Opened in 1896, with a lobby capped by an early-1900s stained-glass cupola classified as a historic monument, Galeries Lafayette is Europe's largest department store. If you have time for only one department store, make it this one. This store could provision a small city with everything from perfume to fashion. It is even more user-friendly than Au Printemps, and in fashion it places more emphasis on upcoming designers. It also concentrates on an upscale roster of everything you need to furnish and maintain a home; thousands of racks of clothing for men, women, and children; and a staggering array of cosmetics, makeup products, and perfumes. Menswear is concentrated in a section called Lafayette Hommes; also in the complex is Lafayette Gourmet, one of the fanciest grocery stores in Paris, selling culinary exotica at prices usually lower than those at Fauchon. A floor above street level is a concentration of high-end semi-independent boutiques, including Cartier, Vuitton, and Prada Sport. A fashion show is held at least once daily, usually in the Salon Opéra. At the street-level Welcome Desk, you can be told in many languages where you can find this or that in the store, where you can get a taxi back to your hotel, and so on.