Hi!
My daughter (15) and I have a day in Paris while my wife and son go to Disney.
She is not interested in Disney but rather in going to Shakespeare and co. and Abbey books(?) and some cafes/chocolate/pastry shops and unique stores in the area.
Would anyone have any suggestions that are not overrun by tourists?
Thanks!
Those two locations are in tourist central. So I feel like you will see a lot of tourists everywhere but that being said about 4 minutes on foot from Abbey Bookshop, you will find Patrick Roger. If she likes clothes and accessories made in France check out L'Habit Francaise. Your daughter sounds very cool.
Edit: She may also be interested in Grim'Art Starting from Abbey Bookshop, you could walk to all the places that I mentioned in 20 minutes.
I have another suggestion: Maison Le Roux Chocolatier & Caramélier at 1 Rue de Bourbon le Château is little further maybe a 10-15 minute walk from Abbey Books. You might want to get there if you like caramels.
Shakespeare & Co is the Disney of bookstores…long line/wait to get in. I noticed when we were in Paris in April, there is an affiliated cafe or patisserie next door. But, I'm sure she will enjoy the bookstore.
Has your daughter seen the movie, Midnight in Paris? She would probably enjoy it if she’s a reader, and may also be interested in seeing some of the sites from the movie such as St Etienne, which is near my favorite patisserie, Maison Mulot. (Watch the movie yourself first to make sure it’s appropriate for her.) We saw some unique looking shops on our walk between Maison Mulot and Shakespeare & Co but didn’t go in so I can’t say for certain. But the patisserie and shops are all in the general area between Abbey Books and Shakespeare.
Have a wonderful day together! Sounds like a lovely time!
That will be a great day but if you really want to stay away from places that are overrun by tourists you'll need to get away from the Bou Mich area (unless you want to go to the Musee de Cluny) and walk across the river to the Marais, where you have the Place des Vosges, and some great museums including the Carnavalet, the Picasso, the Cognacq-Jay, the national archives, and Shoah memorial. There will probably also be something nifty happening in front of the Hotel de Ville.
Much better people watching than along the Bou Mich, imho.
I really don't understand the attraction of Shakespeare & Co. Did you not bring reading material with you? Because it's basically another chain bookstore that does have more stock than most in English (depending on the country you're in). To me, the attractive bookstores are those that deal in used books, especially in University cities, where you can actually find something unique and uncommon. Or, sometimes even better, the booksellers in the outdoor markets, where you can find almost anything.
Take your daughter to the booksellers along the Seine, and don't stand in line.
Place des Vosges is nice for walking around and shopping! We ate lunch at Carrette there and their macarons were better than Laduree. Near Shakespeare and Co (which my avid reader loved) was the original Berthillon for incredible ice cream.
Because it's basically another chain bookstore that does have more stock than most in English (depending on the country you're in)
I’m not a client, but one thing you can definitely not say about Shakespeare & Co is that it’s a chain bookstore. It’s very decidedly an independent entity, owned and run by Sylvia Whitman, who inherited it from her father George, who’s the one who started it (he named it Shakespeare & Co, of course, in honor of Sylvia Beach’s historic store . . And he named his daughter Sylvia to boot!).
Right around the corner at 63 rue Galande is Chanceux, which is a coffee shop/sandwich spot. It’s open daily 10 am to 6 pm.
(When Avi above refers to “Bou Mich,” he means the Boulevard Saint-Michel.)
To clarify Avi’s post: it’s boul Mich, not bou and it stands for Boulevard Saint Michel.
Odette's sells many flavors of macarons and is right behind Shakespeare and Company on Rue Galande. If you sit outside, you have a direct view of Notre Dame just a few meters away.
There are no hidden gems in tourist central. There are many places in Paris that make hot chocolate as good or better than Angelina for example -- without waiting in line which we are unwilling to do. This includes our favorite ordinary cafe in Butte aux Caille which paints your cup with melted chocolate which pools in the bottom and gives you a pitcher of very hot milk. If one publishes these things in a public forum, they are no longer hidden gems or personal treasures. Part of the joy of Paris is discovering them by exploring outside the center.
