Best Stationery Stores in Paris: 9 Shops to Visit

A row of six Paris shopfronts whose signs read Calligrane, L'Ecritoire, Papier Tigre, Sennelier, Grim'Art and Plume & Bille, under mansard roofs, with a Morris column at the end of the street — Six of the nine stores in this guide, from the Marais to Saint-Germain, checked on October 25, 2026.

Notes on these stores

Calligrane: 6 rue du Pont Louis-Philippe, Le Marais (4th arrondissement), Paris. Checked October 25, 2026 on the store's own page.
L'Ecritoire: 26 passage Molière, Le Marais (Beaubourg), Paris. Its site says the shop closes on every Sunday in November 2026 and on Wednesday, November 11. Checked October 25, 2026 on the store's own page.
Papier Tigre Marais: 5 rue des Filles du Calvaire, Le Marais (Filles du Calvaire), Paris. A second shop is at 89 rue des Martyrs, 75018, in Montmartre. Checked October 25, 2026 on the store's own page.
Rougier & Plé Filles du Calvaire: 13–15 boulevard des Filles du Calvaire, Le Marais (Filles du Calvaire), Paris. Checked October 25, 2026 on the store's own page.
Le Palais du Stylo: 9 rue Auber, Opéra (9th arrondissement), Paris. Checked October 25, 2026 on the store's own page.
Plume & Bille: 38 rue de l'Arcade, Madeleine (8th arrondissement), Paris. Checked October 25, 2026 on the store's own page.
Magasin Sennelier: 3 quai Voltaire, Saint-Germain (Quai Voltaire), Paris. The same company runs two more shops, at 4 bis rue de la Grande Chaumière (75006) and 6 rue Hallé (75014). Checked October 25, 2026 on the store's own page.
Grim'Art: 59 rue Saint-André-des-Arts (in the passage), Saint-Germain (Saint-André-des-Arts), Paris. Checked October 25, 2026 on the store's own page.
Smythson at Le Bon Marché: 24 rue de Sèvres (Le Bon Marché, stationery department), Saint-Germain (Sèvres-Babylone), Paris. Checked October 25, 2026 on the store's own page.
Stores move, close and change hours. Always check the store's site or Instagram before you go.

Key takeaways

We list 9 Paris stationery stores, each checked on its own website on October 25, 2026: 4 in the Marais, 2 pen shops by Opéra and the Madeleine, and 3 on the Left Bank in Saint-Germain.
Papier Tigre's 130 m² Marais shop has its own workshop, where staff make each custom notebook from the first page to the last, per Papier Tigre.
Sennelier has sold artists' colours at 3 quai Voltaire, facing the Louvre, since 1887, and Sennelier says the shop has barely changed since.
Grim'Art in Saint-Germain sells calligraphy nibs one at a time, from €1.90 (about US$2.15) for a steel nib.
Visitors who live outside the EU can claim back VAT on purchases over €100 (about US$113) in one shop over 1 to 3 days, validated at a PABLO kiosk when they leave, per French customs.

What are the best stationery stores in Paris?

For a first visit, start in the Marais with Calligrane for paper, L’Ecritoire for wax seals and inks, and Papier Tigre for notebooks made to order. These three come first because they sit within about 1.5 km (1 mile) of each other and each does something you can’t easily do at home: fine papers beside paper art, a family shop’s own French-made inks, and a notebook made in front of you.

Store	Quartier	Known for	Official site
Calligrane	Le Marais	Fine and Japanese papers, paper art	calligrane.fr
L’Ecritoire	Beaubourg	Wax seals, inks, dip pens	lecritoireparis.com
Papier Tigre	Le Marais	Notebooks made in Paris, custom	papiertigre.fr
Rougier & Plé	Le Marais	Art supplies over 4 levels	rougier-ple.fr
Le Palais du Stylo	Opéra	Fountain pens, inks, spare parts	stylosprestige.fr
Plume & Bille	Madeleine	Pens to try at a desk	plumeetbille.com
Magasin Sennelier	Saint-Germain	Colours and papers since 1887	magasinsennelier.art
Grim’Art	Saint-Germain	Leather notebooks, calligraphy	grimartparis.com
Smythson at Le Bon Marché	Saint-Germain	Diaries, gold stamping	smythson.com

How did we choose these stores?

We picked shops that focus on stationery, pens, paper or art materials and were open on October 25, 2026, then weighed what each one stocks and does. Our criteria:

A dedicated focus on stationery, writing or art materials; Smythson’s Le Bon Marché counter is the one concession, for its gold stamping.
Something you can only do there, such as Papier Tigre’s custom notebooks, L’Ecritoire’s own inks or Grim’Art’s single nibs.
Pens to try, such as Plume & Bille’s writing desk.
Standing in the stationery community, from Galen Leather’s guide to Paris pen and paper shops, cited below.
Open now, confirmed on each store’s own site on October 25, 2026.

We compiled this from the stores’ own websites and that coverage; we have not visited them for this guide, and we do not rate them.

Why is each store on the list?

Each store earns its place with a specific range or service, not general gift stock.

Calligrane (Marais): a paper shop that represents paper artists, with Japanese stationery and large-format sheets.
L’Ecritoire (Beaubourg): wax seals, inkwells and its own inks, in a family shop open since 1975.
Papier Tigre (Marais): notebooks made in Paris, and a workshop in the shop for custom ones.
Rougier & Plé (Marais): four levels of art supplies, stationery and craft, steps from Papier Tigre.
Le Palais du Stylo (Opéra): fountain pens from Jean Pierre Lépine to Sailor, plus converters and spare parts.
Plume & Bille (Madeleine): Caran d’Ache to Namiki pens, tried seated at a desk.
Magasin Sennelier (Saint-Germain): pigments, pastels and world papers in a shop facing the Louvre since 1887.
Grim’Art (Saint-Germain): handmade leather notebooks and calligraphy nibs sold one by one.
Smythson at Le Bon Marché (Saint-Germain): Smythson diaries and notebooks with gold stamping.

Which Paris stores are best for fountain pens and ink?

Go to Opéra: Le Palais du Stylo at 9 rue Auber stocks fountain pens from Caran d’Ache, Jean Pierre Lépine, Lamy, Pelikan, Pilot and Sailor, plus Herbin, converters and spare parts. Plume & Bille, about 400 m (a quarter mile) away on rue de l’Arcade, shows Caran d’Ache, Graf von Faber-Castell, Montblanc and Namiki pens and seats you at a desk to try them.

For ink, L’Ecritoire bottles its own colours, metallic and duo inks, made in France, and stocks Diamine’s Shimmering inks at €21 (about US$24). Compare colours in our fountain pen inks guide before you go.

Which Paris stores are best for paper and calligraphy?

Calligrane on rue du Pont Louis-Philippe is the paper stop: correspondence, notebooks, Japanese stationery and large-format sheets, beside works by the paper artists it represents. It opens Tuesday to Saturday from noon.

For calligraphy, Grim’Art sells steel nibs from €1.90 (about US$2.15) each, with quills, inkwells and parchment, and Magasin Sennelier stocks papers from around the world. Start with our calligraphy pens and dip pens guides.

How do you plan a stationery day in Paris?

Group the shops into three clusters, and check Sunday and Monday hours first: Calligrane closes both days, and the pen shops and Sennelier close on Sunday.

The Marais: Calligrane, then L’Ecritoire on passage Molière, then Papier Tigre and Rougier & Plé, side by side on the Filles du Calvaire.
Opéra and the Madeleine: Le Palais du Stylo and Plume & Bille, a five-minute walk apart.
Saint-Germain: Sennelier on quai Voltaire, Grim’Art on rue Saint-André-des-Arts, then Smythson at Le Bon Marché, open on Sundays.

To-scale map of 9 Paris stationery stores at their addresses, from the pen shops by Opéra to Papier Tigre in the Marais and Sennelier on quai Voltaire — Where the stores are, drawn to scale from each address; check addresses before you go. Map data: IGN Admin Express and BD TOPO (Licence Ouverte); Métro stations © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL); store positions: IGN Géoplateforme geocoding (Base Adresse Nationale).

How does tax-free shopping work in Paris?

If you live outside the EU, are 16 or older and stay in France under six months, you can reclaim VAT on purchases over €100 (about US$113) made in one shop or group over 1 to 3 days, per French customs. The shop gives you a tax-free form; you must carry the goods home yourself.

Validate the form at a PABLO kiosk when you leave the EU from France, before you check your bags, and before the end of the third month after the month of purchase. Ask each shop whether it offers tax-free sales.

Which Paris stationery stores did we leave out?

We left out Mélodies Graphiques on rue du Pont Louis-Philippe because its website, an online shop, gives no shop address or hours, and Papier+ because papierplus.com was listed for sale on October 25, 2026. Both are often listed with Calligrane; check before you go.

We also left out the Comptoir des écritures, which closed its shop in 2013 to sell online, and shops whose sites would not load on October 25, 2026, including Marie-Papier, Delfonics, Opéra Stylos and Papeterie du Dôme. More cities: see all our stationery store guides, city by city, from New York and San Francisco to Tokyo, Kyoto, Seoul, London, Paris, Vienna and Istanbul.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best stationery shop in Paris?

For a first visit, Calligrane at 6 rue du Pont Louis-Philippe in the Marais, a paper shop that also shows paper artists, open Tuesday to Saturday from noon. For wax seals and inks go to L'Ecritoire on passage Molière; for notebooks made to order, Papier Tigre on rue des Filles du Calvaire.

Where to buy stationery in Paris?

Group the shops by area: the Marais (Calligrane, L'Ecritoire, Papier Tigre, Rougier & Plé), Opéra and the Madeleine for pens (Le Palais du Stylo, Plume & Bille), and Saint-Germain on the Left Bank (Sennelier, Grim'Art, Smythson at Le Bon Marché). Each group fits in half a day.

Where can I buy fountain pens in Paris?

Le Palais du Stylo at 9 rue Auber, by Opéra, stocks Caran d'Ache, Jean Pierre Lépine, Lamy, Pelikan, Pilot and Sailor pens, plus Herbin, converters and spare parts. Plume & Bille at 38 rue de l'Arcade, near the Madeleine, sells Caran d'Ache, Graf von Faber-Castell, Montblanc and Namiki and lets you try pens at a desk.

Where can I buy calligraphy supplies in Paris?

Grim'Art at 59 rue Saint-André-des-Arts sells nibs one at a time, from €1.90 (about US$2.15), plus quills, inkwells and parchment. L'Ecritoire in the Marais sells dip pens, inkwells and its own inks, and Magasin Sennelier on quai Voltaire stocks pigments and papers from around the world.

Where can I buy sealing wax in Paris?

L'Ecritoire at 26 passage Molière, near the Centre Pompidou, sells a wide range of wax seals and coloured sealing wax, alongside inkwells, pens and its own inks. It opens Monday to Saturday 11 am to 7 pm, but closes on Sundays in November 2026.

Is Sennelier still on quai Voltaire?

Yes. Magasin Sennelier lists its shop at 3 quai Voltaire, 75007, where Gustave Sennelier opened in 1887 facing the Louvre. Its terms of sale give hours of 2 to 6:30 pm on Monday and 10 am to 6:30 pm, with a lunch break, Tuesday to Saturday.

Can tourists get VAT back on stationery in Paris?

Yes, if you live outside the EU, are 16 or older and stay under six months. Spend over €100 (about US$113) in one shop over 1 to 3 days, ask for a tax-free form, and validate it at a PABLO kiosk before checking your bags, per French customs.

Sources (19)

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