Shopping in France: opening hours, Sundays and the 2026 sales

In principle, employees in shops are entitled to their weekly rest on Sunday, so shops employing staff cannot open on Sunday without a legal exception. The main exceptions:

• Food shops (supermarkets, bakeries, butchers, greengrocers, etc.) may open on Sunday until 1 pm. Many Paris supermarkets and markets do so.
• Sectors with a permanent exception can open all day: among others cafés and restaurants, hotels, pharmacies, tobacconists and newsagents, petrol stations, garden centres, DIY and furniture stores, museums and leisure venues.
• International tourist zones (zones touristiques internationales, ZTI) in Paris, such as the Champs-Élysées, Haussmann department stores and other central areas, allow shops to open every Sunday. Some large stations also have this status.
• Mayor's Sundays (dimanches du maire): the mayor can authorise shops in a town to open on up to 12 Sundays a year, often before Christmas and during the sales.
• Shops without employees, run by the owner alone, can open freely. Employees who work on Sundays under these exceptions are usually volunteers with extra pay or rest, depending on the case.

• Supermarkets in Paris often open from morning to evening Monday to Saturday, and many open Sunday morning. Small convenience stores in busy areas may stay open late.
• Bakeries usually open early and many close one day a week, often a Monday or Wednesday, with a notice on the door.
• Markets: Paris has many covered and open-air food markets, usually on fixed mornings of the week, including Sunday mornings in many districts. Check paris.fr for the markets and days near you.
• Pharmacies follow a duty rota (pharmacie de garde) for nights, Sundays and public holidays.
• Public holidays: shops follow the same logic as Sundays; on 1 May almost everything is closed.

Sales are regulated: they take place twice a year on dates set nationally, and only goods offered for sale for at least one month before may be reduced. In most of mainland France, including Paris:

• Winter sales 2026: Wednesday 7 January to Tuesday 3 February 2026.
• Summer sales 2026: from Wednesday 24 June, initially until 21 July and extended to Tuesday 28 July 2026 because of the heatwave at the end of June. During sales, your legal guarantees are the same as usual: a defective or non-conforming item must be repaired, replaced or refunded.

In a physical shop, a seller is not legally obliged to exchange or refund an item that is not defective, for example if it does not fit or you changed your mind. Many shops still accept exchanges or refunds as a commercial gesture, so ask about the policy before you pay and keep the receipt. For online purchases, you usually have a 14-day withdrawal right. See the consumer rights guide for details.

These are things newcomers commonly report, with variation between shops and neighbourhoods:

• Saying bonjour when you enter a small shop and merci, au revoir when you leave is widely expected.
• Free single-use plastic bags are rare at checkouts, so most people bring their own bag.
• Card and contactless payment are very common, but some small shops and market stalls set a minimum amount or prefer cash.
• In cafés and restaurants, tipping is modest and optional; many people leave small change for good service.