Opened in 1764, Baccarat is one of Europe's leading purveyors of full-lead crystal. You won't be able to comparison-shop Baccarat crystal at its four branches--a central organization sets rigid prices. The most prestigious outlet is on place de la Madeleine, but the outlet at 11 place des Etats-Unis, 16e, is larger and contains the Musée Baccarat. A third branch at rue de la Paix sells only women's jewelry, in which real gemstones (usually colored stones such as rubies and sapphires) are sometimes interspersed with cut crystal for that flashy "is it real or is it fake?" look. A fourth branch is in the Hotel Concorde La Fayette at the Palais des Congrès-Côté Ternes, at place du Général Koenig. Branches are open Tuesday to Friday 10am to 7pm; Monday and Saturday 10am to 7:30pm.

Copyright: Excerpted from Frommer's Paris 2009, (c) 2008, Wiley Publishing, Inc.

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