Christmas in Paris: Like Stepping Into a Film

Welcome to Paris. The city is always a good idea and especially so at Christmas, from a fan show to festive markets and beautiful illuminations. In this travel guide, we're going to show you the best of the French capital at Christmas, including top attractions and festive activities. Le Bon Marché dates back to 1838, making it one of the oldest apartment stores in Europe. Every year it has a different Christmas theme and this year's theme is the Christmas market. Inside, if you go in, then the escalators are decorated like Christmas chalets. If you go to the top floor, then there's actually a Christmas shop where you can buy lots of fun decorations and it's overall just a very nice ambiance. Each year, every department store has its very own Christmas displays of windows and this year, the one at Le Bon Marché is themed with bunnies and there's lots of little window displays where the bunnies are doing workshops like teeth cleaning or making gifts. We're now in the Latin Quarter, which is probably one of my favourite districts in Paris. There's lots of bookshops here, independent shops and there's also one of the best Christmas markets. Square Reni Fiviani sits right next to the sun in the shadow of Notre Dame. It's also here where you'll find a delightful Christmas market. When you come to this park, make sure you head to the back of it because here you'll find the oldest tree in Paris, which was allegedly planted in 1601. I love that at this market, there wasn't only the chance to sample some traditional treats, but also the opportunity to buy unique and handcrafted goods, such as these artisanal barrel leaves, handmade in Paris and celebrating French architecture. Of course, there are lots of very beautiful restaurants in Paris and many are decorated for the festive season, but one of my personal favourites throughout the year is Au Vieux Paris d'Arcole en Rue Chanonesse. It's really close to Notre Dame and every season they have it decorated completely differently. For example, right now out the front it's all snow themed. The building dates back to the early 16th century and would have been inhabited by canons who worked at the nearby cathedral. Obviously now it's a restaurant and during non-opening hours you can often come in and have a look. We're currently obviously in the wine cellar, but you can also go up because there's two floors of dining space. Hôtel de Ville is the main town hall of Paris and here you can find a festive Christmas market. There are chalets selling things which are made in France and made in Paris, as well as the opportunity to meet Father Christmas, a festive carousel and a really nice ambiance. The whole area has been planted with trees which are filled with wooden carvings. I really recommend coming here around sunset because then you get to see the architecture of the building during the day which is very beautiful, but you also get to see the illuminations after dark. Once again, I love that there were so many stalls selling handcrafted goods from Paris and we particularly enjoyed talking to an artisan who creates timepiece-themed jewellery based on Art Deco and Louis XIV styles. As well as decorations handcrafted by the people working at Hôtel de Ville, the star of the show has got to be the illuminations projected on the front of the building itself. Of course, ice skating is a festive activity that many people enjoy and there are a few ice skating rinks that pop up around Paris. We've come to the 15th arrondissement to park André Citroën. In order to see the ice skating rink here, it is quite small, but there are a few chalets selling food and drinks and I can imagine the ambiance is way nicer at night because the buildings around here aren't as aesthetic as in the centre of the city. If the weather isn't great during your stay in Paris, then a fun way to spend the time is by wandering through the covered passages of Paris. These predominantly date back to the first half of the 19th century and are the precursor to modern shopping malls. Once upon a time, there would have been many of these passages scattered all over the city. Today, fewer than two dozen remain. We're starting off in Galerie Vivienne which has completely been decked out for Christmas and we're going to show you a couple more. Passage des Panoramas dates back to 1799, making it one of the oldest covered passages in Paris. It's pretty delightful to walk through, especially because this area is particularly known for stamp collecting. Passage Jouffroy is just across the road and is always decorated for Christmas. There's even a festive shop here. Maison du Roi was founded a few decades ago and stocks all kinds of sparkling treasures, including plenty of Christmas ornaments. If there's one tree I make sure to visit every year, it's the one found inside Galerie Lafayette and I've seen every single one since 2015. This year, the theme of the tree is the most beautiful gift and is adorned with many ribbons. During opening hours, there's also a light show every half an hour. Just across the road, you'll come to the gourmet section. This is where you can find all kinds of sweet treats, including Yule logs, which are a popular French tradition. The Pantone flagship store can be found right next to Galerie Lafayette and this year the theme is Christmas in New York. Head up to the rooftop and you'll find a free ice skating rink with views of the Eiffel Tower, complete with sparkling panoramas of the city. Place Vendôme is home to lots of designer stores as well as luxury hotels. Here you'll find a lot of beautiful decorations and the Ritz Hotel actually has a pop-up which includes a teddy bear. Rue Saint-Honoré is right next to Place Vendôme and here you'll find even more designer stores. On the front of many of these, you'll find some beautiful decorations which change every festive season. If there's one market I recommend more than any other, it's that which can be found at La Villette in the 19th arrondissement. Now, this isn't the easiest market to get to as it's pretty far from all of the other attractions in this guide, but it's definitely worth it if you have the time and I would prioritise visiting this market over any other. You do have to pay €5 to get in, but this can be redeemed against a voucher for a hot drink that you are probably going to buy anyway. In total, there are over 100 chalets offering artisan crafts, gifts, global and seasonal foods such as raclette and fondue, decorations and ideas for holiday shopping. Seeing all of the raclette and fondue at the Christmas markets made us crave some melted cheese for ourselves, and so we headed to Saveur de Savoie in order to sample these traditional French dishes. The portions were hearty and delicious. Plus, the restaurant is conveniently located in the 5th arrondissement. Paris proper isn't the only place you can experience some festive fun in the Ile-de-France region. We've come to La Défense, which is the city's financial hub. You'll find lots of skyscrapers here. It's not technically within the boundaries of Paris, but just outside it, just a short train ride away. Here, you'll find over 300 chalets and in 2025, this is the 30th edition of this Christmas market. You might well recognize this market if you watched our previous Christmas in Paris video, but we were very happy to come back once more and see that there are still regional stands such as this Canadian one. I think the market's way nicer than in previous years. There's a foodie section, but there is also an artisanal section where you can buy gifts which were made in France. Like many Christmas markets in Paris, this market too has its very own ice skating rink. Abbesse is not only the name of a metro station in the 18th arrondissement, i.e. the beginning of Montmartre, but it's also home to a very tiny Christmas market. There are only around a dozen chalets here, so I definitely wouldn't go out of your way to visit, but it's very nice if you're in the area. Place de la Concorde is an excellent place to enjoy golden hour with views of the Eiffel Tower, and during festive season, several of the buildings are adorned in beautiful lights. The Jardin des Tuileries Christmas Market transforms the northern edge of the Tuileries garden between Place des Pyramides and Place de la Concorde into a glittering winter village. Here, the theme is mainly attractions, and those which are found here mirror the ones found at the summer fairground. As well as attractions, there are a number of activities and even a gourmet market area where you can pick up all kinds of delicious treats. This probably had the greatest selection of food of any of the Christmas markets I saw in Paris. The Saint-Germain-des-Prés Christmas Market is located just out of a metro station of the same name, in the shadow of the oldest church in Paris. There are just a dozen or so stalls here, but it's worth having a wander along if you already happen to be in the area. Rue de Bussy is nestled in the heart of the 6th arrondissement, just a short walk away from Saint-Germain-des-Prés. It's best visited in the evening, as this is when you can enjoy some of the most beautiful shop front lights. France is known for its iconic château, and luckily there are a few within an easy reach of Paris. We've come to Vaux-le-Vicomte, which isn't the easiest to get to by public transport, and so we've brought our car, but the illuminations here are meant to be some of the best in the Île-de-France region. Nestled within a huge forest and boasting magnificent gardens, Vaux-le-Vicomte was built for Louis Fouquet, Louis XIV's finance minister in the 17th century. It was the first time that three of the greatest artisans of the time had come together, and so on the 17th of August 1661, Fouquet hosted a lavish fete meant to honour the king. In fact, it did the opposite. It sparked Louis XIV's jealousy and suspicion that his minister had misused state funds, and Fouquet was jailed. Today, the splendour of Vaux-le-Vicomte can be found around every turn, and so we began our visit with a tour of the château. By far, my favourite room of the château had to be the ocean-themed room, which was dreamt up by junior Fritz Schecke and is a dreamy seascape wonderland. To be honest, I really recommend coming here just before dark because then you can see the château in the daytime, but then you can enjoy the illuminations of the evening. We chose to go into the château between dusk and night so that we got to see everything, and to be honest, the illuminations were also really worth it. One of the most festive areas of the garden is, of course, the ice skating rink, where you can skate in the glow of the lights from the château. There are various different activities in the garden, including this marshmallow station. Thank you so much for watching, and don't forget to like and subscribe for more France travel content. See you next week!