: many independents close on Sunday, and some on Monday too.
Our Paris desk: a retail buyer, a brand strategist and an architect who all live east of the Marais. Updated September 2026.
Neighbourhoods
Navigate by area, not by list. Each is a relaxed half day.
Haut Marais
The quieter, northern Marais: galleries, small labels and very good coffee. Start here.
Saint-Ambroise
Residential and lively, with one of the city's great bookshops.
Canal Saint-Martin
Neighbourhood shopping at a slower pace, along the water.
A day in Paris
A route that works tuesday to saturday, in the order we'd take it.
Coffee in the used-book café, then the three floors, slowly.
- Lunch
Ten minutes' walk to Rue Perrée for lunch at the café beside The Broken Arm.
Browse once the lunch crowd has thinned.
Cross into the 11th for a book and the week's listings.
Finish by the canal with something you'll wear every day.
Bring home
What we pack from Paris.
Practical
Before you go
Plan the big day for Tuesday to Saturday. Many independents close on Sunday, some on Monday too.
After hours
The Marais is still where Paris goes out, queer and otherwise. For something quieter, a wine bar on Rue Oberkampf.