Samaritaine, Galeries Lafayettes, Bon Marche… These names are known to everyone who came to Paris for shopping. In this article we want to say a few words about no less famous Parisian store Printemps Haussmann.

Department store Printemps is one of the most famous stores in the capital of France where you can find almost all «fashion» products from the leading manufacturers. Here fashion and beauty, home decor… In a word, all the latest fashion trends are presented in one place. And its name – Printemps.

This shopping center was founded in 1865 by businessman Jules Jaluzot and had still remained popular among hundreds of thousands of customers. And its famous dome and facade of the building are included in the list of historical monuments of Paris.

Modern Printemps – three separate buildings with twenty five floors, occupying an area of ​​more than 44 thousand square meters. The range of products in this department store consists of one million names, representing more than three hundred famous brands.

The leading companies of the world of fashion industry consider it an honour to have their own boutiques in Printems Haussmann, what only confirms the level of the store and respect of buyers.

Trendy clothes, famous perfumes and cosmetics, accessories, lingerie, children’s goods, home and interior goods, products for sports and travel – only a small part of what you can buy here.

Besides shopping you can spend your time with pleasure in one of many cafes or restaurants. For your convenience the department store Printems offers such services as shopping-tour with a personal guide-interpreter and delivery of purchases to your Paris apartments. In principle, everything has been done here that customer to feel comfortable as much as possible and leave the store with only pleasant experiences.

Address Printems Haussmann: 64, Boulevard Haussmann, 75009 Paris.

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There is no doubt that among the lovers of Parisian shopping there are the real “professionals” who know all its details and features, the most popular and famous places… But there are travelers for whom a trip to Paris is the first in the life, and they need help.

In Paris there are many places of concentration of trendy boutiques, such as Boulevard Haussmann with its legendary Galeries Lafayette, Champs Elysees, rue Saint-Honoré and others. However, that are the most widely promoted and expensive areas of Paris and the prices here are also very high, which may be unacceptable to many buyers.

At the same time there is a place where the same things from the same manufacturers are cheaper. Just because the shops are located a little farther from the downtown. It’s called La Vallee Village and located outside Paris. But if you want to save, is 20 extra miles the distance?

Here many collections of the famous brands are available in three times cheaper than in Paris boutiques, and during the seasonal sales the prices fall by 50 percent.

The question “where is this paradise for shoppers?” seems more than logical. The answer is simple: less than an hour from the center of Paris by public transport. You can go for your shopping on the train (from the station Auber (Boulevard Haussmann) and Etoile (Arc de Triomphe) to the station Val d’Europe/Serris-Montevrain or by Cityrama bus from the city center.

When you come to La Vallee Village, you are greeted by a huge shopping mall with many shops. But do not indulge in the euphoria, please be a little patience and go forward. And less than ten minutes later you find yourself on the street, which will change your idea of shopping in Paris once and forever.

On a quiet and light street the beautiful two-storey houses will appear in front of you. These are the hundreds of boutiques of the fashion world-wide known brands. Shops of Giorgio Armani, Burberry, Cacharel, Celine, Cerrutii, Christian Lacroix, Givenchy, Kenzo, Max Mara, Missoni, Paul Smith, S. T. Dupont, Salvatore Ferragamo, D & G, Zadig & Voltaire, Pinko, Diezel, La Perla and many other brands open their doors for you. At the same time there is a big contrast with the bustling Paris, without any hustle and queues. Everything is done for the maximum comfort of clients.

To say once again about what you can buy here is nonsensical. Absolutely everyone (fashionista, a respected retired person or teenager) will find here something special.

We wish you the excellent shopping!

Official site of La Vallee Village www.lavalleevillage.com

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Thus you shouldn’t think the earlier you arrive the most favorable prices are. It is connected with the fact that any Parisian sale consists of several stages. Each of them is characterized by the next falling of the prices which becomes the lowest by liquidation of all rests of the goods available in shops. It is natural that to find something good during such moment is not obviously possible no more.

If to speak about inhabitants of Paris, they begin preparation for the sales season long before its approach. And the most of these people make serious purchases exclusively on seasonal sales, and in the rest of the year visit just food shops.

Before the beginning of the sales local women slowly study the clothes and footwear models offered by the shops next to the house and shopping centers, try on what has attracted them. And when long-awaited day-X comes, from early morning (as well as thousand tourists coming to Paris from different countries) are pushed in turns to rush to counters and to seize in advance chosen things with opening of doors.

If you plan tours to Paris taking into account seasonal sales remember that all best things of the popular sizes in the Parisian shops are bought up in the first week after «a starting whistle».

Let’s consider what represents the Parisian sales. Shops aspire to sell quickly old collections of clothes and footwear before the new will arrive. For this reason the price decreases till the extreme size that transforms any woman of fashion into a bull on bullfight who with mad passion rushes on the toreador. With one exception: the place of the toreador is turned to jackets, skirts, T-shirts, trousers and other products, to catch which it is possible for  ridiculous money. But, let inscriptions «Soldes» or «-50 %, – 70 %» won’t lead you to your mind loss as any seller does it for the sake of own benefit. Very often the products which have stale on counters which quality already leaves much to be desired are on sale at the low price . And the prices, basically, can actually be not that low; so don’t be surprised if in the end of shopping your purse will considerably “grow thin”. Also, don’t forget that the shoes got on sales, boots, jackets and blouses aren’t subject to return, therefore pay steadfast attention to quality of bought things.

The summer season of sales in the Parisian shops has already ended, there is no much time left before the start of the winter sales. We hope that if you appear in Paris at this time you will make good purchases.

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GA will always help you to rent cheap studio in Paris

The first Parisian department store Le Bon Marché has been created under the project of Gustave Eiffel in 1852. The name “bon marché” is sometimes wrongly translated as “cheap”. And though the department store concept assumed in due time sale of the goods under lower prices, today Le Bon Marché is not the cheapest shop.

One of the meanings of “bon marché” is “the successful deal”. Today it seems improbable, but in the first French department store it was accepted to bargain. It was here for the first time when price lists on the goods and the fixed prices appeared; because of great volumes of trade the need for price discussion between the seller and the buyer has gradually disappeared. Here for the first time there were seasonal sales which make customers of all world go nuts.

Then, in the end of the XIX-th century, being surrounded by the abundance of luxury in a huge, by measures of that time, shop, female customers often sinned with larceny, using the magnificent skirts to hide the stolen goods. And it is not sophisticated, after all Le Bon Marché is a present kingdom of the goods and services.

Nowadays it is possible to find practically everything here. From perfumery, cosmetics, bags and hats located on the ground floor, to the goods for children, animals, house ware, and special design departments and so on. On the last floor there is a completely not modern and rare department “everything for needlework”, also there is a wedding salon and an excellent department of antiques that is not typical for today’s department stores.

And the grocery department – also exclusively rich – is not in this building. It is situated in a separate «Big grocery», located on the other side of the road. La Grande Epicerie is a present find for gourmets. There is an opinion among Parisians that if you cannot find something here it is possible that this product does not exist in the nature.

However, despite all variety of the offered goods Le Bon Marché is not overcrowded. And even during the sales season of there are practically no tourists. Or maybe the shop is just so huge…?

Planning having a walk on the left bank of the Seine after visiting Champ de Mars, Les Invalides and Jardin du Luxembourg take some time and visit Le Bon Marché. By the way it is the only decent shop on the left bank.

The department store works on week days 09:30-19:00, on Thursday 10:00-21:00, on Saturday 09:30-20:00. Grocery department La Grande Epicerie works from Monday to Saturday 08:30-21:00.

The address: 24 rue de Sèvres, 7th district.
Ph.: +33 1 44 39 80 00

Web site: www.bonmarche.fr

Metro station: Sèvres Babylone

And so Paris without its flea markets (Marchais aux puces) is not Paris! In capital of the country of King Louis there are some tens of such “lush” places, and the most known, cult and remarkable are the markets located in Port de Montreuil and Port Sent-Ouen area. But don’t think the named flea markets are settled near any ports, it is not so.

The word «Porte» is translated from French, as “gate”. For the Parisian natives (however, the same as for Muscovites) the flea market is not so much of a trading place, but the cultural phenomenon. In all local circulation of purchase and sale the major component is in numerous stories and the myths transferred “by word of mouth”. In general, in similar places people are engaged in trade, eat and drink, arrange musical performances, or simply stare on associates, fall in love, steal and do whatever they want.

The largest, probably, is the Saint-Ouen Flea Market. It is situated in the north of Paris and represents a certain similarity of a small town the small streets of which have well-known shops and stores.

Thus each street has its own distinctive features. It is possible to tell that some kind of rigid specialization is presented here. So, for example, on one street people are engaged in trade of exclusively leather goods, and on another – porcelain and ware, and the third – antiques subjects. As for antiques – France is a well of antiques. It was never really robbed in the course of two World Wars, therefore nowadays it is possible to come across many interesting things in the similar markets (and not only there).

Certainly, you won’t have a chance to buy a Leonardo da Vinci’s creation for ten euros here, but the searching process of something worthwhile will bring great pleasure to any expert of the kind. Along with the antiques a brisk trade of such strange at first sight subjects, as old rusty cranes, broken toys, old dummies, irons, refrigerators and many other things is going on flea markets.

The Montreuil flea market in the east of Paris looks like the younger brother Saint-Ouen Flea Market with poorer combination of the offered goods. To some extent it reminds of similar domestic spontaneous markets which existed at the time of Gorbachev’s perestroika. Basically it offers stolen home appliances, Arabian brocade, and false Swiss watches.

Some people might question themselves: “What would such an anachronism, in general, be kept in Paris for?” Only here in a grief of old footwear it is possible to find Mireille Mathieu shoes, for example. Or assorting piles of old rags, come across a unique dress haute Coco Chanel or a pair of classical American Levi’s jeans produced while Elvis Presley was on stage. Believe it or not, it is even possible to find our bayans and accordions which god knows how found their way to this city …

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