Shopping on the left bank : Designers, Antique Dealers, and Galleries

The left bank offers a different shopping experience than the grand boulevards. Here, the shops are small, and the salespeople know their merchandise. You’ll find just as many antique dealers as fashion houses. Everything is within a fifteen-minute walk of Rue des Saints-Pères: the designers around Saint-Sulpice, the antique dealers at Carré Rive Gauche, the galleries on Rue de Seine, and Le Bon Marché on Rue de Sèvres. Here’s how to plan a day without getting sidetracked.

Designers around Saint-Sulpice

The area between Place Saint-Sulpice, Rue du Four, and Rue de Grenelle is home to a mix of long-established shops and newer designers. The stores are small, which changes the shopping experience: staff will guide you through the items rather than letting you wander on your own.

Rue de Grenelle and Rue du Cherche-Midi are the two main streets to explore first for shoes and ready-to-wear clothing.

The difference from the main shopping streets lies in the pace. Shops rarely open before 10 or 11 a.m. and often close between 1 and 3 p.m. Many of the smaller stores allow only one customer at a time. You have to accept this pace; otherwise, the day becomes frustrating.

Finally, make sure to bring something to carry your purchases. Local shopkeepers wrap items carefully, which quickly adds up to bulky packages for a full day of walking.

Le Carré Rive Gauche and the antique dealers

Between Rue du Bac, Rue des Saints-Pères, Quai Voltaire, and Rue de l’Université lies one of the densest clusters of antique dealers in Europe. Furniture, works of art, antique drawings, tapestries: the storefronts are worth the stroll even if you have no intention of buying.

This is the neighborhood right next to the hotel. Rue des Saints-Pères and Rue Jacob form its backbone.

Antique dealers welcome visitors with no obligation to buy, it’s a neighborhood tradition. Many ship internationally and are familiar with customs procedures, which is important if you spot a bulky item from the United States or Asia.

The galleries on Rue de Seine

Rue de Seine, Rue Mazarine, and Rue Bonaparte are lined with contemporary and modern art galleries. Admission is free, and the exhibitions change frequently. Gallery owners are happy to welcome visitors.

This is probably the best way to see art in Paris without a ticket or waiting in line.

The neighborhood is also home to several auction houses and temporary exhibition spaces, where public viewings take place two to three days before the auctions. Admission is free, and the atmosphere is less intimidating than you might imagine. There, you’ll see pieces that will later disappear into private collections.

Le Bon Marché and La Grande Épicerie

On Rue de Sèvres, Le Bon Marché is worth a visit for its architecture as much as for its departments. It is the oldest department store in Paris. It is also the only one on the left bank.

Sa Grande Épicerie, across the street, is the place to go to pick up something edible: gourmet foods, wines, and products that are hard to find elsewhere.

The building itself is worth a visit. Its metal structure, staircases, and glass roof tell the story of the invention of the department store in the nineteenth century. Head up to the top floor, the view of the central nave is the best vantage point in the building.

Bookstores and stationery shops

The Left Bank remains a neighborhood of bookstores. The independent shops on Rue de Seine, Rue Bonaparte, and Boulevard Saint-Germain offer coffee-table books, art publications, and used books.

For a gift that travels well, a stationery shop or art bookstore is a better choice than a souvenir from a main boulevard.

When it comes to tax refunds, the rule is simple: they apply to residents outside the European Union for purchases totaling at least the minimum amount in a single store on the same day. Ask for the form at the time of payment; it cannot be issued retroactively.

Plan Your Day without Rushing

A simple plan: In the morning, visit antique dealers and galleries, which open late and close early. Have lunch on Rue de Buci or Rue du Cherche-Midi. In the afternoon, explore the designer boutiques around Saint-Sulpice, then finish your tour at Le Bon Marché.

Many small shops are closed on Sundays and sometimes on Monday mornings. Check before heading out to a specific location.

In practice

Hôtel Pas de Calais, 59 rue des Saints-Pères, 75006 Paris, in the heart of the Carré Rive Gauche.

Place Saint-Sulpice: about an 8-minute walk. Rue de Seine: about a 6-minute walk.

Le Bon Marché, 24 rue de Sèvres: about a 10-minute walk.

Metro: Sèvres-Babylone (lines 10 and 12), Saint-Sulpice (line 4), Rue du Bac (line 12).

Staying in the area

The hotel is located right on the street where the antique dealers are. The rooms and suites allow you to drop off your purchases midday before heading out again, which is no small detail during a day of shopping.