Rue de Rennes

If you are visiting Paris, you can't miss Rue de Rennes, and you won't, since it is close to the Montparnasse Tower. You certainly have planned on visiting this area, simply add a shopping experience. That day, instead of stopping at Montparnasse tube station, which must be the most labyrinthic station of Paris, stop at St-Placide (one stop before) or St-Sulpice (two stops before) on Line 4. You will rapidly reach the Montparnasse Tower on foot, while enjoying a unique french shopping experience. Rue de Rennes is one of the most famous shopping streets in Paris. A piece of advice : schedule your shopping day during the week if you can. You will find all types of medium-budget shops, from the most well-knows brands (Levis, Benetton, H&M, Naf Naf, Morgan, Esprit, etc.) to independent shopkeepers (leather shops, cafés, brasserie-type bars, newspaper kiosks, etc.). The latter give Paris the atmosphere for which the city is known. On the way, you will encounter star-like crossroads, which highlight the beauty of Haussmanian Buildings. In these places, don't de distracted by the scenery, you will have several roads to cross, although you want to go straight on; and most Parisian drivers are intolerant… C'est la vie ! By reaching the end of Rue de Rennes, the smell of crêpes will tempt you until you crack up. It is a good thing, since you will always remember the crêpes made at "A la Dûchesse Anne" restaurant. It's part of the shopping experience, voilà !

I was told this was where normal Parisians—that is, Parisians with budgets that aren’t necessarily a footballers salary or privileged with a high-paying corruption deal—shop. My informers were correct, the prices here are perfectly reasonable, and there’s enough variety in stores to make this street worth a trip. We spent an afternoon here store-hopping and spending together less than half a designer scarf at Hermes—this street is definitely more Euro-stretching than its high-end counterpart! There are also a few cafes to stop by and have a noisette pick-me-up following a day at the racks.

The rue de Rennes is great for shopping like the locals do: there's a wide variety of stores and you're bound to find one to your liking. Also, it is in one of the best neighborhoods in Paris; not far from this street is the very famous and high end Bon Marche mall and its gourmet food store. Furthermore, you'll find chic cafes, bistros, and patisseries at every corner. Lastly, the rue de Renne's major advantage is that it is more authentic and a lot less crowded than similar shopping locations like the Champs-Elysees.

Whether you are a serious shopper or not, anyone can appreciate the shopping along Rue de Rennes. Fabulous stores and fabulous people-watching. If you can't afford to shop at any of the stores, you can probably afford a latte at one of the nearby elegant cafes, and you can definitely afford to window shop. While some of the brands are ones you would also find on Rodeo Drive, Fifth Avenue, etc, there are many French brands that may be new finds for you. I particularly enjoyed wandering off of Rue de Rennes on to some of the smaller streets/alleys in the area and shopping there. Splurge on a few things - you won't regret it, and will think of your time in Paris every time you wear them. If you happen to be in Paris around Christmas-time, definitely make sure you make it over to this area. The sophisticated, festive decorations in the windows are some of the best I've seen in any city.