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What Souvenirs Should I Bring Back from my Trip to France ?

[fa icon="calendar"] Nov 12, 2015 12:15:13 PM / by Christopher Veasey

Christopher Veasey


What Souvenirs Should I Bring Back from my Trip to France ?

If you're about to take off on a trip to France- be it to Paris, Nice, Toulouse or all of the above- chances are your freinds and family are expecting you to bring them back something French. Souvenirs can kind of be a drag if you don't think about it ahead of time and you're left spending your last day in France scrambling around trying to buy whatever seems the least tacky. Here are 5 suggestions to make souvenir-hunting as painless as possible!


1)  Macaroons. You will find these airy delicious treats all over France! Flavors ranging from your typical chocolate and strawberry to funkier fresher ones like passionfruit and lavender. They tend to be on the pricier side for what you’re getting but they’re worth the splurge. They last on average about 5 days after purchase so buy them for your family/friends back in the States on the latter half of your trip. In Paris, Ladurée is the fancy “house of macaroons” on the Champs-Élysées. Definitely not the most frugal place to hit up but you are guaranteed a bougie French experience and some of the best macaroons the country has to offer. 
What Souvenirs Should I Bring Back from my Trip to France
2)  Cheap clothing and shoes.  France is full of super expensive boutique shops with gorgeous articles of clothing that could cost you the price of your first born. Tip: avoid them. When traveling on a budget, splurging on fancy boutique shops could really screw you over later on during the trip when all you can afford to eat is day-old baguette. If you want to bring back some mode à la française, the best way to do it is by buying clothing or shoes at a cheaper French department store like Monoprix. All your friends of family will care about is that you’re bringing them back fashionable clothes from a real French store! Do they need to know that you only spent 11 euros on that shirt? Hell no! The exotic factor is the only thing that matters and they’ll be stoked to respond to people’s compliments with a phrase like “Oh this old thing? Yeah, my friend _____ bought it for me... in France!!!” 
What Souvenirs Should I Bring Back from my Trip to France
3)  Lu cookies.  Lu is a big brand in France that makes a ton of the cookies, crackers and snacks you’ll find in any given grocery store. Le Petit Ecolier is a classic plain cookie covered in rich dark or milk chocolate. Le Petit Beurre is a seemingly simple cookie, more like a biscuit but its buttery goodness is addictive. The beauty of these cookies is that they’re much cheaper than most souvenirs and you can find them in any grocery store throughout the country! A couple of euros can get you a scrumptious and authentic gift for that person back home who doesn’t quite deserve the expensive macaroons but still needs a little French something something. 
What Souvenirs Should I Bring Back from my Trip to France
4)  Pharmacy items. Now hear me out on this one. The French pharmacie is much more than your mama’s CVS. Unlike American pharmacy’s the ones in France also tend to serve as a hub of inexpensive but fancy and effective beauty products. Perfumes? Lotions? Potions? Skin care products? They have them all and a lot of them are brands you cannot find here in the U.S. so you’re truly getting your friend something that is only found in France. Look out for the neon green sign in the shape of a cross on any given street and you’ll find yourself loading up on souvenir goods at the local pharmacie
What Souvenirs Should I Bring Back from my Trip to France
5)  Mini Eiffel Tower Statue. I know this is disgustingly touristy but if you’re going for the biggest bang for your buck, this is pretty fool-proof. Anywhere in Paris you will find people selling these tiny metal Eiffel tower status about the size of an eraser. Are they tacky? Painfully so. Are they dirt cheap? Idk you tell me…you can buy about 5 for 1€!! So although I like to avoid encouraging blatant touristy actions, this is the easiest way to bring back the tiniest souvenir to hand out to multiple friends just they know you didn’t forget them on your big French adventure!   
What Souvenirs Should I Bring Back from my Trip to France


Well there you have it! Now get out there and enjoy your vacances françaises without going crazy buying crappy and expensive gifts for all your people!

 

 

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Christopher Veasey

Written by Christopher Veasey

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