Now it's warm enough to contemplate an afternoon outside, go and peruse the varied and colourful stalls of Bastille market, open every Sunday and Thursday until early afternoon. Early risers get the best pick of the beautifully arranged fruit and vegetables, but come along at any time of day to appreciate the buzz of a classic French market scene.

DJs, take note - vinyl store My Electro Kitchen sells vinyl specialises in Euro electro from the German minimalists to the French masters. Non-DJs will find plenty of interesting records as well, not to mention T-shirts and an all-round cool vibe (60 rue Quincampoix, 4th; tel: 09 54 93 89 99; open until 10pm on weekends, 8pm weekdays).

The shabby chic, vintage clothing thing hasn't caught on with Parisians the way it has with Londoners, and Ding Fring (340 rue de Pyrénées, 20th) is one of the city's few Oxfam-like places. Head here if you have more time than cash and search for treasures.

Like cheese? So do Monsieur and Madame Barthélémy, who stock more than 200 varieties of the ripe stuff in their eponymous shop in the well-heeled 7th. Come here if you know your cheeses or if you want to learn (51 Rue de Grenelle; tel: 01 45 48 56 75).