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France Information · Joined: 21 Oct 2006 Posts: 33 Home Country: france

SHOPPING IN FRANCE (LYON & MARSEILLE)

LYON

The third-largest city in France offers a full retail array. For boutiques, art galleries, and artists' studios, head to Vieux Lyon and the area around rue de la République, rue Victor Hugo, rue Mercière, and quai St-Antoine. Antiques dealers concentrate around rue Auguste-Comte as it approaches place Bellecour. Also consider venturing to the Cité des Antiquaires, 117 bd. Stalingrad (tel. 04-72-69-00-00), with more than 100 dealers spread over two floors, and merchandise from the 18th century to the 1950s. It's open Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday 10am to 7pm; July and August Sunday hours are 9:30am to 1pm.

Lyon is a bastion of fashion. The densest concentrations of retail shops are along rue Emile Zola, rue de Presidént-Herriot, and place Kléber. For chic women's couture that rivals anything you'll find in Paris, try George Rech, 59 rue du Président-Herriot (tel. 04-78-37-82-90). More than 300 shops and boutiques fill the largest shopping centre in Lyon, the Centre Commercial de la Part-Dieu, 17 rue du Dr. Bouchut (tel. 04-72-60-60-62). Although Lyon is not the major silk centre that it used to be, it is home to several silk manufacturers. You'll see a good selection of silk scarves, ties, sashes, and squares at Hermès, 96 rue du Président-Herriot (tel. 04-78-42-25-14).

Bernachon, 42 cours Franklin-Roosevelt (tel. 04-78-24-37-98), is home to Lyon's best chocolates and pastries. Here you'll find 30 varieties of bite-size pastries known as mini-gâteaux, 30 varieties of petits fours, and even dark, rich chocolates lightly dusted with 24-karat gold. The Bernachon store houses a small restaurant and tearoom, Bernachon Passion.

MARSEILLE

Only Paris and Lyon can rival Marseille in breadth and diversity of merchandise. Your best bet is a trip to the Vieux Port and the streets surrounding it for a view of the folkloric objects that literally pop out of the boutiques.

Art & Antiques

The sunlight of Provence has always been cited by artists for its luminosity, and so Marseille has a handful of well-respected art galleries. Antiques from around Provence are sold at Antiquités François-Décamp, 302 rue Paradis (tel. 04-91-81-18-00).

Fashion

You don't normally think of Marseille as a place to shop for fashion, but the local fashion industry is booming. The fashion centre is found along cours Julien, where you'll find dozens of boutiques and ateliers. Much of the clothing reflects North African influences, although there is a vast array of French styles as well.

For hats, at Felio, 4 place Gabriel-Péri (tel. 04-91-90-32-67), you'll find large-brimmed numbers that would've thrilled ladies of the belle époque or guests at a stylish wedding inspired in the 1920s by Lanvin. It also carries a selection of casquettes Marseillaises (developed for men as protection from the soleil du Midi) and berets that begin at 23€.

Folklore & Souvenirs

Especially popular are the santons (carved wooden crèche figurines). The best place for acquiring these artifacts is just above the Vieux Port, behind the Théâtre National de la Criée. At Ateliers Marcel Carbonel, 47 rue Neuve-Ste-Catherine (tel. 04-91-54-26-58), more than 600 figures, available in half a dozen sizes, sell at prices beginning at 9€.

All the souvenir shops along the pedestrian rue St-Féréol, running perpendicular to La Canebière, sell folkloric replicas of handicrafts from Old Provence, including the cream-coloured or pale-green bars of the city's local soap, savon de Marseille. Infused with a healthy dollop of olive oil, it's known for its kindness to skin dried out by the sun and mistral. A large selection is available at La Savonnerie du Sérail, 50 bd. Anatole de la Forge (tel. 04-91-98-28-25).

Food & Chocolate

At Amandine, 69 bd. Eugène-Pierre (tel. 04-91-47-00-83), a photograph or a work of graphic art can be reproduced in various shades of chocolate on top of a delicious layer cake in any flavor you specify in advance. If you don't happen to have your scrapbook with you, you can buy a cake emblazoned with scenes of the Vieux Port or whatever. More traditional pastries and chocolates are found at Puyricard, 25 rue Francis-Davso (tel. 04-91-54-26-25), with another location at 155 rue Jean-Mermoz (tel. 04-91-77-94-11). The treats available here include chocolates stuffed with almond paste (pâté d'amande) or confits de fruits, along with a type of biscuit called une Marseillotte.

Since medieval times, Marseille has thrived on the legend of Les Trois Maries -- three saints named Mary who, assisted by awakened-from-the-dead St. Lazarus, reportedly came ashore at a point near Marseille to Christianize ancient Provence. In commemoration of their voyage, small boat-shaped cookies called les navettes are flavored with secret ingredients (that include orange zest, orange-flower water, and sugar); they are forever associated with Marseille. You can find them throughout the city, notably at Le Four des Navettes, 136 rue Sainte (tel. 04-91-33-32-12). It opened in 1791 and is dedicated to perpetuating the city's most cherished medieval myth and ferociously guarding the secret of how the pastries are made. The boat-shaped cookies are sold for 7.20€ per dozen.

One of the city's most sophisticated emporiums for takeout food is La Fromagerie Marrou, 2 bd. Baille (tel. 04-91-78-17-68). Established in 1902 and known as one of the most comprehensive upscale food stores in Marseille, it sells more than just cheeses: meats, baked goods, deli items, wines, liqueurs, foie gras, and caviar. With a main branch at 2 bd. Baille, the shop maintains secondary branches at 475 rue Paradis and 15 place Castellane.