France: souvenirs
France shops beautifully at every budget - the trick is buying where locals buy, not on the Champs-Elysees. Here is what travellers bring home from France, where the good versions live, and the export questions worth a look - alongside our 446 written places.
The classic buys
Marseille and savon soaps
Real savon de Marseille is stamped into the block and lists only olive or vegetable oil - supermarkets and soap shops in the south sell it for a fraction of boutique prices.
Lavender from Provence
Sachets, essential oil and dried bunches from market stalls around the Luberon and Sault - buy where the label names the farm.
Mustard and sea salt
Dijon mustard in stoneware pots and fleur de sel from Guerande or the Camargue - grocery-store versions are the ones French kitchens actually use.
Wine and regional food
A bottle from the region you visited beats a famous label - caves cooperatives sell well and cheaply. Canned confit, tapenade and calissons travel safely.
Perfume
Grasse is the historical home - factory outlets of the old houses sell scents you will not find in duty free.
Flea-market finds
Brocantes and the Saint-Ouen puces in Paris for old linen, cafe china and enamel signs - haggling is expected, gently.
Check before you buy
- Old books, paintings and anything plausibly antique may need an export certificate above certain age and value thresholds - ask the dealer and check the official customs rules.
- Wine and spirits are limited by your home country's duty-free allowance - check yours before buying a case.
- Cheese travels, but many countries outside Europe ban unpasteurised dairy at the border - check what your home country lets in.
✗ Better left behind
- Ivory in any form, however old the shop claims it is - trade is tightly restricted.
- Eiffel-tower keyrings from street sellers - the market stalls and museum shops are better value and legal.
Markets shift, workshops close and open, and the best souvenir is still the one with a story you were there for. Buy from makers where you can, keep receipts for anything substantial, and when a deal feels too good, it usually is.