Le Passage du Havre

This St. Lazare area is known mostly for the big French department stores of Au Printemps and Galeries Lafayette who have their main branches nearby. But once you've had your fill of those, it's worth trekking around the corner to this little indoor shopping mall, a converted Passage. Paris is riddled with « passages » which are traditionally indoor walkways often built between buildings. They are forerunners, if you will, to indoor shopping malls. This one, Passage du Havre, has been top-to-bottom renovated. There is also a FNAC for the electronic gadget-geeks among you, a Sephora and an Yves Rocher for the ladies looking to stock up on beauty supplies. And there's even a Louis Pion for the luxury inclined. The only suprises you'll get here are how big and spacious the interior is and how lovely it is to enjoy escalators that actually work.