Christmas Paris

CHRISTMAS MOMENTS IN PARIS

Each Christmas, Paris shows the world why it deserves the title: “Ville de Lumières”, ‘City of light’. There are many elegant, magical and hidden areas to discover on a trip to Paris around Christmas. We have selected 4 places for you to discover: Notre-Dame, the Champs-Elysées, the illuminations on Boulevard Haussmann and the Christmas market in La Défense.

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Every year at Christmas time a Tree over 20 metres tall is put up in front of Notre-Dame. It symbolises the light of God and echoes the one in St Peter’s Square in Rome.

The stage is magnificent: the decorated tree with the cathedral in the background is arguably one of the best spots where you can really feel the authentic message of Christmas – unless the place is over-crowded, which alters the magic somehow!

The inside of the Church is stunning and with a little forward planning you should be lucky enough to attend a concert. Take a little time to admire the magnificent stained-glass windows and the amazing Gothic architecture particular to the Ile de France region... and do not leave the religious building without a look at the Nativity scene.

The Christmas tree at Notre-Dame

The fairytale lights in the trees lining the Champs-Elysées are probably the most famous images of Paris at Christmas.

This has now become a tradition and every year from late November to early January, the Champs-Elysées, from the Arc de Triomphe to the Place de la Concorde is flooded with lights hung in its trees. The cold air creates a mist that hangs in the trees and gives a magical feeling as you walk down this street with your big winter coat, hat, scarf and gloves keeping everything but your red nose warm!

In 2010, the 450 trees bordering the Champs-Elysées will be illuminated on Friday 19th November with a clever lighting made up of 6km of blue fairy lights (which are lower in electricity consumption).

The turning on of the lights is celebrated ceremoniously by a national celebrity. Over the past years, it has been Alain Delon, Catherine Deneuve, Johnny Hallyday, Marion Cotillard , Charlotte Gainsbourg and Mélanie Laurent in 2010.

The 2011 illuminations of the Champs-Elysées take place from 20 November 2011 to 9 January 2012 from 5pm to 2am.

Then, on the evening of the 31st December, the Champs-Elysées is closed to traffic and creates a wide space for pedestrians to celebrate the coming New Year.

The Christmas lights on the Champs-Elysées

The Christmas decorations at the Printemps department store are made up of lots of pink lights, with luminous bubbles and snowflakes, crowns and fairy lights.

If you intend to go Christmas shopping in Paris, no doubt you will be drawn to Paris’ premier shopping area: the Grands-Magasins (department stores) along Boulevard Haussmann, just behind Opéra Garnier.

In December, Printemps and Galeries Lafayette compete with each other for the best Christmas decorations and invite their visitors (and customers) to a fairy-tale world with their remarkable window displays.

This tradition is now 50 years old and a visit to the department stores in December is a must for Parisians and tourists alike. Each window tells a themed-story and features animated puppets. As this tradition has grown, the displays have become victim to their success: a romantic outing along Boulevard Haussmann could turn into a total nightmare. If you are in Paris with children, keep a watchful eye on them (as well as your wallet and handbag).

Shopping at Christmas on Boulevard Haussmann

Just a block away along the Boulevard, the facade of the Galeries Lafayette is also worth a look. With more than 150,000 light bulbs and 7km of electric cables, the whole shopfront is bathed in light, which is always appreciated by visitors. It takes the store 4 weeks and 150 workers to put them all up.

Inside the Galeries Lafayette, the stunning 20 metre-high Christmas tree is still the most impressive one set up inside a French department store. It is topped with a crown 1.5 metres in diameter. Its decoration is sumptuous with approximately 500 fairy lights which twinkle every hour, just like the Eiffel Tower!

If you are staying in Paris for the Holiday season and don’t have time for a trip to Alsace, you will find a little consolation by visiting the Christmas market in La Défense.

The first time we discovered it, we were quite frankly horrified, as it seems to be out of context, miles away from its Alsatian counterpart. But, after our first reaction, the market (the largest of Paris – Ile de France) found some favour.

Firstly, make sure you visit La Défense at night time, when the lights of the skyscrapers’ skyline add to the magic of the place. A good view of the overall district is found at the top of the stairs leading to the Grande Arche (but you won’t want to stay there too long as it is often extremely windy).

Secondly, expect to find stands that do not necessarily sell Christmas items. More than a “European-style” Christmas, the market also features interesting items from various countries such as Morocco, Russia, China, Egypt, Greece or Iran. If you’re still not satisfied, at least visit the small market in the House of Alsace, Avenue des Champs-Elysées, which offers baking items and Christmas decoration workshops for young and old alike.

Other Christmas markets in Paris are found in the square in front of Saint-Lazare and Gare de l’Est railway station, in Montparnasse, in Saint-Germain des Prés, in Trocadéro (opposite the EIffel Tower), and without forgetting the social solidarity market in Place Saint-Sulpice (6th arrondissement).

The Christmas market in La Défense

Moments de Noël à Paris

Notre-Dame © French Moments

The Christmas market of the Champs-Elysées

The Champs-Elysées Christmas market was first organised on Christmas 2008 with 90 châlets (little wooden stalls) painted in white, and was an immediate success amongst Parisians and tourists alike.

In 2011, the Christmas market strikes back with more châlets and events: 160 stalls typical of the Vosges offer to their visitors hand crafted items perfect for original gifts, mulled wine, waffles, crêpes and other Alsatian delicacies, and many activities for children.

Faithful to the Alsatian tradition, it is worth visiting for its festive animations in the spectacular vista of the Historical Axis.

The Champs-Elysées Christmas market is located on the Avenue des Champs-Elysées, between the Place de la Concorde and the Rond-Point des Champs-Elysées (entrance is free).

Our recommendation: if you want to have a spectacular view of the whole district, get on the big wheel on Place de la Concorde: it is ideally located in the centre of the Historical Axis and offers a great view of the Eiffel Tower and River Seine. Make sure you embark at night time on the dot of the hour so you can enjoy the Eiffel Tower sparkling... just so romantic!

Find out more about Advent and Christmas season in the Champs-Elysées in 2011:

http://www.parisvillagedenoel-champselysees.com/index.html

The Christmas lights on the Champs-Elysées