Face to face on boulevard Haussmann, in the 9th arrondissement, Printemps and Galeries Lafayette are the two historic department stores most Paris visitors have heard of, often without knowing which one to pick if time is short. Printemps opened first, in 1865, in a building rebuilt after a fire in 1881; its current dome was dismantled in 1939 to protect it from bombing, then restored in 1973, and rises 42 metres. Galeries Lafayette, founded in 1894 by Théophile Bader and Alphonse Kahn, owes its own neo-Byzantine dome to architect Ferdinand Chanut, who completed it in 1912 at a height of 43 metres in an Art Nouveau style. Both addresses share the same metro access (Chaussée d'Antin - La Fayette or Havre-Caumartin, depending which side of the boulevard you're on), near-identical opening hours, and the same 12% tax refund for non-EU visitors spending over €100. The real difference lies elsewhere: in the atmosphere under each dome, in what each rooftop terrace offers, and in the free extras that are sometimes worth the detour even without any shopping.
The Galeries Lafayette dome
Seen from the upper floors, the 1912 neo-Byzantine glass roof rises 43 metres above the store over ornate balconies, one of the most photographed free viewpoints in Paris.
The Printemps façade on boulevard Haussmann
Rebuilt after the 1881 fire and later expanded in the early 20th century, the historic store's façade is easy to spot thanks to its gilded-dome turrets, directly across the boulevard from Galeries Lafayette.
Tips
Both rooftop terraces are free to access during opening hours (weather permitting): the Galeries Lafayette one has an open view over the Opéra Garnier, the Eiffel Tower and Sacré-Cœur; the Printemps one is split between several bars and restaurants with a comparable view over the rooftops of Paris. Galeries Lafayette runs a free fashion show every Friday at 3pm (booking recommended online); if your visit falls on another day, both stores are also worth a detour for their temporary exhibitions and, at the end of the year, their Christmas decorations.
