The FNAC chain stores form a delicious cultural institution in France. There´s a really big one near Forum des Halles.

 

Have not been to Paris for a few years, but I used to recommend "La Dame Blanche" (47 rue de la Montagne Sainte Genevieve
5), but they seem to have closed doors (or at least their web-site has, staff is very quirky, but selection was very unusual not least if You are in to vinyl), Also the Classical department of jussieu music (rue Linné) used to be well stocked (and might have closed) and La Chaumière à Musique (seems to have changed name to "Melomania" @ 38 boulevard Saint Germain) is a place I bought from on-line but never visited, but their stock has always impressed me.

The big FNAC department stores will still have a good selection, they are a sort of French Amazon (the one on Rue du Terne was well stocked)... Gibert Joseph (Blvd. St. Michel) used to have a large classical department, but I'm not sure about their status!

/ptr

 

La Chaumière à Musique (seems to have changed name to "Melomania" @ 38 boulevard Saint Germain) is a place I bought from on-line but never visited, but their stock has always impressed me.

/ptr

Melomania are excellent, although I've also only bought online. I bought Marston's Early French Tenors from them on Amazon.co.uk plus one other thing I can't remember and it arrived really fast with no skimping on packaging. I didn't know there was a bricks and mortar store too, but I'll certainly make a bee line for it if I'm ever in Paris!

 

Also, the Harmonia Mundi label tend to run their own shops, with a surprisingly large selection and bargains; there´s one at 15, Avenue de l´Opera, for example.

 

Thank you everyone. I got to one used book and cd shop (didn't find anything), maybe six blocks away from Melomania on St. Germain. That was it. Just too busy to retail.:tiphat:

 

Paris seems to be a pretty good place for used bookstores, although I didn't investigate last time I was there because I didn't start learning to read French until earlier this year. One bookshop I would like to visit is the music bookshop 'Les Muses Galantes', which somebody recommended to me when I was looking for an out of print book a while back. They didn't have that book, but I got a very prompt and helpful email from the proprietor, who was an opera singer himself and seems to be extremely knowledgeable. Anyone on here been to Les Muses Galantes before?

Sorry to hijack your thread Vaneyes. Glad you had a good trip.