Le Bon Marché is the world’s first modern department store, opened in 1852 at 24 Rue de Sèvres in Paris’s 7th arrondissement. Now owned by LVMH, it draws a largely Parisian, fashion-literate crowd to the quieter Left Bank for designer apparel, beauty, homewares and some of the city’s best food shopping (Open Travel Guide).
The architecture is reason enough to come. Glazed roofs flood the central atrium with daylight, and structural work is attributed to Gustave Eiffel’s firm. Andrée Putman’s crisscrossing white escalators from 1989 rise through the middle of the space and make the building’s most photographed view (par.is). The floors hold carefully edited womenswear, menswear, shoes, leather goods, lingerie, children’s fashion and a large beauty hall. Next door, La Grande Épicerie de Paris stocks fine French cheeses, pastries, wines and pantry goods that make good gifts.
Visitor Highlights & Practical Info
The store is open Monday to Saturday from 10am to 7:45pm and Sunday from 11am to 7:45pm. Entry is free, and these hours were verified on 30 September 2026 (par.is). Arrive at opening on a weekday for the calmest atrium. Saturday afternoons and the December holiday displays bring the heaviest crowds. Non-EU visitors should bring their passport to claim the tax refund on purchases. Sèvres–Babylone station on Métro lines 10 and 12 stops directly opposite the entrance (RATP). Afterward, take a break in Square Boucicaut across the street, or walk ten minutes north to Saint-Germain-des-Prés.
