Let’s spend winter in Paris together.
Wondering if winter is a good time to visit Paris? This post is for you! Read on to find out all you need to know about what Paris is like in the winter, what you can do there – and of course know all the amazing Christmas spots to see in December!
What is Paris like in the winter?
Winter can be a great time to visit Paris. Sure, it’s colder and there isn’t as much sunshine than in the summer, but there will be fewer tourists which is perfect to see the popular tourist attractions like the Eiffel tower, the museums, and so on. You can expect fewer hours of daylight, but if you plan your days well this won’t be a problem.
Of course, winter also means Christmas! And while Paris isn’t the world capital of Christmas cheer, there are many beautiful displays and Christmas markets around town to soak up the festive magic.
What about snow, you may ask? Because of rising temperatures, it really doesn’t snow as much in Paris, and you won’t have a white Christmas there – but who knows, if you go around January or February you may be there on time for a small snowfall!
The best Christmas displays and lights in Paris
✨ Lighted trees at the Champs Elysées: The most famous avenue in the world gets decked for Christmas in late November as lights are put up on all the trees that line the street, all the way to the Arc de Triomphe. In 2020, the tree lights are bright red – the perfect Christmas colour! You can do your shopping in style under the lights, as the Champs Elysées is home to dozen of stores such as Sephora, Zara Home, Addidas, Cartier, the Disney Store – and more!
📍 Champs Elysée
🚇 Metro: Line 1 Champs Elysées-Clémenceau | Line 1 Franklin D. Roosevelt
✨ Le Village Royal displays: The Village Royal is a little passageway and area near the beautiful Madeleine church, home to a lot of high-end fashion brands. It is pretty much an open-air, small, luxury shopping centre. Every year, Christmas displays are put up and can be visited when the passage is open. No need to buy anything, just go and admire the sophisticated surroundings and light displays!
📍 Le Village Royal, 25 rue Royale (open Mon.-Sat. 8.30am-8.30pm and Sun. 9.30am-8.30pm)
🚇 Metro: Line 8, 12 or 14 Madeleine
✨ Place Vendôme: This square is where all the most beautiful and luxurious jewellery brands sell their shinies and watches. At Christmas, the whole square and every store front gets decorated with small trees, and bigger trees are placed at the four ends of the square. The trees twinkle all day and night long, and are the perfect backdrop for your Christmas fashion shoots!
📍 Place Vendôme
🚇 Metro: Line 1 Tuileries | Line 14 or 7 Pyramides
✨ Hôtel de Ville Christmas Village: The Hôtel de Ville is the Paris town hall. It is one of the most beautiful buildings in Paris in my opinion! On the large square in front of it, there are often events organised all year around. At Christmas time, the place turns into a cute, earthy Christmas village, with real trees and natural ornaments put together. In the past years, a small Christmas market made of a few stalls of independent, local sellers has taken place there. Also don’t forget to hop on the Carousel – it’s free!
📍 Place de l’Hôtel de Ville
🚇 Metro: Line 1 Hôtel de Ville
✨ The Tuileries Christmas Market: In recent years, the famous Paris Christmas market that used to be located on the Champs Elysées moved to the Tuileries gardens, right in front of the Louvre museum. The Christmas market is a fun place to explore, with stalls of food (waffles, crêpes, mulled wine, but also hot dogs and raclette!), stalls of gifts and decoration (candles, jewellery, scarves, handmade Christmas cards, soaps…). There are also rides for children, a haunted house, an ice rink… It’s always a general favourite. This 2020, the Christmas market isn’t happening because of the COVID epidemic. However I am hoping that the Christmas market will be back next year!
📍 Marché de Noël des Tuileries, Parc des Tuileries
🚇 Metro: Line 1 Tuileries
✨ Galerie Vivienne: This Gallery is a passage located behind the Palais Royal gardens (you know, that place with the black and white columns of different sizes? That’s it.) The Galerie Vivienne was opened in 1823 and is the luxurious home of a handful of independent shops, among which a beautiful, old timey bookshop which I love. Walking around the Galerie Vivienne feels like travelling back in time! Every Christmas, the gallery is covered in gold lights, making it even more incredible. One of my favourite hidden gems in Paris, that I love to show people when they visit! A word of advice: filming and photography are limited there, as mentioned on a sign near the entrance door. It’s easy to take a couple Instagram shots without bother, but if you want to do a professional shoot there you need permission so you may want to look into that!
📍 Galerie Vivienne, 6 rue Vivienne
🚇 Metro: Ligne 1 Palais Royal | Ligne 9 Bourse
