This mall was right across the street from my hotel and after having checked in to my hotel and…read morewandered in here in need of a coffee/snack, and having just arrived in the area I was very pleasently surprised to see that the mall offers free wifi. My excitment was dimmed a little though when I found out that the wifi was not that reliable, my email would be working fine but trying to load facebook or just a browser seemed to ellicit error messages or would be extremely slow. Nevertheless I got through emails which was enough with the odd window of reliable wifi providing me access to facebook and Yelp. And the free wifi is a huge reason I give this location 3 stars (more like 3.5) because nothing in the mall really makes it stand out, hardly anyone was fluent in English (except for one barista at the Starbucks). Even the woman at the information counter could not converse in English when I tried to figure out where to get a sim for my phone. Speaking of which, a minor moment I'm proud is how I managed to get myself a prepaid plan for a week with an attendant that did not speak English well, but he was very friendly despite that being the last day he was working there before moving to Paris (yes we even managed to have small talk, because he was glad to try his English out). The mall is great option for a quick snack, I would not recommend eating at any of the restaurants in here (I might even go as far as to say that the McDonalds here would be the best food option) but I did see a sushi stand that looked like it could be all right. They don't see a lot of tourists in this area so I can't blame them for not being well equipped with a blundering tourists like myself managing to blend in, but the mall is at a very convenient location, not more than a 5 minute walk from the metro station and it seems to have any store that one would need for their daily life and it's clean, pretty and a nice place to come in for an escape from the elements especially thanks to their wifi.

This is an atypical spot for shopping/dining/etc in Paris. We just happened to be at a hotel…read moreacross the street and stopped in. There are lots of little shops for kitchen ware and home decor, a huge place called Truffault for arts/crafts/gardening supplies/plants/pets/decor and several really nice little shops for chocolates and cookies. The hidden gem here is a large grocery store with beautiful local produce, staples, and chocolates for the holidays at very reasonable prices. Instead of 2 euros for one apple, you can get a whole 5 pound bag for 2.49 E. That was fun! If you drive, there is a 2hr free space under the building. If you come by train, take the RER B to the LaPlace stop, its a short walk up the street from it. The station is clean, with friendly staff. No weirdos hanging out there. This is actually a very nice and quiet area just out of the hustle and bustle of Paris!

Our daughter wanted to visit a Parisian flea market, so we stopped by earlier today…read more This flea market was a short uber ride from our hotel at the other end of the 14th arrondissement; we arrived around 11 am and stayed past 1. The market is not very big - vendors get set up along a couple of streets. It helps to speak a little bit of French, which then allows them to speak a little bit of English. Some vendors can be rude or aggressive, and can inflate prices when they realize you're not a local. But most of the ones we encountered were fair, helpful and kind. The girls bought some things, as did I. There is an excellent and inexpensive Viennoiserie at the peripherique end of the marché aux puces, opposite the Novotel. We had sandwiches and drinks and desserts there before taking an uber back to our hotel. Enjoy!

A good sized, enjoyable flea market - way less intimidating than Cligancourt and much better prices…read moretoo. The "stuff" part of antiques, vintage etc is about 4 blocks long and at the end of that there are a few blocks of used clothing. The day I visited there was a lot of vintage books, cool costume jewelry and miscellaneous household items. What there wasn't a lot of is tourists, the crowd is mostly local. That's nice but if you are a tourist you must behave properly. That means saying "hello" and "goodbye" if you enter a stall, not touching/pawing merchandise without permission and having some basic french at your disposal. My mom did not follow these rules and she didn't buy anything because prices magically skyrocketed for her. Be polite, and you'll score some good deals and bring home a truly authentic souvenir.

I founds two great bargains at Cacharel and a great skirt at Sonia Rykiel. There's lot of great…read moreFrench brands and fun children's stores. The Prices in this area are great. Another great street, is rue Mesley for shoes, over 50 stores I found the info at http://www.myweekin.net

Not easily designated on a map, and it doesn't look like much from the street either, but the…read morecurious and creative will make their way inside to discover what delights can be found. A vintage thrift shop with everything from clothing to music to furniture. Artist studios for working and occasionally open for retail. A restaurant with bar and vegetarian options. A gallery space and event space for classes and larger community events. Wander in and keep wandering- the space unfolds the more you wander.

From the owner: Et si, au lieu de les murer, on utilisait avec audace et générosité les lieux temporairement…read moreinoccupés ? Les Grands voisins, c'est la démonstration qu'en plein centre de Paris, il est possible de faire exister, pendant quelques années, un espace multiple dont l'ambition centrale est le bien commun. Loger des personnes démunies, accueillir des associations et entreprises solidaires, favoriser la présence d'artisans et de créateurs, partager des outils et des espaces de travail, créer un parc public d'un genre nouveau, avec des activités pédagogiques, culturelles et sportives, ouvertes aux résidents, comme aux riverains et aux touristes. Bienvenue chez Les Grands voisins ! Dans l'ancien hôpital Saint-Vincent-de-Paul, bientôt transformé en quartier de ville ouvert et connecté, venez faire l'expérience d'une autre manière d'habiter la ville.

Italie 2 is a nice, medium-sized shopping mall right next to Place d'Italie. It's one of those…read moretypes of malls that have everything you could possibly think of, and if you'd need to, you could stay in for a week and you wouldn't have a shortage of anything. Italie 2 has a large Parisian supermarket (buy fresh shrimp by the kilo!), coffee bars, toy stores, fashion outlets and even a Sephora (small tip - this Sephora has prices lower than the flagship store on the Champs-Élysées). Italie 2 is a nice place to go shopping if you'd like to save some cash and are searching for some gifts for back home.

Eh, it's a shopping mall. Nothing to write home about. The…read morepros: -it's clean 1you will find most major shops including Zara, fnac, Sephora, printemps, Franck provost + a few other hair salons, shoe stores, etc -conveniently located right at place D'italie metro stop -the cmg sports club gym is right there! -they often have special offers and coupon booklets exclusive to the shops in the mall -there's car parking and bike stands nearby The cons: -it's a little on the small side -you maybe won't find all the shops you want -it's not impressive -you have to pay money to use the bathroom (although that's pretty standard in France, but still I'm allowed to gripe about it. I have a small bladder and that requires a certain budget in France) -lacking a food court -you always get harassed by people representing charities up front asking you to donate money to their cause