GUIDE TO LE BON MARCHE LARGE DEPARTMENT STORE IN PARIS

INSIDE: Roam the Gnome’s Guide to Le Bon Marche, the large Department Store in Paris with history and style. 

For those who love shopping in Paris FOR their children (if not so much WITH those said children), then shopping in Paris’s most famous French Shop, the famed Le Bon Marche is a must-do.

This large Department Store in Paris, Le Bon Marché is arguably the most famous and exclusive department store in Paris.

Founded in 1838 and revamped almost completely by Aristide Boucicaut in 1852, it was the first ever modern Department
Store.

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Main image: Fred Romero via Flickr CC BY SA-2.0

History of Le Bon Marche, Large Department Store in Paris

“The birth of Le Bon Marché heralded a whole new culture of commerce that included fixed prices, lower margins, home delivery, item exchange, mail order, promotional periods and sales, private concerts, a reading area, and much more.

This ground-breaking and revolutionary couple had come up with a commercial model that would soon be copied around the globe.

The start of 1875 saw the opening of an art gallery.

The store served as a free intermediary and facilitator between artists and art lovers.”

(Source: Le Bon Marche Company Website)

Le Bon March Luxury Department store is also a French shop famed for it’s architecture and design.

Definitely worth a look if you are in the area.

Hot Tip: Take a Paris Arcades Shopping Tour to discover Paris’s old shopping arcades and secret passageways

Things to do in Le Bon Marche Paris Department Store

This French Shop, Le Bon Marche, has it all!

It’s one of the best Department stores in Paris, if not the best?

And shopping here is definitely one of the 10 best things to do in Paris on a family vacation.

Of course, as family travellers, we tend to head straight to the kid’s stuff.

It’s where we find the quirky stuff too. 

Don’t you?

Hot Tip: Take a French Perfume walking tour, and visit 3 iconic perfume shops to learn how the different fragrances are made.

Visit the Children’s Department at this large Department Store in Paris

The Children’s Department on the 3rd floor of reveals a fun, light-hearted space selling children’s fashion.

This iconic Paris shopping department store is known for its’ carefully curated selection of clothes and goods for children. 

There’s a splendid book section too. 

The new Children Zone at Le Bon Marche also has:

• workshops for younger and older children
• fun and games, and
• a flying saucer! 

The Best Shopping in Paris for French Toy Brands 

You’ll also find iconic Parisian Toys in this Classic French shop. French toy brands stocked in store include: 

• Vilac
• Moulin Roty
• Djeco, and
• Petitcollin dolls

You won’t find toys like this in many other places in Paris. 

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RELATED: Ultimate Guide to the BEST French Toy Brands & where to buy these delightful souvenirs from Paris for kids

Image credit: Fred Romero via CC by 2.0

Where to Shop in Paris for Luxury Goods

Don’t just come here to shop for kids!

The Le Bon Marche French Shop is home to a kaleidoscope of beautiful luxurious things to buy for the home, for travel and for yourself. 

Ground Floor Luxury 

Designer fashion brands and luxury goods from the most prestigious companies in the world are housed in fashion boutiques on the ground floor. 

Go treasure hunting in stores belonging to:

• Louis Vuitton
• Dior, and
• Chanel 
• Fine watches from Rolex, Hublot, Jaeger-LeCoultre and Piaget

Look for upmarket jewellery from timeless brands on the ground floor of Le Bon Marche too. 

First Floor Women’s Fashion

Designer and everyday fashion, displayed in dedicated zones such as:

• Denim
• Designers
• The Gallery of Sports (featuring Nike, Adidas, Sweet Pants, K-way) and
• A Customisation Studio
• Footwear
• Lingerie and beachwear
• Fashion accessories including leather goods, costume jewellery and textile accessories such as scarves

Lower Ground Floor – Men’s Wear

Men’s suits, sportswear and shoes including:

• La Ville bespoke men’s suits and formal wear, bespoke tailoring and a shoe shine
• Men’s accessories
• Everyday wear 
• Men’s fashion labels
• Gym and sport’s gear 

Lower Ground Floor – Gallery of Imagination

A curated collection of the best and latest must-have trends, including bespoke design:

• homewares
• sunglasses and eyewear
• high tech brands selling speakers, headphones, and music equipment 
• Leisure items, totes and more

Lower Ground Floor – Beauty Department 

• Beauty and cosmetic supplies

1st and 2nd Floors – Homewares and Furniture

• Bespoke furniture by exclusive brands, in limited editions and colourways not seen elsewhere!
• cooking and tableware
• travel goods 
• bedroom decor items and lighting
• An eye-popping collection of well made French gifts and souvenirs, perfect for family and friends who love design.

2nd Floor – Books and Stationery 

Check out the light-filled glass roofed atrium full of novels, fine books, coffee table books, art and design books, and the latest releases.

If you love stationery, the Stationer’s shop features the best French brands of stationery to peruse. 

Image credit: Jumilla via Flickr CC BY 2.0

Events at Le Bon Marche store

Even if you are only window shopping, stop in to check out the current events.

They include everything from:

• history and architecture tours
• guided tours of the design collection
• guided tours of the contemporary art collection
• cooking demonstrations and workshops, to
• foodie events

Click here for current listings. 

Things to do with Kids in Paris – Cultural Insight via the Food Hall

While this Paris definitely on the upper end of the spending scale, the graceful and long-standing store deserves a few moments of your time, if only to see the luxurious architecture.

Take a detour via the La Grande Epicerie de Paris food hall on your way home.

If you love food, do not skip it. 

Image credit: Source unknown

Kids in Paris + Macarons = Heaven at Le Bon Marché

Imagine 30,000 gourmet products from around the globe in one Paris shopping centre.

Including:

• rainbow macarons
• chocolate truffles
• sugar dusted tartes aux fruits made on-site
• divine cakes, and
• bottled sauces
• jams
• herbs and spices, and
• the best foodie gifts 

I fear that sweet tooths and their children might suffer a lack of restraint here.

Best set a limit on what you’ll buy BEFORE you go in.

It’s dangerous to the budget.

Image credit: Ken Tan via CC 2.0

THE INSIDE SCOOP: Le Bon Marche Famous Paris Department Store

Correct at time of publication on Roam the Gnome. Please check with venue for updates. We apologise in advance if there have been any changes we are unaware of. All prices in Euro, unless otherwise stated

Address: Le Bon Marché Rive Gauche, 24, rue de Sèvres, 75 007 Paris France
Telephone: 01.44.39.80.00
Email: [email protected]
Website: Click here

Le Bon Marche Opening Hours

• 10am to 8pm on Mondays to Saturdays
• 10am to 7.45pm on Sunday

How to get to Le Bon Marche Paris, the Iconic French Shop

By underground: Lines 10 and 12 – Sèvres Babylone station


By bus: Service numbers 39, 63, 68, 70, 83, 84, 87 and 94

Map of Le Bon Marche Department Store in Paris

Toadstool Rating: Shopping at Le Bon Marche Paris

A must do shopping excursion in Paris for the family. 

3 MORE OF THE BEST PARIS DEPARTMENT STORES & MORE!

Looking for art nouveau style and design, or more luxury shopping in Paris?

Or perhaps you’ve heard about some famous stores in France known for their architecture, and want to pop in for a peep?

Visit these famous Department stores in Paris for an immersion in beauty and a feast for your senses. 

Galeries lafayette Paris Department Store

Find this glory at Galeries Lafayette at 40 Boulevard Haussmann 75009 Paris

Printemps Department Store Paris

Head to Printemps Haussman at 64 Boulevard Haussmann 75009 Paris

• Le BHV Marais at 52 rue de Rivoli Paris 4e

Boulevard Saint Germaine Paris Shopping

French Department stores are not the only place to go shopping. 

Visit these shops on Saint Germaine Boulevard to buy:

• elegant tea blends at the Paris tea shop Lupicia
• toys & ornaments at Le Petit Prince Store in Paris
• flowers at Marche Buci
• handmade chocolates at Debauve et Gallais
• art at French Arts Factory or Laurence Esnol gallery
• ceramics, canvas totes, linen, and lavender at La Maison Ivre (best shopping for design lovers in Paris)
• natural fragrances, perfumes and skincare at Officine Universelle Buly
• lingerie at Sabbia Rosa
• gifts and souvenirs at Cartes d’Art
• Obelix, Asterix, Dogmatix, Babar, and TinTin figurines at Pixi and Cie

Head upstairs to the first floor to find the Pixi and Cie museum in Paris to see the museum, a “curiosity cabinet” filled with scenes in miniature. 

Looking for MORE SUPER DOOPER FUN things to do with Kids in Paris?

Click the links in blue below for more Paris activities.

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• Louvre Museum in Paris – Family Guide on what to see & do

• The Best of the Best Playgrounds in Paris City