Souvenir Guide: From Tote Bags to Fridge Magnets

No trip is complete without souvenirs. Shakespeare and Company has a famous one of its own: the tote bag. For 10 euros you can pick up a sturdy, pretty tote printed with an illustration of the shop. These days, though, more people buy their totes from bookshops in the Marais instead.

The best known is the Merci tote, in lovely colors but at 30 to 40 euros, enough to give you pause. Merci's cheaper bracelets are popular too: the basic red one costs 5 euros, and there are 10- and 20-euro versions. The Marais bookshop of the moment is Yvon Lambert, whose tote with "Books" across the middle runs 25 to 35 euros depending on size. Totes from ofr., with its clean design, and the free totes that A.P.C. gives away with other purchases are also big hits.

If you collect magnets, be ready to hunt around. French magnets aren't great quality yet pricey, and shops inside heritage sites cost even more. After comparing many places, the guide found the best balance of decent quality and low price at a souvenir shop in Montmartre: about 5 euros for two.

Montmartre is also a good place to buy art. There are lots of pretty postcards, and the mass-produced ones, not hand-painted by artists, go for 1 euro for five and still look good and hold up well. You can also pick up a lovely painting of Paris.