Bazaar Hotel de Ville - (BHV), Paris

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The BHV (roughly pronounced bay-ash-vay in French) acronym for Bazar de l'Hotel de Ville, so named because it sits across from the Hotel de Ville, the city hall of Paris, is one of four of le grands magasins (major department stores in Paris) along with Galeries Lafayette, Printemps and the Bon Marché.

It's located in the Marais across the street from the beautiful massive Hôtel de Ville with an architecture that blends in with the neighborhood.

Betcha didn't know this was originally named Bazar Napoléon! There's a story, possibly apocryphal, that Napoléon III rewarded original owner, Xavier Ruel, because he reportedly saved Empress Eugenie when her horses bolted in front of the store!

What to buy: I had bought a few too many souvenirs in Paris and needed a bag to transport them back home. My good friend, MadAboutParis, loves to shop there and advised me that I could find an inexpensive bag there! The soldes (bi-annual sales) were going on so I popped in and found a cool retro/punk black & yellow bag for just 15€. Fait accompli!

Photos: February 2006

BHV.. my current favourite place to shop in when i'm in Paris.... you can find practically anything you wanna get from here...there are alot of beautiful ornaments which you can decorate you house with too... during my previous trip in paris... out of my 10 days stay in there... i've already spent 4 days in here :p
Wish i could bring it back to Singapore!

What to buy: Anything

What to pay: at least 10 euro

Super department store: Bazar de l'Hôtel de Ville, or BHV.

Bring the whole family.
Start in the basement, which is filled to the brim with everything hardware related including everything possible
for your wine cellar!From accessories for your wine cellar to power tools to metal house number signs, it's all here.

The remaining seven (7) floors have everything else you might want in a department store.
There is a cafeteria on the fifth floor, but it has recently changed, and not as good as before, but ok.
Fantastic view of Paris and surprisingly good food for bargain prices.

Metro: Hotel de Ville – you can exit directly into the basement of the store.

Take the bus! I know everyone, including me, loves the metro, but taking the bus will elevate you to super-tourist status. First, no stairs to climb, and second, buses often take you exactly where you need to go without making any changes – unlike the metro. And of course, you get to see all the beauty of Paris as you ride along, as opposed to the inside of a dark tunnel!

The bus and metro systems accept the same tickets and passes, so there's no excuse not to try one.
My favorite buses:
1.the 30 to Arc de Triomphe and the Eiffel Tower
2. the 74 and 67 to Hôtel de Ville (BHV department store, shopping, and a quick walk to both the heart of the Marais and Notre Dame),
3. the 95 to the Louvre and St.-Germain-des-Prés

So, now that you're into the bus system, take the 95 to the end of the line to Porte de Vanves, where you can visit a weekend flea market with items you can not only afford but actually bring home in your suitcase! You'll find a good bit of junk here, in the best sense of the word. Kitchen stuff, old pictures, trinkets, small ceramic items, jewelry, records, wallets, clothing, stuff and things. Every weekend, try to arrive by 10 a.m., 11 a.m. at the latest. Located on avenues Georges Lafenestre and Marc Sangnier.

Bazaar Hotel de la Ville is a hardware store, a kitchen store, a home improvement store, a department store. It is an EVERYTHING store. It gets its name from its location near the Paris City Hall.

What to buy: I wanted to buy some knobs for my kitchen cupboards, but they didn't have enough:((( So I consoled myself with a small Alsace-style baking dish, some dish towels and a few other kitchen items.

What to pay: Price are reasonable compared to other more upscale specialty shops.

BHV is not a high-end department store by no means. In the US the closest description I can think of is that BHV resembles Sears Roebuck. They sell men and women's clothing and accessories. The offerings are pretty basic choices. When compared with Galeries Lafayette, well, there really isn't much similarity in the choices. But BHV is very famous for their hardware (!) and home decor departments.

What to buy: If you're looking for hardware and home decor there is an extensive selection.

What to pay: Depends on what you buy

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BMV departmental store,i find prices here littel less comparing to Galeries lafayette.

Hardware department one section ..
Seems to be crowded always.

What to buy: Cosmetics,perfumes,household items,hardware .
Wednesday&Friday the timing 9.30 am to 8.30pm..other days it closes 7 pm..