Food treats to slip into your suitcase
Food products remain the simplest souvenirs: they please, they can be shared and they suit every budget. To buy everything in one place, La Grande Épicerie de Paris, inside the Le Bon Marché department store (38 rue de Sèvres, 75007), gathers fine groceries, teas, chocolates and wines.
| No. | Souvenir | Where to buy | Good to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Macarons | Ladurée (16 rue Royale, 75008), Pierre Hermé (72 rue Bonaparte, 75006) | Eat within a few days; use a rigid box for transport |
| 2 | Chocolate | La Maison du Chocolat (8 boulevard de la Madeleine, 75009) | Avoid bags exposed to heat |
| 3 | Mustard | Maille (6 place de la Madeleine, 75008) | Jars of 100 ml or less in the cabin, otherwise in the hold |
| 4 | Salt and spices | Delicatessens, La Grande Épicerie de Paris | Fleur de sel and spice blends: light and unrestricted |
| 5 | Tea | Mariage Frères (30 rue du Bourg-Tibourg, 75004) | Decorative metal tins, easy to carry |
| 6 | Wine and spirits | Nicolas, Legrand Filles et Fils (galerie Vivienne, 75002) | Hold luggage or airport shop; customs allowances of your home country |
| 7 | Cheese | Neighbourhood cheese shops, Aligre market | Vacuum-packed, pasteurised milk, outside restricted countries |
Chocolates and pastries are also part of the tradition of the best bakeries in Paris: a bag of shortbread or financiers travels better than a cake. If you visit at the right time, the Salon du Chocolat lets you compare many artisans in a single visit.
Wine, liquids and cheese
Within the European Union, no limit applies to wine bought for personal use as long as it is not for trade; to a country outside the Union, the allowances of the arrival country count, so check before leaving. On a plane, a bottle of more than 100 ml does not pass cabin security checks, unless it is bought in an airport shop and placed in a sealed bag with its receipt. Pressed hard cheeses, well vacuum-packed, are the easiest to carry; soft cheeses and raw milk are more often refused on arrival depending on the country, and a product declared to customs is less risky than a hidden one.
Fashion, design and lifestyle
Department stores remain the most practical place to compare: Galeries Lafayette and Le Printemps bring together designers, accessories and homeware, and their rivalry is detailed in our comparison Printemps or Galeries Lafayette.
| No. | Souvenir | Where to buy | Good to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | Ballet flats | Repetto (22 rue de la Paix, 75002) | French brand born in the service of dancers |
| 9 | Scarf and accessories | Department stores, designer boutiques | Prefer a small designer to a mass-market logo |
| 10 | Linen and tableware | Le Bon Marché, concept stores in the Marais | Light and durable |
| 11 | Kitchen utensils | E. Dehillerin (18-20 rue Coquillière, 75001) | Knives in the hold only |
| 12 | Design object | Musée des Arts Décoratifs shop, Merci (111 boulevard Beaumarchais, 75003) | Limited editions, well wrapped |
To find an original garment at a lower cost, see our guide to thrift and vintage shops in Paris and the one on Parisian style and shopping. The sales in Paris take place twice a year, in winter and summer, on a calendar set by the State: this is when prices drop the most.
Books, images and museum shops
The bouquinistes of the Seine quays, listed with the banks of the Seine as a UNESCO World Heritage site, keep their green boxes facing Notre-Dame, the Louvre and the Pont Neuf. You will find old books, period postcards, engravings and posters. Prices are negotiable, and opening hours depend on the weather.
| No. | Souvenir | Where to buy | Good to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13 | Old book or print | Bouquinistes of the Seine quays | Check the date and condition; ask for a tube for posters |
| 14 | New book, English editions | Shakespeare and Company (37 rue de la Bûcherie, 75005) | The bookshop's stamp on the back of the book |
| 15 | Reproduction, catalogue, card | Shops of the Louvre and the Musée d'Orsay | Faithful reproductions, art editions |
Perfume and flea-market finds
For perfume, the Fragonard Perfume Museum lets you smell before you buy, and offers small bottles that are easy to carry. Perfumes from big houses are more expensive in Paris than in airport shops, but the tax refund can make up for it.
| No. | Souvenir | Where to buy | Good to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16 | Eau de toilette or perfume | Fragonard (9 rue Scribe, 75009), perfumeries | Bottles of 100 ml or less for the cabin |
| 17 | Soap, candle, skincare | Pharmacies, perfumers' boutiques | Practical and compact |
| 18 | Antique tableware, silverware | Saint-Ouen flea market | Careful packing; ask for an invoice |
| 19 | Poster, jewellery, rare book | Marché Paul Bert Serpette, other flea markets | Haggling is normal, especially late in the day |
| 20 | Local producer's product | Neighbourhood markets | Honey, jam, oil: a small jar beats a big one |
What to avoid
Eiffel Tower figurines sold by street vendors are rarely a good buy: poor quality, prices negotiated at random, and often made outside France. Souvenir shops near the monuments charge more than neighbourhood grocers for comparable items.
Counterfeits are more serious. In France, counterfeiting is an offence: according to customs, possessing a counterfeit item is punishable by a fine of up to twice the value of the genuine item, and the intellectual property code provides up to three years in prison and a 300,000 euro fine for the most serious offences. The goods are seized and destroyed. To understand why these products are dangerous and how to recognise them, visit the Musée de la Contrefaçon, in the 16th arrondissement.
The tax refund in practice
The tax refund lets visitors who live outside the European Union get the VAT back on their purchases.
- Conditions: live outside the European Union, be at least 16, stay in France for less than 6 months.
- Threshold: more than 100 euros including tax in a single shop on the same day (100.01 euros per slip, in force since 1 January 2021).
- At the shop: show your passport and ask for a barcoded sales slip.
- On departure: present the items and the slip at a PABLO kiosk or the customs office, before checking in your luggage, within 3 months of purchase.
- Refund: the seller refunds you, after customs validation.
- Excluded: tobacco, petroleum products, weapons, vehicles and cultural goods, among others.
Information checked in October 2026 on the French customs website. To pay for your purchases without unnecessary fees, read our guide paying and withdrawing money in Paris.
Going further
Before you leave, see our guide to the Paris airports to allow the time needed to validate the tax refund. To shop off the beaten track, browse our pages on flea markets and second-hand fairs and on tourist traps.
