As a mother of three daughters who love to shop, I have often dreamed of the perfect gift for holiday or any grand occasion: a plane ticket to Paris for a few days of shopping extravaganza.  Far out indeed, but an idea that would surely top the list for being memorable, and one where the experience counts for more than what comes home in the shopping bag!

With the gift of travel, the question of timing, logistics and trip details come into play. Keeping in mind that the winter season (post holiday) is the best time to travel for deals on airfare and hotels, I researched the idea to find ways to make the trip easy and efficient – whether one goes searching for bargains, haute couture or simply wanting to see what’s chic.

In addition to Bonjour Paris, two valuable resources stood out: Girls Guide to Paris and the city shopping guide ChicWalks. Girls Guide to Paris hits the highlights with useful pointers and descriptions by category of the most desirable goods. The company also offers a “Shop, Spa and Savor” trip during the Paris winter sales (January 5-10, 2010) with hotel, activities and some meals included.

ChicWalks offers free downloadable shopping walks with user-friendly directions, store listings and merchandise descriptions.  Its sister company, Nuit Blanche Tours, offers customized shopping walks.

What could be better than to get acclimated with a personalized tour, so during a recent stopover in Paris I spent a few hours with Nuit Blanche guide, Lindsey Brown. She met me at my hotel for a brief chat about what type of shopping I wanted.  We began at the lively Bastille market, one of the biggest outdoor markets for fresh food items and bargain clothing.  Focusing on areas that are open Sundays, we explored the quaint Marais district and browsed its many eclectic boutiques and galleries. Next was the Carousel du Louvre, a boutique mall on the lower level of the museum, with popular stores like Esprit, L’Occitane, Sephora and others with art-inspired merchandise.

We strolled through the historic Palais Royal garden and square to window shop the designer boutiques (Hermes, Chanel, Nina Ricci, Dior) before pausing at a café to plot the rest of my plan. We had only scratched the surface, but in that short time I had advice on specific areas of interest and a list of more to see.

Lindsay pointed out the places my daughters would like – Galerie Vivienne, a historic arcade (passage) with unique shops carrying vintage clothing and depot-vente (second-hand) designer labels; and Rue St. Placide for ‘stock’ stores that carry overstock and end of line brand merchandise.  And nearby, the young and trendy clothiers – Mango, Zara, Kookai – the stores that daughters never want to leave.

As for moi, I’ll stick to foodie haunts like the area around Place Madeleine for the Maille mustard store and La Duree, home of the famous macaroons.

The grandest of all the department stores, Bon Marche, is not to be missed, especially its fabulous food market.  Printemps and Galeries Lafayette are also splendid stores with fashion shows and roof top views of the city.

Being a fashion guru or shop-a-holic is not a pre-requisite to enjoy Paris shopping; it’s for anyone who loves to browse and explore.  Paris is a city that’s easy to fall in love with, particularly if you’re not on a tourist mission. The shopping attraction can be an enticing way to whet one’s appetite for discovering the city’s history, culture and architecture in all the classic museums, cathedrals, monuments and parks.

Walking, browsing, sampling crepes and sitting in cafés – the gift of travel presents many experiences all wrapped in one. Surely someday, it’ll be time to carry out the dream.

Tips on When, Where, How:

• Look for the best airfares between January and March. (Air France welcomes you aboard with a glass of champagne so you feel like you’re already there!)
• The elegant four-star Hilton Arc de Triomphe is convenient to Right Bank shopping and a quick metro ride or taxi to any part of central Paris. For boutique hotels in various price categories, check listings on www.girlsguidetoparis.com.
• For shopping guides visit www.chicwalks.com and www.girlsguidetoparis.com. Semi-annual sales in January and July make the department stores insanely crowded, but seasonal collections are discounted 40-70 percent. Many stores in Paris are closed on Sundays and some boutiques are closed on Mondays.
• Don’t forget walking shoes, you’ll shop (and walk) til you drop.