3 Best Sights in Paris, France

Encompassing a trio of upscale department stores (Printemps Mode, Printemps Beauté-Maison-Enfant, and Printemps Homme), this vast, venerable retailer has been luring shoppers since 1865 and has lately upped its glamour quotient with a series of elegant storewide restorations. Besides the clothes, shoes, housewares, and everything else, there are appealing dining options here. Two floors of the main building (Printemps Homme) have been completely renovated and are now home to Printemps du Goût, a celebration of French cuisine. If you are a do-it-yourselfer, you can find the best of French foodstuffs on the seventh floor. But if you want to eat in style while taking in spectacular views, either from inside via floor-to-ceiling windows or outside on the wraparound terrace, continue on to the eighth floor, where noted chefs and food artisans—including master cheese-maker Laurent Dubois, chef pâtissier Nina Métayer, and artisanal baker Gontran Cherrier—oversee a gourmet cornucopia. You can also opt for a leisurely shopping break at La Brasserie Printemps, under the famous stained-glass cupola, or the magnificent terrace of restaurant Perruche, with 360-degree views over Paris. Shoppers will be pleased to know that Paris's grand department stores are now open Sunday.

The stunning Byzantine glass coupole (dome) of the city's most famous department store is not to be missed. Amble to the center of the main store, amid the perfumes and cosmetics, and look up. If you're not in the mood for shopping, visit the (free) first-floor Galerie des Galeries, an art gallery devoted to fashion, applied arts, and design; or have lunch at one of the restaurants, including a rooftop bar and restaurant in the main store—it has some of the best panoramic views of the city. On your way down, the top floor of the main store is a good place to pick up interesting Parisian souvenirs. Across the street in Galeries Maison, the gourmet food hall has one of the city's best selections of delicacies and several restaurants, including the elegant Maison de la Truffe lunch bar. Try a classic madeleine filled with pistachio or lemon at YC Café Yann Couvreur's popular teatime. The luxurious Bar Kaspia, under the main building's famous coupole, serves caviar and all things from the sea. Don't miss Duclot La Cave on Galeries Maison/Gourmet's first floor, where 2,500 bottles of wine from France and around the world are on display.

The English-language bookstore Shakespeare and Company is one of Paris's most eccentric and lovable literary institutions. Founded by George Whitman, the maze of new and used books has offered a sense of community (and often a bed) to wandering writers since the 1950s. The store takes its name from Sylvia Beach's original Shakespeare & Co., which opened in 1919 at 12 rue d'Odéon, welcoming the likes of Ernest Hemingway, James Baldwin, and James Joyce. Beach famously bucked the system when she published Joyce's Ulysses in 1922, but her original store closed in 1941. After the war, Whitman picked up the gauntlet, naming his own bookstore after its famous predecessor.

When Whitman passed away in 2011, heavy-hearted locals left candles and flowers in front of his iconic storefront. He is buried in the literati-laden Père-Lachaise cemetery; however, his legacy lives on through his daughter Sylvia, who runs the shop and welcomes a new generation of Paris dreamers. Walk up the almost impossibly narrow stairs to the second floor and you'll still see laptops and sleeping bags tucked between the aging volumes and under dusty daybeds; it's sort of like a hippie commune. A revolving cast of characters helps out in the shop or cooks meals for fellow residents. They're in good company; Henry Miller, Samuel Beckett, and William Burroughs are among the famous writers to benefit from the Whitman family hospitality.

Today, you can still count on a couple of characters lurking in the stacks, a sometimes spacey staff, the latest titles from British presses, and hidden secondhand treasures in the odd corners and crannies. Check the website for readings and workshops throughout the week.