Paris is known around the world for having first-class shopping on nearly every street. Paris is also home to some of the finest clothing and bag makers. Thus, goods can be expensive, but chic and unique.

If you're a dedicated shopper, you should know that Paris also has biannual sales, in which nearly every store significantly marks down their merchandise up to 90% off for two weeks at a time. These sales take place in January and June, so make sure to mark your calendars and save up your fine shopping dollars so that you can take advantage of these limited-time opportunities.

Here's an overview of some of the most popular shopping districts:

Champs-Elysees: The Champs-Elysees is the widest street in the world, spanning over eight lanes in the center of Paris. The street is lined on either side with some of the finest boutiques in the world, offering clothing, jewelry, handbags and designer fashion. Chanel, Gap and Louis Vuitton are among the storefronts selling their high-end wares.

The Opera district his home to the Galleries Lafayette and Printemps, two of the world's most recognizable department stores. Residents and tourists alike enjoy sitting in on a free fashion show at the Galleries and wondering the isles of lingerie, perfume and fine clothes. Each building also hosts a rooftop deck coffee shop, which offers a view of the entire city.

Les Halles is a popular indoor mall near Centre Pompidou. Here, shoppers wonder from shop to shop while staying out of inclement weather and rain. The Metro also stops at Les Halles, making transportation to and from the shopping Mecca fast and easy. Above ground, shoppers can wonder the streets nearby, which are also famous for their plentiful shopping opportunities. Rue de Rivoli, a famous shopping street that stretches across the entire right bank of Paris, cuts right alongside Les Halles.

Rue d l'Universite, while not being a particularly plentiful shopping street, is the main artery for many of Paris's more unique shopping boutiques. The street is in a more residential district, so many of the shoppers are store hopping to gather groceries. Shoppers can spend an afternoon filling their sacks with cheeses from the cheese specialty shop before heading onto the fruit stand and butcher. Prepare to spend some time store hopping, as the popular French shopping method is not known for its convenience and speed. It does, however, ensure high-quality products that are fresh.

La Defense is the contemporary area to the west of Paris-proper that provides popular shopping for both urban Parisians as well as suburban Parisians. Many suburban Parisians make la Defense their shopping headquarters because the galleria holds a Metro, RER and SNCF station, making transportation of groceries simple and efficient for workers heading home after work.

Boulevard du Raspail hosts a large open-air market every Saturday morning. Artists, farmers, antique dealers and the like divide the market two sections: one side for food, such as produce and the other into non-edible items such as paintings and furniture. Submitted 24/7/08 by Larry::

In the shopping section of Paris, I think, but am not 100% sure, that the two months in which big sales occur are January and July.

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