Q – My seventeen year-old daughter, her best friend, and I are off to Paris in six weeks for a shopping splurge the likes of which Westport, Connecticut has never seen. Wondering if you could give us your best tip to really take advantage of the best designs at the best prices. We’ll have ten days in the city. My husband and I refer to your Q and A frequently and hope that you all just keep doing what you’re doing. You’re helping lots of us make better travel decisions.
A – Our best advice is to take one complete day and get out of Paris. You will want to do as Parisian insiders do, grboard one of the the three daily buses that depart from just near the Louvre to La Vallee Village, a part of the Chic Outlet Shopping empire of nine discount outlets within Europe. Here, just off the A4 to the east of Paris, about forty-five minutes away, is the small village of Serris, home to France’s top designer-centric, deluxe discount shopping mall. If you’ve heard of a famed rench designer back home, chances are they are represented here in an outlet store with some rather amazing saviongs. You can plan on saving a minimum of one-third off current Paris prices. But you will also be able to save 19.6% VAT on most items.
Unlike discount centers in the States, the items you see are the same materials and styles sold in Paris’ best boutiques. The French factories do not make cheaper “for discount malls only” product lines. So there are no issues with authenticity. And before you take the late afternoon bus back to Paris, you will even have time to experience your best-ever shopping mall lunch.
