Although neither of us are shoppers—and certainly not luxury shoppers—we do enjoy an occasional stroll through the shopping areas in which the other half (or more likely the other 1-5 percent) shop. And what better place than strolling in Paris from Faubourg St-Honore to Place de la Madeleine.

Palais Royale

We began with a leisurely walk through what used to be the high-end, colonnaded specialty shopping arcade of the Palais Royale. Now it is mostly occupied by a few esoteric specialty shops and restaurants. Its central plaza is not primarily occupied by families enjoying its large open spaces and its lovely, peaceful garden.

Slightly further north of Palais Royal is Galerie Vivienne. It is a glass-covered forerunner of the modern shopping mall.

This took us to the main shopping street of Rue Saint-Honoré and to one of the city’s top shopping districts (clothing boutiques, jewelry stores, art galleries, etc.) the Place Vendome. Then along more shopping streets to the Opera Plaza (lined especially with premier jewelry and leather goods stores) to the beautiful Opera Garnier, of which we also took a guided walking tour (see below).

Place de la Madeleine

Then to Place de la Madeleine, a lovely colonnaded, temple-like church is at the center of the epicurean center of the city. The square is surrounded by upscale restaurants at which you can eat and shops in which you can buy delicacies including caviar, truffles and foie gras, Then wash it all down by Henriot Champagne and finish it off with delectable, sinful pastries (and pretty much any other gourmet food item you may want) at the world-famous Fauchon.

Although we window-shopped all the delicacies and bought a few cans of foie gras to bring home, we also stopped for lunch at one of our favorite Paris restaurants: Maison de la Truffes. Any guess as to the specialty, and what we had? (See our post on Paris Destination Restaurants).

Opera Garnier Guided Tour

While the 1875 building is incredible from the outside, it is downright dazzling from the inside. Napolean III commissioned it under the Haussmann master plan that used the Opera as one of the city’s central arteries. Charles Garnier won the commission with an eclectic design that combined Classical, Byzantine, and Baroque styles. The building was created around a central theme of the Greek god Apollo. It Is pretty much all marble, mirrors, and gold gilding.

Grand Staircase

The Opera Garnier‘s Grand Staircase is amazingly sumptuous. It has about 20 different types of marble that, interrupted only by mirrors, reach the grandly painted ceiling murals. The mezzanine level is even more breathtaking. While the Venetian mosaic Anteroom is lovely enough (and was responsible for bringing the mosaic craft to France), it is just a warm-up act for the absolutely over-the-top Grand Hall. Inspired by Versailles’ Hall of Mirrors, it even outdoes the original. The inlaid wood floor, the floor-to-ceiling gilding, the marble sculptures, the elaborate, mythological ceiling murals—even the figurative marble busts of Garnier and his wife on either side of the central mural. Everything is so deliciously overdone as to be totally inviting.

After all this, the 2,000-person auditorium was something of a letdown. The reason: since a rehearsal was in progress, the stage lights were the only ones on. We could barely make out the seats, much less the Mark Chagall ceiling or the famous eight-ton chandelier.

Worse of all, a peak into the Phantom’s box (Number 5) provided no view at all. And speaking of letdowns, there is also the Emperor’s staircase. Although one may normally expect this to be the most lavish in the theater, the Emperor had gone into exile before the theater or the staircase was completed. So instead of spending vast sums on a staircase that would hardly ever be used, Garnier used the money that was saved to make the public spaces even grander than he had planned. The staircase, however, does take one between a display of some of the opera’s more famous gowns and an upstairs library and a museum.

Place de l’Alma and the Avenue George V Area

This is probably the most expensive area in Paris—the best hotels, the most expensive restaurants, etc. It’s also one of the prettiest, with its grand old mansions (some of which are now museums) and apartments. Avenue George V is home to everything from the luxurious Hotel George V to the Crazy Horse music hall (which is known for its extravagant topless stage shows). The real wealth, however, resides on nearby Ave Matignon, a formerly disreputable street that is now lined with one of the city’s premier hotels (Athenee Hotel) and some of the city’s most exclusive designer stores and elegant apartments.