What Is Paris Famous For? - Celebrity Cruises

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People strolling Champs-Élysées in Paris

Avenue des Champs-Élysées

Paris is one of the best shopping cities in Europe, if not the world. What elevates it above the other metropolises is a legendary sense of style, a certain je ne sais quoi, and the Avenue des Champs-Élysées.

Street view of Avenue des Champs-Élysées

Avenue des Champs-Élysées

Shaded by centuries-old plane trees, the Champs is a shopping street worthy of the most glamorous city in the world. Beneath its pick-and-mix of colorful awnings and amid its ingenious window displays are all the luxury brands you could ever want, interspersed with flagship stores for big brand names such as Zara or Lacoste.

Across from the George V Metro station on the Champs, any pilgrimage to this heart of French retail must include a peer at the art deco Louis Vuitton Maison—a listed monument.

Arrive on the first Sunday of the month when traffic is banished from the Champs, and you’ll be able to dash from one side to the other without fear of being tooted at by a scooter while in a retail-induced fugue.

Majestic interior of Galeries Lafayette Haussmann

Galeries Lafayette

If the weather isn’t perfect—or even if it is—make a beeline for the Belle Epoque Parisian department stores on Boulevard Haussmann. Glorious Galeries Lafayette offers a huge number of brands beneath its stunning art nouveau dome.

Nearby, you can also burrow into Les Arcades—passageways laid with mosaics and brimming with boutiques. Lively Passage Jouffroy is a short walk along Boulevard Haussman from Galeries Lafayette and features shops such as the Pain d’Epices artisan toyshop, and niche treasures such as Segas, which specializes in antique walking sticks.

Read: Most Luxurious Cities in the World

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