Christmas in Paris, France: markets and lights

Where the Christmas markets are

• Jardin des Tuileries (1st) — the central one, a market and funfair combined in the gardens between the Louvre and Place de la Concorde. The easiest to fold into an ordinary sightseeing day.
• La Défense esplanade — the business district hosts a large market of wooden chalets, out on métro line 1 to the west. Bigger than anything in the centre, and much less touristy.
• Near Notre-Dame (5th) — a smaller market on the Left Bank, walkable from the île de la Cité.
• Smaller markets appear across the arrondissements each year and the roster changes. The city publishes the current list on its own agenda — check it rather than relying on last year's.
• Opening dates cluster in mid-November and most run into early January, but each market sets its own. Confirm before making a special trip.

The windows and the lights

The Christmas windows on boulevard Haussmann are a genuine Paris institution: Galeries Lafayette and Printemps each commission animated displays every year, and the crowds outside them are part of the experience. Inside Galeries Lafayette, a giant tree has hung under the store's glass dome every Christmas since 1976.

The Champs-Élysées illuminations are switched on in late November and run the length of the avenue to the Arc de Triomphe. Between the windows, the avenue and the market in the Tuileries, you can do the entire Christmas circuit on foot in an afternoon and an evening.

Seasonal ice rinks also appear around the city, but which ones open changes from year to year — the city publishes the list each season, and it is worth checking rather than assuming.

What is actually open, and when

New Year in Paris

The Champs-Élysées is the traditional gathering point, with a light-and-sound show projected onto the Arc de Triomphe at midnight. The city has changed the format more than once on security grounds — scaling back the concert element in some years — so check what is actually planned before you build the night around it.

One expectation worth correcting: Paris does not do a New Year fireworks display from the Eiffel Tower. France's fireworks night is 14 July, the national holiday, and that is when the Eiffel Tower display happens. New Year is a projection show at the Arc de Triomphe, not a tower launch.

If the crowd is not the appeal, the alternative is a réveillon de la Saint-Sylvestre dinner. Restaurants across the city run set menus for the night; they sell out weeks ahead, and walking in on 31 December will not work.

• Paris events calendar
• Paris nightlife
• Public holidays in France

Practical notes

• Weather: cold and damp rather than snowy, and dark by mid-afternoon. Plan indoor anchors into each day.
• Museums: several major ones close on 25 December and 1 January, and many close one fixed day a week year-round. Check the specific museum before building a day around it.
• Transport: holiday timetables on 25 December and 1 January are closer to a Sunday service than a weekday one.
• Booking: réveillon dinners on both 24 and 31 December need to be reserved well ahead. This is the one part of a Paris Christmas that genuinely cannot be improvised.
• The markets are crowded at weekends from early December. Weekday afternoons are much easier.

FAQ

When do the Christmas markets in Paris open?

Most open in mid-November and run into early January, but each market sets its own dates and the roster of smaller markets changes from year to year. Check the city's own agenda for the current season before making a special trip.

Is anything open in Paris on Christmas Day?

25 December is a public holiday, so most shops, many restaurants and most museums are closed and public transport runs a reduced timetable. Some restaurants open specifically for the day, but they need booking in advance.

Are there fireworks in Paris on New Year's Eve?

Not from the Eiffel Tower — that display is on 14 July, the French national holiday. New Year on the Champs-Élysées centres on a light-and-sound show projected onto the Arc de Triomphe, and the city has changed the format between years.

Does it snow in Paris at Christmas?

Rarely. A Paris December is usually cold, grey and damp rather than snowy, with very short daylight hours. The seasonal appeal is the illuminations, markets and window displays, not the weather.

Is 26 December a holiday in France?

Not nationally. 26 December is a public holiday only in Alsace-Moselle — in Paris it is an ordinary working day, and shops and museums reopen as usual.