{"id":72,"date":"2013-05-28T05:21:22","date_gmt":"2013-05-28T05:21:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com.au\/stories\/the-best-little-shops-in-paris\/"},"modified":"2022-08-08T23:18:23","modified_gmt":"2022-08-08T23:18:23","slug":"the-best-little-shops-in-paris","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com.au\/stories\/the-best-little-shops-in-paris\/","title":{"rendered":"The best little shops in Paris"},"content":{"rendered":"

This blog is about bouquinistes \u2013 the best places in Paris to find a gorgeous, unique souvenir. One that you\u2019ll treasure forever.<\/p>\n

The word \u201csouvenir\u201d smacks of tacky plastic Eiffel towers and ashtrays, and that\u2019s not what I\u2019m talking about. I like hand painted ceramic bowls, coffee table books and local spices\u2026<\/p>\n

I hunt for souvenirs that are more cultured. (Confession: I do have an ashtray from Cuba of a big bottomed lady with a hole in the back of her skirt so she puffs smoke out of her mouth).<\/p>\n

I love browsing art markets (where I found the aforementioned Cuban lady) and little galleries where local artists show their work. I don\u2019t mind if a painting was done by a four-year old, as long as it speaks to me of the place I bought it.<\/p>\n

So you can imagine my delight when I was wandering along the banks of the River Seine, right at the Pont Neuf near Notre Dame Cathedral, and I discovered the bouquinistes.<\/p>\n

This little 3km section of the Seine river walk is an institution in Paris and is now a UNESCO World Heritage site. It\u2019s the Portobello Rd of Paris, a treasure trove of vendors selling antique books, prints and paintings.<\/p>\n

Bouquinistes (used book sellers) have been plying their trade along this portion of the Seine since the 16th<\/sup> century. Their little green kiosks, just two metres long by one metre wide, are fixed to the stone walls and have played a big part in local history. From distributing Protestant \u2018propaganda\u2019 to hiding messages in their books during the World Wars, they\u2019re your ordinary bookstore.<\/p>\n

 
\n
\nToday it\u2019s not uncommon to pick up rare leather bound books with engravings dating from the late nineteenth century. If you\u2019re a collector of antique books or etchings, take your time. These vendors gather their wares from surrounding flea markets, antique shows and deceased estates so you might find something truly amazing.<\/p>\n

Sadly there\u2019s still touristy tat like magnets and postcards (the city government granted them permission to sell as times have become tough), but you need to look past those.<\/p>\n

I spent about an hour riffling through replica Van Gogh oil paintings and clich\u00e9 Eiffel Tower scenes until settling on a still life of a wine bottle with grapes and bread for \u20ac60. I\u2019m now saving to buy a frame \u2013\u00a0it will probably cost me a lot more than the painting!<\/p>\n

If you pick your hotels the same way you pick your souvenirs, take your time to book a boutique hotel. Paris has plenty of small hotels with character in spades.\u00a0A real gem is the\u00a0Select Hotel – Rive Gauche<\/a>, 5th arrondissement.\u00a0Book into a room in the rafters, where you can snuggle up under the exposed beams and sleep until the sun comes through the wooden shutters.<\/p>\n

The bouquinistes are closed on Sundays, opening the rest of week from noon till siesta time at 2.30pm, then again from 7pm till 11pm.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This blog is about bouquinistes \u2013 the best places in Paris to find a gorgeous, unique souvenir. One that you\u2019ll treasure forever.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,28,14,74],"tags":[34,68,110,76],"authors":[],"class_list":["post-72","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-destination","category-europe","category-interests","category-shopping","tag-culture","tag-france","tag-paris","tag-shopping","entry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe best little shops in Paris - Expedia AU Stories<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"This blog is about bouquinistes \u2013 the best places in Paris to find a gorgeous, unique souvenir. 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