Do you remarque that in every sphere when you are a beginner it's important to use the right materials, ingredients, proportions, etc? Of course, it's totally normal when a professional could cook a great dinner, sew a wonderful dress, or of course, draw an amazing painting with no matter what he uses.
When I started to draw (well, it was since my childhood, but I mean when I started to do it consciously), I was using cheap materials: non-professional paper, watercolor for the children, and brushes which I bought in supermarkets. It took me a while to understand that my results are affected by the materials and I need to start right away with the right ones.
I honestly advise you to invest in a good paper because, in my opinion, this is the main ingredient of a successful painting.
There are several types of watercolor paper - сotton, cellulose, bamboo, or mixed... Personally, I don't like cellulose paper. Even if it's a cheaper option and you are a beginner in watercolor, it's better to try good cotton paper. You will immediately feel this amazing material, begin to understand what actions and efforts it requires and you will not have to relearn after using cellulose paper.
So, the first step is done - we chose the cotton. But even in this version of the paper, there are other different types according to the texture, such as:
Rough - very textured paper, with a prominent tooth, this paper is interesting for some type of landscapes because it allows you to create interesting effects).
Examples: Arches Torchon, FABRIANO Torchon, SAUNDERS Torchon
Hot-pressed - fine-grained, smooth surface, with almost no tooth; I love to use it for the botanical and food illustrations, because this paper allows you to paint all little details, and it's also perfect to scan it because you will not notice the grains and texture.
Examples: ARCHES grain satiné, WINSOR & NEWTON professional, CANSON HERITAGE
Cold-pressed - almost universal paper, it has a medium texture, something between rough and hot-pressed. It's smooth, nice, good for landscapes and botanical as well!
Examples: ARCHES grain fin, CANSON MOULIN DU ROY, WINSOR & NEWTON Professional
There are a lot of brands which produce watercolor paper, I could tell you that my indeed favorites are indeed Moulin du Roy and Arches.
Since my first try, I never used again cellulose paper. It's just a completely other experience. Even if sometimes you can create beautiful drawings on cellulose, despite this fact your feelings from the use of cotton, the sensations, perceptions - well, everything is different! You should try it once! For example, you can buy one sheet and not a block of paper for the first time.
If you prefer an offline shop you could find watercolor paper in Geneva in Brachard, in Lausanne in Kramerkrieg.