What are some gifts I can bring back from Paris?

Question

I'm going to Paris and want to bring back a few small gifts for my friends (girls). What should I bring back? Chocolates? Something around $20 or under.

Answer 1

Bring back something original and distinctly Parisian. I live in Paris and can honestly tell you that it doesn't snow much here so a snow globe isn't really representative of Paris. Nor is the Eiffel Tower; most Parisian residents don't care much for the Eiffel tower - whilst it's a dominating landmark, it's not half as impressive a structure as the Arc de Triomphe, the Louvre, Musée d'Orsay or l'Hopital des Invalides.

If you want to get something original from Paris and you don't want to pay through the nose for it then just pick up an Edith Piaf record from a street vendor on the Quais des Grands Augustins (Rive Gauche) or buy her a bottle of 1999 Chateau neuf du Pape which will set you back around 20 euros here but back in the US you'd have to pay a fortune for it.

If your girl's into Hip Hop then get her some music from the Parisian suburbs - Sonik is awesome and you can never go wrong with MC Solar; you can buy the albums in FNAC or Virgin Megastore on the Champs Elysées for around 15€.

The French presidential elections are this year and the French absolutely love their comics. There's a new comic recently released about one of the presidential candidates (in my opinion the one who will become president) and it's called La Face Karchee de Sarkozy. It's a very interesting story, pretty funny, full of references to France's relationships with the US and the UK and is particularly topical in Paris at the moment. Why not get this for someone and open their eyes to the wonderful world of right wing European politics!

Answer 2

Model Eiffel towers, or snowglobes. :)

Answer 3

a friend of mine both a little can that said "air of Paris"

it´s funny and very original

Answer 4

For my girlfriends, I brought back little mirrors.  They were square-shaped and had various covers of popular Paris landmarks - about 8 euros each in any souvenir shop.  I also got a set of pretty coasters for married friends of mine w/ different landmarks.