My recent trip to Paris has been very much memorable. I went to Paris for about 10 days with my friend. It was an intimate adventure indeed, although we managed to meet a couple of friends there.

ABOUT THE CITY

Even though Paris has been the fashion capital for ages now – and a promised land for some people, Paris is not the safest city in the world. Especially for asians, we often become a target for pickpockets – so you might want to be careful there.

I recommend you to keep your phone safely in the metro because there is always a possibility of someone would grab your phone from your hand and run away just because the train door closes.

And please remember not to talk to strangers. When I was on the metro, a group of women asked directions to me. I was carrying my bag inside my coat and put my hands in front of the bag. But one of the women tried to open my friend’s bag. It was halfway open until my friend shouted and they ran away.

Regardless of the inconvenience, Paris holds its own charm especially for people who love shopping. Paris is the perfect place to shop because the brands are complete, and you could get 12% tax refund. The key here is to be strategic. You need to know what you want because most luxury brand stores hold a long queue. If you have the list of the exact items you want, you may immediately ask the store assistants to get them for you.

For those of you who love to shop, here are the list of some shopping areas I love.

DEPARTMENT STORES: LAFAYETTE HAUSSMAN & PRINTEMPS HAUSSMAN

This area is the cliche touristy shopping spot. Almost 90% of the people inside Lafayette & Printemps are tourists. The best part here is, all brands you might want are here so you don’t have to jump to the other places. From Dior, Celine, Prada, and etc., they are all here. I would recommend to spare one full day here to shop. There are 6 storeys here to explore. Printemps and Lafayette are side to side so you could visit both buildings.

RUE ST. HONORE

If you prefer a less touristy place, Rue St. Honore is the perfect place. Along the road, you could find stand-alone retailers from Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Marc Jacobs, Kenzo, etc. This is a whole area and not a building. A totally different experience from the Lafayette.

LE MARAIS

Le Marais is my favorite area. It is really cozy and pretty here. The clothing shops I love are here: Sandro, Maje, & Other Stories, and many more. There are also Joe Malone, Supreme, and Anthropologie. To spend the evening, there are a lot of cute cafes as well.

LA VALLEE VILLAGE

Who doesn’t love outlets? La Valle Village is the place. Although it took me one and a half hours to get there with metro, it was super worth it. The brands are complete and all sale items. From Moncler, Longchamp, Tory Burch, Tommy Hilfiger, Gucci, Prada, Valentino, Celine, everything is here. If you have good eyes, you might find a lot of treasures. Spare one full day here because it is quite a journey from the city so might as well. Also, it is one stop away from the Disneyland, so you might want to continue the journey to Disneyland.

Next up is where to eat in Paris. If you are curious, please stay tuned! Will keep you updated.