Printemps Department Store

     Printemps           

For 150 years now, the area around the Opéra Garnier, a/k/a the Grands Boulevards, has been a popular shopping district for Parisians and tourists alike. Among the countless tiny shops and larger stores, there are two massive “anchor tenant” department stores: (Au) Printemps , seen here, and Galeries Lafayette, right next door (but not visible here). Each of these retail behemoths occupies several multistory buildings; this photo shows the main Printemps building.

You can find just about anything in these stores. I once saw Printemps selling new homes, complete with a full-scale model home on its roof.

Both stores have rooftop observation decks. While the exterior of Printemps is a work of art, Galeries Lafayette is famous for its gorgeous interior atrium.

There used to be more such stores elsewhere in town, but several were mismanaged into oblivion. Le Bon Marché , on the Left Bank, is still going strong, though, especially its famous gourmet food hall, La Grande Épicerie.

At Christmastime, all of these stores convert their exterior windows into elaborate animated Christmas displays.

Photographed on August 6, 2026.