Discover the unique items you can only buy in Paris, from original antiquarian books to delicious confectionery and chocolate, which reflect Paris’s captivating flavors, textures, and unique tastes.
Angelina Chocolate
In 1903 the confectioner Antoine Rumpelmayer founded Angelina, which he named after his daughter-in-law. For over a century this Paris tearoom has built a reputation as a place of sophistication and indulgence, selling its products exclusively in Paris. As soon as it opened, Angelina became the place to be among the Parisian aristocracy. Proust and Coco Chanel rubbed shoulders with the biggest names in fashion in Angelina’s salons, so who knows who you’ll bump into when you’re buying your chocolate.
Angelina Chocolate Bob Hall / Flickr
Buly Soap
Jean-Vincent Bully has been known for his talents as a distiller, perfumer, and cosmetician on Rue Saint-Honoré in Paris since 1803, often using exotic flowers. These perfumes inspired Balzac in 1837 when depicting scenes of Parisian life in La Comédie Humaine. Nowadays, this famous beauty shop continues its travels in the spirit of conquest and innovation. Imagined in Paris, formulated in a French laboratory, and fed on the advances of contemporary cosmetics while being faithful to ancient recipes, Buly offers care using the virtues of natural ingredients.
The Bouquinistes of Paris are booksellers of antiquarian books who ply their trade along large sections of the banks of the Seine. They span from the right bank of the Pont Marie to the Quai du Louvre, and on the left bank from the Quai de la Tournelle to Quai Voltaire, selling a fascinating selection of secondhand literary wonders. There’s a certain magic to shopping for books along the Seine, being described as “the only river in the world that runs between two bookshelves.”
Seine Bookstores Wikimedia Commons
Bellota-Bellota Hams
Restaurant, Spanish
Exquisite meat | Courtesy of Bellota Bellota
Since its creation, Byzance has been praised for three exceptional products: caviar, Iberian ham, and smoked salmon. The sensory experience lets loose a whole world of flavors, textures, and unique tastes, with Bellota-Bellota hams boasting a passport guaranteeing full traceability. They specify everything from the percentage of Iberian breed and Finca origin right through to feed. This gives the percentage of oleic acid and the number of days in Montanera, indicating the amount of acorns eaten. There also notes on the maturation period since its origin.Bellota-Bellota All Bellota-Bellota hams are hand-sliced by professional, fully trained Master Cortadors under the mantra that only precise slicing can lead to a superior sensory experience.
Café bio Champs Elysées ville de Paris 250g | Courtesy of COMPTOIRS RICHARD
A selection of Comptoirs Richard‘s organically perfumed bio tea, themed along the lines of the best landmarks of Paris, is sold from just 11.00€ at eight stores all located in Paris. From Place de la Bastille to Champ de Mars, where the famous Eiffel Tower is located, to the Latin Quarter and L’arc de Triomphe, you can take home a drinkable reminder of your favorite place in Paris.
Sold in Paris’s trendy 11th arrondissement of Paris but hand-crafted in Provence, the Tioniade of Papi Jean offers a unique blend of olives, tomatoes, and garlic to complement the tuna; it is perfect on a crispy baguette. With no preservatives, no coloring, and no artificial flavors, this jar of wonder is crammed full of artisanal goodness.
Another specialty of Comptoir Richard’s unique landmark-themed products is chocolate. With gorgeous artwork scenes of people having picnics by the River Seine and delicious flavors like almond caramel on offer starting from only 4.95€, it’s a great souvenir or artisan snack to pick up while in Paris.
Paris-themed chocolate Courtesy of COMPTOIRS RICHARD
Rive Gauche, Rive Droite Tote Bags
This collection of gorgeous tote bags is hand-painted, reversible, and made entirely in Paris. With tiny collections of only 15 to 25 pieces, her unique hand-crafted Paris-themed bags are comparable to pieces of art work that “sell out and then they’re gone.” Having just launched her new Downtown collection, they are reminiscent of the colors and energy of downtown New York City, but with a Parisian twist. They’re a minimalist representation of the left and right banks of the River Seine.
Tote bags Courtesy of Kasia Dietz
Boîte Gourmande de Paris
A boîte gourmande de Paris is a fabulous gift idea, as almost everyone loves artisan biscuits. What’s more is that you can buy them in a stylish re-usable tin with Tour Eiffel and other landmark designs, starting from 26.00€ for 270g of the delicious snack.
Boîte gourmande Tour Eiffel bordeaux ville de Paris Courtesy of COMPTOIRS RICHARD
Home-Made Perfume
Studio des Parums in Paris offers the unique chance to discover the magic world of perfume making by crafting your own fragrance. With 150 scented bases of exceptional quality, carefully selected from the world of custom cologne, you can create an authentic fragrance in the tradition of French luxury perfume. The craft has been honed over ten years in the heart of the fashion district of Paris, le Marais.
The Parisians have always been known as pioneers of style, with a host of unique items storming the fashion scene each year. This curious sequined mini mick finger-less glove is something that can only be bought from Philippe Audibert‘s Parisian store, for the hefty sum of 800.00€ mind you. Each sequin has been hand-stitched, making it a truly original example of Parisian accessory.
Mini Mick Fingerless Glove COURTESY OF PHILIPPE AUDIBERT PARIS
