Top 10 shopping centres in Paris

As a tourist in Paris, you’ll become familiar with the city’s iconic monuments, landmarks and museums. You’ll wander around the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe, enter Notre-Dame cathedral and the Louvre museum. But when it comes to shopping, many visitors I’ve met over the years had no clue about where to find shopping precinct. This is a list of my top 10 shopping centres in Paris which includes famous department stores and gigantic shopping malls. Follow the guide!

Where to find the top 10 shopping centres in Paris?

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The top 10 shopping centres in Paris are mainly found in the centre and West districts of town. However each arrondissement have one or several shopping precincts where to found grocery and other goods. For example, in the 6th arrondissement, the long straight street of Rue de Rennes is lined with hundreds of shops, from big stores such as FNAC to smaller boutiques.

The map locates the top 10 shopping centres in Paris. I’m adding a small description of the sites just below.

1. Le Forum des Halles (1st arrondissement)

This is France’s second most visited shopping centre with nearly 40 million visitors each year. Inaugurated in 1979 it was greatly refurbished in the 2010s. Today it houses 168 stores spread in 5 levels. The ground floor is topped by a gigantic canopy made of glass.

For more info and opening hours: Official website of the Forum des Halles.

Métro stations : Châtelet, Les Halles, Châtelet Les Halles (lines 1,4,7,11,14, RER A, B and D)

2. Les 4 Temps (La Défense)

Situated in the business district of La Défense just outside Paris, the Quatre Temps is France’s most visited shopping mall with 260 stores (including the CNIT section). It is estimated that 45.7 million people visit the mall. ‘Quatre Temps‘ means Four Times and can also refer to the Four Seasons of the year.

For more info and opening hours: Official website of the 4 Temps.

Métro station : La Défense Grande Arche (lines 1, RER A, Transilien L, Tram T2)

3. Printemps Haussmann (9th arrondissement)

The Printemps Haussmann is a department store (Grand-Magasin) covering an area of 45,000 m2 in 3 buildings dedicated to Fashion (Mode), Man (Homme) and Beauty/Home and Child (Beauté/Maison Enfant). The store is famous for its Art Nouveau architectural style and its Christmas animated windows.

For more info and opening hours: Official website of the Printemps Haussmann.

Métro station : Havre-Caumartin (lines 3,9, connection with RER E and Gare Saint-Lazare)

4. Galeries Lafayette Haussmann (9th arrondissement)

Extending over 70,000 m2, Galeries Lafayette Haussmann is Europe’s largest department store. It welcomes more than 25 million visitors per year. The store is famous for its stunning Art Nouveau dome, its panoramic terrace and the Christmas animated windows.

For more info and opening hours: Official website of the Galeries Lafayette Haussmann.

Métro station : Chaussée d’Antin Lafayette (lines 7,9, connection with RER E and Gare Saint-Lazare)

5. Carrousel du Louvre (1st arrondissement)

The Carrousel du Louvre is France’s 8th largest shopping centre in terms of visitor numbers (16.7 million) with only 36 stores… the reason why is quite easy to understand: it serves as one of the Louvre’s entrances. The underground shopping centre also hides the inverted glass pyramid which is invisible from the ground.

For more info and opening hours: Official website of the Carrousel du Louvre.

Métro station : Palais Royal Musée du Louvre (lines 1,7)

6. Beaugrenelle (15th arrondissement)

Not far from the Eiffel Tower, the Beaugrenelle shopping centre includes 120 stores. It was greatly renovated in 2013, making it Paris’ third largest shopping mall. It is situated in the Front de Seine, a high-rise district built in the 1970s.

For more info and opening hours: Official website of the Beaugrenelle shopping mall.

Métro station : Javel / Javel André Citroën (line 10, RER C)

7. Bazar de l’Hôtel de Ville [BHV Marais] (4th arrondissement)

With its monumental rotunda facing the Paris City-Hall, the BHV Marais occupies eight floors and was historically focused on BIY and hardware. It was founded in 1856 and it prides itself in being the Parisians’ favourite store!

For more info and opening hours: Official website of the BHV Marais.

Métro station : Hôtel de Ville (lines 1,11)

8. Le Bon Marché (7th arrondissement)

This is the world’s oldest department store, founded in 1838 under the name Au Bon Marché. The current building was built in 1869 and was successively enlarged. The Grande Épicerie de Paris offers a wide range of gastronomic produce.

For more info and opening hours: Official website of Le Bon Marché department store.

9. Montparnasse Rive Gauche (15th arrondissement)

Montparnasse Rive Gauche is situated at the foot of the Montparnasse Tower. It comprises 63 stores on 2 floors, including a Galerie Lafayette store.

For more info and opening hours: Official website of the Montparnasse Rive Gauche shopping centre.

Métro station : Gare Montparnasse (lines 4,6,12,13, transilien N)

10. Centre Commercial Italie 2 (13th arrondissement)

130 stores make up the shopping centre of Italie 2 whose main entrance opens onto the Place d’Italie in the 13th arrondissement.

For more info and opening hours: Official website of the Italie 2 shopping centre.

Métro station : Place d’Italie (lines 5,6,7)

And a special mention for a newcomer:

11. La Samaritaine (1st arrondissement)

Prior to its closure in 2005, La Samaritaine was Paris’ largest department store. Ideally located by the River Seine between the Louvre and Île de la Cité, it was founded in 1869 on the site of a former water pump situated next to the Pont Neuf which was demolished in 1813. The site is currently under development and should re-opened in 2019 or 2020. It will be one of the biggest shopping centres in Paris. More info on the project.

Métro station : Pont Neuf (line 7)

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