Paris department stores

If you can visit only one department store in Paris, make it Le Bon Marche (24 rue de Sevres; www.lebonmarche.fr). This grande dame, with its Gustave Eiffel-designed steel and glass structure, has been serving up fineries to locals in the swanky 7th arrondissement since the mid-1800s. Expect fur-draped madames escorted to the door by their trusty chauffeurs as well as Lanvin, Stella McCartney, Miu Miu, Prada and friends. Foodies head to Le Grande Epicerie and inhale. Fashionistas consult the store's personal stylists. Buy nothing, buy everything, but take your time: this is a people-watching destination like no other.

Galeries Lafayette (above; 40 Boulevard Haussmann; www.galerieslafayette.com) is as much a tourist attraction for its stunning art nouveau design and mammoth domed atrium as it is a consumer paradise. At 3J, its annual three-day (trois jours) sale, vast quantities of goods are up for grabs.

Good things come in threes. The Au Printemps flagship department store (64 Boulevard Haussmann; www.printemps.com) is so extensive it needs three buildings - the Printemps de la Mode, de l'Homme and de la Beaute Maison. Any girl worth her weight in Christian Louboutins will go directly to the luxury first floor of the building dedicated to fashion, hand over her credit card and let the stylists do the walking. Then, there's the decadent Tea Salon, the Paul Smith-designed World Bar for mid-shop martinis, 'Be', the Alain Ducasse bakery for brioche, and the Brasserie Printemps, where shoppers can dine under the stained-glass Haussmann dome, built in 1923.