Shopping in Saint‑Germain‑des‑Prés: our Left Bank addresses, seen from the 7th
By Derby Eiffel Hotel ·
Quick response
For shopping in Saint‑Germain‑des‑Prés, the Left Bank starting point is Le Bon Marché Rive Gauche at 24 rue de Sèvres, open Monday‑Saturday 10 am‑7:45 pm, with La Grande Épicerie de Paris right across at 38 rue de Sèvres, open 8:30 am‑9 pm Monday‑Saturday. Nearby, rue du Cherche‑Midi houses the Poilâne bakery at No. 8, open 7:15 am‑8 pm Monday‑Saturday. We stay on avenue Duquesne in the 7th, and this trio is what we most often recommend to guests: a quiet department store, a gourmet shop for take‑away gifts, and a bakery for everything else.
The Left Bank shopping streets are explored on foot, without a set route. · Photo of Annie Spratt on Unsplash
Where to start
Start with rue de Sèvres: Le Bon Marché Rive Gauche at No. 24 and La Grande Épicerie de Paris at No. 38 are almost opposite, and together they cover most of what visitors look for on the Left Bank. The rest is done on foot, heading up to rue du Cherche‑Midi and then boulevard Saint‑Germain, without a fixed itinerary.
We are on avenue Duquesne in the 7th, and the question we get most after museum queries is: where to buy something other than an Eiffel Tower souvenir. The answer lies in a few addresses, all verifiable, all open on Saturday and almost all closed on Sunday. That is what surprises our guests most: in Saint‑Germain, Sunday is spent on terraces, not in shops.
A word on the rhythm. The Left Bank department stores are smaller than those on boulevard Haussmann, and the morning is noticeably calmer than the afternoon. If you have only half a day, take it in the morning on a weekday, and save lunch for later.
Le Bon Marché Rive Gauche
Hours: Monday‑Saturday, 10 am‑7:45 pm
It’s the Left Bank department store, and the only one we recommend without reservation to someone who dislikes big stores: you can tour it without getting lost. Arrive at opening, 10 am, if you want to try something calmly; after 3 pm the fitting rooms and checkout lines slow down. It is closed on Sunday, which is worth noting if you’re staying only two nights. The building itself deserves a look up: the glass roof and central staircases are part of the visit, even if you buy nothing.
La Grande Épicerie de Paris
Hours: Monday‑Saturday, 8:30 am‑9 pm
This is where we send guests who need to bring something back and don’t have time to run around. Chocolate, tea, mustard, canned goods: everything is portable, everything packs up. The hours are the real asset, 8:30 am and 9 pm, making it one of the few stops possible before a museum or after dinner. A practical tip: weigh your suitcase before you pack, fine groceries are heavy.
The house’s original bakery, at 8 rue du Cherche‑Midi, a few streets from Le Bon Marché. People come for the sourdough bread, sold as a whole loaf or by the quarter, the perfect way to taste it while traveling. Opening at 7:15 am makes it the spot to grab something before the museums even open. The shop is tiny, the line moves quickly, don’t turn it into an expedition.
La rue Cler
Hours: Shopping street, lively in the morning; most shops close on Monday
Closer to us, it’s the neighborhood market street, and it has nothing to do with Le Bon Marché shopping: here you buy cheese, fruit and bread, not clothing. We mention it because it’s the logical complement to a Left Bank morning, and because a room with a view pairs well with a dinner bought on the way. Come in the morning, when the stalls are still full, and treat Monday as a quiet day in almost all of the 7th.
