When you are vacationing in France, you need to know how to shop, where to shop, and how to pay for your new purchases.
You may feel like you will do all your shopping in Paris, but France is a vast country with wineries, taverns, shops, and bistros that cover much of the landscape. Use these tips to shop happily in France without running out of money or insulting the shopkeeper.
Bring Cash
You should bring cash on your trip to France so that you have both Euros and US dollars. You can spend US dollars in certain shops where the owners do not care what sort of currency you have. However, many shops in France prefer that you use Euros. You can exchange your dollars for Euros before your trip starts, or you can get Euros out of an ATM while you are in France.
Your bank will charge a fee when you use an ATM outside of their network, and the ATM itself will charge you a fee in most cases. You can ask a friend to quickly send money if you run out of cash, or you could set up a funds transfer from your bank to a local transfer office.
Negotiate The Prices
You should negotiate the price of everything you buy when you are not in a large store. The shopkeepers around the country are willing to negotiate the price with you. In fact, some shopkeepers are almost insulted if you do not haggle with them. You can offer a lower price, and the shopkeeper will respond with their price. The two of you can agree, and you will save money during your trip.
Visit Local Shops In Every Town
While you may want to shop in the luxury stores in Paris, you should visit small shops in every town you visit. Some French merchants have operated the same shops for hundreds of years, and you need to see their beautiful stores. These shops are fun places to go when you are looking for handcrafted items, and you might find something that you can keep in your home after the trip.
Some merchants make their own clothing, shoes, and accessories. You can buy handmade items that you cannot get from the fashion houses in Paris.
Try The Wine
You should try the wine when you go to France. The Bordeaux and Champagne regions of the country produce wine throughout the year, and there are regions in Alsace that border Germany where grapes are grown. You can take a tour of the vineyards of France, and you can buy wine for good prices. Wine is so abundant in France that you can buy from merchants in the big cities for low prices, or you can take a tour of a vineyard that will negotiate a good price for each bottle.
Try To Spend Your Euros Before Coming Home
You can never be sure if you will get a good exchange rate on your Euros when you come home. Try to spend as much of your money as you can, or use the extra cash for tips. When you get home, you may not have time to exchange your cash. Your best bet is to exchange your money at the airport before you fly back. However, this is not the most exciting thing to do at the airport during an international vacation.
Where Should You Go?
If you are looking for shopping havens throughout France, you can try several different cities like Strasbourg, Nice, Bordeaux, Toulouse, Nice, and Nantes. Each city has a central market area where you can find luxury stores and local merchants. You can visit several shopping avenues in Paris, or you can focus on the shops in the Golden Triangle.
This expanse of shops is the most famous in all of Paris, and you can look through stores the likes of which you have never seen before. You can go to Vendome or Saint-Honore if you would like to see how the high society citizens of Paris live. Plus, you should go to the Eiffel Tower to visit the gift shop. No French vacation is complete without a souvenir from the Eiffel Tower.
Conclusion
When you are traveling to France, you must prepare yourself for a trip filled with shopping and adventure. You can travel through many streets in Paris where you will see luxury stores and sophisticated people. You can travel to the countryside to shop for wine and cheese. Plus, you can shop with local merchants in every village you find. Negotiate as many prices as you can while traveling through France, and try to get as much cheap wine as you can fit in your bag. Cash is king when shopping in the world’s most glamorous country.
