PARIS CITY GUIDE - VINTAGE, ANTIQUES, EATS & ESSENTIALS

A practical, design-forward Paris guide for flea-market lovers, antique hunters, chic eaters, and confident wanderers.

HAND-PICKED BY HEIDI

VINTAGE, THRIFT & ANTIQUES (HOME GOODS + KNICK-KNACKS)

Flea Markets (Best for Small Finds)

• Marché aux Puces de Vanves - a Heidi favorite

Calmer than Saint-Ouen; excellent vendors sourcing from the South of France.

Sat–Sun | 8:30–11:30am

• Marché aux Puces de Saint‑Ouen

Massive; focus on Vernaison for small décor and objects.

Sat–Sun | Go early

• Marché d’Aligre

Food market + brocante energy; everyday Paris objects.

Thrift & True Bargains

• Emmaüs Défi — furniture, lamps, dishes, décor

• Emmaüs Riquet — great for home goods

• Croix‑Rouge Boutique — smaller décor finds

Curated Antique & Home Shops

• Vintage Home Paris — tabletop, styling pieces

• L’Objet qui Parle — soulful furniture & objets

• Brocante Joli Hasard — classic French brocante

• Maison Le Doré — charming small antiques

• Village Suisse — many dealers, lots of small items

• E Dehillerin - supplying chefs in Paris since 1820

Vintage Clothing (Often Home Bits Too)

• Thanx God I’m a VIP

• Free’P’Star

• Kilo Shop

• Chercheminippes

⸻

SHOPPING WITH A GUIDE - ANTIQUES DIVA

Antiques Diva: Private, professional flea-market sourcing.

https://antiquesdiva.com/

Why it’s worth it

• Deep knowledge of Saint-Ouen, Vanves & lesser markets

• Fluent French/English negotiation

• Dealer relationships = access + fair pricing

• VAT + export paperwork help

• Shipping coordination

Best for designers, collectors, resellers, serious shoppers.

Booking tip: Email with dates, wish-list, budget range, and shipping comfort.

⸻

FLEA MARKET ETIQUETTE & HAGGLING

Always greet: Bonjour Madame / Monsieur

Ask price: Quel est le prix ?

Interested, not ready: Je réfléchis, je reviens.

Trade price (use sparingly): C’est le prix marchand ?

Haggling

• Be polite and calm

• Expect 5–15% flexibility

• Bundle items for better pricing

• Walk once, buy on the second pass

Never

• Haggle aggressively

• Compare dealers out loud

• Photograph without asking

• Tip at flea markets

⸻

GETTING AROUND, TIPPING & TOOLS

Taxi App (Preferred)

• G7 Taxi — more reliable and polished than Uber

Tipping

• Restaurants/cafés: service included → round up or 5–10% max

• Bars: round up

• Taxis: round up or €1–2

• Flea markets: no tipping

Essential Downloads

• G7 Taxi

• Google Maps - download the Paris city map for offline use

• WhatsApp

• Currency converter

• Notes app (dealer names, prices, stall locations)

⸻

WHERE I LIKE TO EAT & DRINK

Chic Drinks

• Hôtel Costes — cocktails, mood, fashion crowd

Casual Classics

• Le Relais de l’Entrecôte — iconic steak frites

• Bouillon Chartier — affordable, historic (near Gare de l’Est)

French Onion Soup with a View

• Café de la Paix — by the Opéra

Le Marais Wandering

• Grab falafel at L’As du Fallafel

• Merci - beautiful boutique stop

Higher-End / Special

• Rooster Batignolles — refined, book ahead

• Caviar Kaspia

⸻

WHERE TO STAY (BEST BASES)

Neighborhoods

• Le Marais (3rd/4th) — vintage shops, cafés, walkable

• Saint-Germain-des-Prés (6th) — antiques, galleries, classic Paris

• 2nd Arrondissement — central, food + design

• Batignolles (17th) — local, elegant, quieter

Favorite Hotels

• Le Pavillon de la Reine

• Hôtel Providence

• Madame Rêve

• Saint James Paris

• Hôtel Dame des Arts

• Le Bristol Paris - Tres chic!

⸻

BRINGING TREASURES HOME

• Carry smalls, ship larges

• Nest suitcases + pack a foldable duffel

• Bundle shipments

• VAT refundable for exported goods (dealers often handle this)

⸻

THE HAND-PICKED BY HEIDI PARIS RHYTHM

My Paris Rules

Early photos → coffee standing → flea markets → casual lunch → wandering → chic drink → relaxed dinner.

Paris rewards curiosity — not rushing

When you’re moving through Paris, it helps to understand this first:
Paris is shaped like a snail, and history lives at its center.

The oldest part of Paris (the heart of the shell), the very center of the spiral is the 1st arrondissement, and just beside it sits Île de la Cité—the birthplace of Paris.

This is where it all began:

• Roman Lutetia

• Medieval Paris

• The seat of power, religion, and trade

Think:

• Stone foundations

• Narrow medieval streets

• Buildings layered century upon century

As a treasure hunter, this is where age is densest. Nothing here is accidental.

⸻

How the spiral unfolds (and why it matters)

Paris arrondissements spiral clockwise outward, like a shell growing over time.

• 1st–4th arrondissements

→ The oldest, most historic Paris

→ Royal palaces, guild streets, churches, early markets

• 5th & 6th (Left Bank)

→ Intellectual Paris

→ Writers, students, bookshops, cafés, philosophy

• 7th–9th

→ Grand Paris

→ Haussmann boulevards, apartments built for entertaining

• 10th–11th

→ Artisan + working Paris

→ Workshops, makers, emerging design energy

• 18th–20th

→ Village Paris

→ Montmartre, ateliers, studios, flea-market sensibility

The farther out you go, the younger the buildings become, and often the more experimental the energy feels.

⸻

Right Bank vs. Left Bank (the personality split)

The Seine cuts straight through the snail:

• Right Bank (north)

• Historically commerce, wealth, power

• Grand apartments, decorative arts, antiques

• My go-to for architectural details and objects with presence

• Left Bank (south)

• Intellectual, soulful, literary

• Smaller scale, quieter beauty, deeper introspection

For Hand-Picked by Heidi, I always think:

• Right Bank = objects

• Left Bank = ideas

⸻

Reading a Paris address like a local (or a picker)

Paris postal codes tell you everything.

• All Paris ZIP codes start with 750

• The last two digits = the arrondissement

Examples:

• 75001 → 1st arrondissement (oldest core)

• 75004 → Le Marais (historic Jewish quarter, hôtels particuliers)

• 75006 → Saint-Germain (Left Bank classics)

• 75018 → Montmartre (artist village energy)

Once you know this, you’ll never feel lost in Paris again!

The Heidi rule of Paris: The closer you are to the center of the snail, the more history you feel. The farther out you go, the more Paris breathes.