Bonjour!! During my recent travel to Germany, I had to wait for 5 hours at Paris Charles De Gaulle (CDG) airport for my next connecting flight. Instead of whiling away time, i decided to do something worthwhile. Shopping at Paris duty free shops.
Shopping at Paris duty free shops is fun
There are a lot of things to buy which might not be available outside or as it happened with me, i could not go outside. There are products from local brands which are actually big brands in other countries. Then there are those imported cutesy Korean products and not to mention, the adorable Chinese thingies with cute little pandas on them. I confess, I binge shopped. And I have prepared a list of the best things that i saw and bought from Paris duty free shops. Here it goes.
Perfumes – first and foremost
French perfumes are undeniably exotic. The French do it best. If you are as unlucky as me, being in Paris but not out there exploring, this is your best bet to stash perfumes. You can get the best of the Parisian French brands at cheaper prices because they are tax free. Most luxury brands have assortment of miniature bottles of their best perfumes for sale. These miniatures are hands down cheaper. It is ideal for gifting and personal use, definitely under budget. Perfumes from Givenchy, Guerlain, Lancome, Chanel are worth buying.
Liquor
Especially wine is another must buy at Paris duty free shops. Also, Jagermeister, originally a digestiff and major ingredient of the famous Jager Bomb cocktail, is another good option to buy. My advise on this would be to look for offers. I bought a combo set of 1 litre bottle plus 3 metallic shot glasses. I compared the price of the combo set with a plain 1 litre bottle at the same shop. The price was same. Yay, i got 3 shot glasses absolutely free.
Macarons
French macarons are as delicious as they are famous. One of the best things in the Paris duty free shops is that they sell packed macarons. This means you can savor it later on your journey back.
Cosmetics
I found some nice, tropical flavors of lip gloss and balms that I immediately added to the cart. Also, I did buy a pair of eOS (Evolution of Smooth) lip balms though they are an US brand and not French. I could not resist buying a travel pack of heavenly smelling, floral and fruity, assorted hand creams from popular french brand L’Occitane. There were Asian cosmetics too.
Souvenirs for takeaway
I am a fan of the Eiffel tower. So i collected Eiffel tower key chains, Eiffel tower fridge magnets and postcards too. My home now looks like a page from a Paris tourist hand book.
Chocolates
Chocolates are common yet compulsory things to buy. Toblerone, Maltesers, Lindt, Ferrero are common European brands of chocolate that taste great. I got myself a box of assorted Lindt chocolates.
Last but not the least
This post is an expression of my shopping experience, excitement and enthusiasm at the Paris duty free shops. Hope this helps you some day.
feature picture courtesy Photo by Amy Shamblen on Unsplash
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