Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
the Galeries Lafayette and Printemps department stores are located a block or two north,
up Rue Halévy.
Sèvres-Babylone to St. Sulpice
This Left Bank shopping stroll lets you sample smart clothing boutiques and clever win-
dow displays while enjoying one of Paris' more attractive neighborhoods. Start at the
Bon Marché
(Mo: Sèvres-Babylone Métro), Paris' oldest department store. From the Bon
Marché, follow Rue de Sèvres, where you'll find
La Maison du Chocolat
at #19, selling
handmade chocolates in exquisitely wrapped boxes.
Lick the chocolate off your fingers before entering
Hermès
(next door, at #17), fam-
ous for pricey silk scarves—and for the former designer of its fashion house, Jean-Paul
Gaultier. Don't let the doorman intimidate you: Everyone's welcome here. Across the
streetsitsthemarvelouslyold-school
Au Sauvignon Café
(10RuedeSèvres,opendaily).
It's well-situated for watching the conveyor belt of smartly coiffed shoppers glide by.
Continue a block farther down Rue de Sèvres to
Place Michel Debré,
a six-way in-
tersection, where a
centaur
statue stands guard. Boutique-lined streets fan out from here
like spokes on a wheel. Make a short detour up Rue du Cherche-Midi (follow the horse's
fanny). This street offers a chic selection of shoe, purse, and clothing stores. Find Par-
is' most celebrated bread—beautiful round loaves with designer crust—at the low-key
Poilâne
at #8.
Returntothe
centaur
inPlaceMichelDebré.Checkoutthe
Comtesse du Berry
pâté
store, which sells small gift packs. Then turn right and head down Rue du Vieux Colom-
bier, passing the
Théâtre du Vieux-Colombier
(1913), one of three key venues for La
Comédie-Française, a historic state-run troupe. At
Longchamps
(#21) you can hunt for a
stylish French handbag in any color. Cross busy Rue de Rennes, gasping at the dreadful
Montparnasse Tower, and continue down Rue du Vieux Colombier. There's
Aubade
for
lingerie,
Lola
for ladies' clothes, and
Victoire
for the gentlemen.
Spill into
Place St. Sulpice,
with its big, twin-tower church.
Café de la Mairie
is a
great spot to sip a
café crème
, admire the lovely square, and consider your next move.
The Marais
Formoreeclectic,avant-gardeboutiques,perusetheartsyshopsbetweenPlacedesVosges
and the Pompidou Center.
Rue des Martyrs
Foranauthentic,less-touristymarketstreetservingvillageParis,strolldownRuedesMar-
tyrs, at the base of Butte Montmartre and the Sacré-Cœur Church. From the Pigalle Métro
