Special purchases include lace, crystal glass, cheeses, coffee and, of course, wines, spirits and liqueurs. Arques, the home of Crystal D'Arques, is situated between St Omer and Calais. Lille, the main town of French Flanders, is known for its textiles, particularly fine lace.
Most towns have fruit and vegetable
markets on Saturday. Hypermarkets, enormous supermarkets that sell everything from foodstuffs and clothes to electrical equipment and furniture, are widespread in France. They tend to be situated just outside of town and all have parking facilities.
For bargain hunters,
bric-a-brac or
brocante is found in a number of flea markets (
marché aux puces) on the outskirts of town, most notably at the Porte de Clignancourt, in Paris. There are several
antique centers (
Louvre des Antiquaires,
Village Suisse, etc) where genuine antique furniture and other objects are on sale.
Amongst the larger
department stores in Paris are the
Printemps and the
Galeries Lafayette near the Opéra; the
Bazar Hôtel de Ville (BHV) and the
Samaritaine on the Right Bank; and the
Bon Marché on the Left Bank.
Paris has many varied markets including the
flower market on the Ile de la Cité and bird, organic and food markets in every quarter. Another Parisian specialty is book markets. Travelers will find
booksellers' stalls along the banks of the Seine around the Saint Michel quarter, crammed with all kinds of books plus comics and postcards.
In the regions, the town center often has a number of
clothes shops which are just as good as those in Paris. Some have good second-hand shops.
Shopping hours Department stores are open Mon-Sat 0900-1830. Some shops close 1200-1430. Food shops open 0700-1830/1930. Some food shops (particularly bakers) open Sunday mornings, in which case they will probably close Monday. Many shops close all day Monday or Monday afternoon. Hypermarkets are normally open until 2100 or 2200.
Currency Information:CurrencyEuro (EUR; symbol €) = 100 cents. Notes are in denominations of €500, 200, 100, 50, 20, 10 and 5. Coins are in denominations of €2 and 1, and 50, 20, 10, 5, 2 and 1 cents.
Currency ExchangeSome first-class hotels are authorized to exchange foreign currency. Shops and hotels are prohibited from accepting foreign currency by law. Travelers should check with their banks for details and current rates.
Credit/Debit Cards and ATMsAmerican Express, Diners Club, MasterCard and Visa are widely accepted.
Traveller's ChequesTraveller's cheques are accepted nearly everywhere.
Banking HoursMon-Sat 0900-1200 and 1400-1700. Some banks close Monday and some are open Saturday. Banks close early (1200) on the day before a bank holiday; in rare cases, they may also close for all or part of the day after.
Exchange Rate Indicators| Date | Jan 09 |
| £1.00= | €1.06 |
| $1.00= | €0.73 |
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