If you’ve already been to Paris then you’ll know that Grands Boulevards is popular with tourists: full of bars, brasseries, cinemas and nightclubs, it’s one of the liveliest pockets of the city. But in recent years it has made steps to evolve from pure tourist destination to an area that also welcomes the locals, both The Hoxton Hotel and French clothing brand, Sézane, setting up shop in the neighborhood. 

The generalist bookstore Ici, which opened in October 2018, is another sign of the area’s changing personality. With 500 square meters to fill with books, it is officially the largest independent bookstore to open in Paris for 20 years. There’s truly something for everyone at Ici with a stock of 75,000 books spanning fiction, children’s and teens, comics, fine arts, humanities and business, so it’s a handy destination for buying presents or book browsing for your home library. Anglophone visitors will appreciate the stand of English books and you can even enjoy a moment of calm at their cafe, which is conveniently right in the middle of the store. Check out their website as they regularly host author events and book signings (in both English and French).

Photo: Ici Grands Boulevards Facebook page