Last Updated on December 29, 2025
On a recent visit to Paris, we met up with friends visiting from New York, and made a little discovery I thought I’d share with you— since I think it may be of interest whether you’re plotting a stay in the capital or live there.
After enjoying a ritualistic lunch of falafel from the Rue des Rosiers, we sat in an unusually quiet square away from the hordes (and where, remarkably, we weren’t assailed by pigeons and aggressive sparrows trying to steal the contents of our pitas).
As we were leaving the tiny garden (whose location I’ve decided, in a rather uncharitable move, not to explicitly reveal since it was so unusually peaceful for the Marais), we spotted the back of a glass building with an intriguing sign painted on the tall windows: “La Mouette Rieuse” (translating to “The Laughing Seagull”).
I was oddly intrigued. So I dragged my partner and friends in to see what it was all about. Could it be a maritime-themed clothing shop selling winking, Jean-Paul-Gaultier-style couture masquerading as sailors’ garb? (to be fair, this was probably a decent possibility in Paris’ principle “gayborhood”). A contemporary seafood restaurant? Something else?
It turned out to be an independent book-and-gifts-shop with a refreshingly tasteful, well-curated selection of books (in both French and English), gifts and souvenirs.
There were attractive posters and prints (including non-kitschy prints depicting some of Paris’ iconic neighborhoods and sites); portable, beautifully edited books about Paris, from travel guides to coffee-table books and biographies of Marcel Proust, Serge Gainsbourg, and chanson française legend Dalida, among others .
And, unlike the ticky-tacky souvenir shops that populate areas around the Latin Quarter and the Louvre, or some of the stalls of the Seine-side booksellers (bouquinistes), La Mouette Rieuse has a thoughtfully curated, tasteful selection of French-and-Paris-themed gifts and souvenirs— making it (I think) an ideal place to stop before you head home if you’re looking for something along those lines.
Postcards, cards, mugs, children’s toys, books and games in French and English, and various and sundry knick-knacks and novelty items round out the selection.
There’s an upstairs café (which we didn’t try) that looks appealing, and the bright, spacious store feels like a refuge in an area that’s perpetually overcrowded these days. I know I’ll be heading here from now one when I need to find something in the Paris-souvenir genre.
La Mouette Rieuse: Bookshop & Gifts
- Location: 17bis Rue Pavée, 75004 Paris, (4th Arrondissement); Metro Saint-Paul or Bastille
- Opening Times: Every day from 11am to 7:30 pm
- See more at the official website (the English version is only partly so)
Unless you’re heading in the opposite direction or have no time to spare, the obvious thing to do after browsing the selection at this charming bookshop is to check out the nearby Place des Vosges.
Dating to the 17th century, the grandiose square flanked by mansions with red-bricked facades and slate rooftops was originally called “Place Royale”, and was commissioned by King Henri IV.
With its central formal garden known as the Square Louis XIII, after the King who also once had a residence here, the Place des Vosges has retained much of its original prestige. In addition to housing some decent contemporary art galleries and a museum dedicated to Victor Hugo (who once lived in one of the apartments on the square), the square is populated by several restaurants, whose tables spill out into its covered galleries.
But I don’t generally recommend that you sit down for a full meal at one of these tables. Unless you can afford to splurge on lunch or dinner at L’Ambroisie, the three-star Michelin restaurant situated at #9 and helmed by celebrated French chef Bernard Pacaud, I wouldn’t bother dishing out funds for a meal at one of the many middling-but-expensive restaurants elsewhere on the Place.
By all means, enjoy a glass of wine, coffee or tea and some pastry on one of the terraces— it’s well worth the views. Or, if it’s warm and dry out, take your falafel, crepe or sandwich from a nearby street-food vendor to the square— one of the rare places in Paris where you can actually sit on the lawns most of the year— and plunk down for a casual picnic.
The perspectives won’t be any less memorable. And you’ll save money for a better meal elsewhere.
Of course, if you’ve had an experience to the contrary, and had a fantastic meal at a restaurant on the Place, please do let me know. Being proven wrong is essential to my line of work.
Well, that’s a wrap for this time, friends. As always, I genuinely appreciate your readership and support for this humble venture. Please feel free to share it with friends and family— word-of-mouth is one of the main ways I reach a wider audience.
Seine River Facts & Key Moments in History
Paris in the Spring: Best Things to See & Do
Olympe de Gouges, France’s Revolutionary Feminist (Biography)
Paris in October: What to See & Do in 2025?
French Culture is Food-Centric. Here’s Why I Celebrate That Fact.
10 French Stereotypes & Myths About Parisians to Ditch Now
Courtney Traub is the Founder and Editor of Paris Unlocked. She’s a longtime Paris resident who now divides her time (as well as she can manage) between the French capital and Norwich, UK. Co-author of the 2012 Michelin Green Guide to Northern France & the Paris Region, she has been interviewed as an expert on Paris and France by the BBC, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Le Figaro, Matador Network and other publications. Courtney has also written and reported stories for media outlets including Radio France Internationale, The Christian Science Monitor, Women’s Wear Daily and The Associated Press. In addition to going down various rabbit holes of curiosity when it comes to French culture, history, food and art, Courtney is a scholar of literature and cultural history whose essays and reviews have appeared in various forums.
