Christmas in Paris

I would recommend staying in an apartment. You will have more room to spread out, and you will likely find you will stay in more than you did on a summer trip. You would have the ability to eat at 'home' if necessary if you find things closed for the holiday. It doesn't get light until around 9:00 a.m. and it's dark before 4:30 in the afternoon. I don't know where you live or how used to the cold you are. Of course the weather varies from year to year, but I spent 2 weeks in Europe, including 10 nights in Paris that time of year. The warmest it got was 33 degrees. We definitely spent less time outdoors than we have on other trips. Fortunately there are many indoor things to do. Paris is beautifully and tastefully decorated that time of year.

I think the 6th is more centrally located, but the 1st wouldn't be too bad either. The closer to the river the better, no matter where you stay.

There is a program call Paris Greeters. They operate on donations. After you submit an application online they will try to match you up with a volunteer. Over the holidays it might be a little more difficult for them to find volunteers, but it doesn't hurt to apply. They are not allowed to accept tips, so we took our greeter out for a drink after our tour of the Marais.

Not that many restaurants will be open on Dec. 25. Maybe you could do a quick google to see which ones are open. For Christmas Day, you could go to the Nissim Camando museum, which is open every day of the year. The tour boats on the Seine will be operating, I am (almost) certain. Again a quick google will ascertain that.

You might find more restaurants open in the Marais on the 25th. The excellent Shoah Museum is free and I'm sure it's also open on the 25th if you're looking for things to do.

Thank you! I would like to attend mass at the Notre Dame and go to a nice dinner on Christmas. I am looking for suggestions for the rest of our trip. Delicious chocolate croissants, best french onion soup, an original (but cheap) painting of the French countryside for my mom, a show, etc. We've already done the crazy touristy things, so we're looking for a more leisurely trip :)

Don't worry about what you might be missing. Decorations, ice rinks, and carousels will all still be there, in addition to the actual holiday services. Part of me would want to stay in an nicer hotel with a nice lounge and Christmas tree, but I wouldn't do it if it was out of budget. Among your activities on the 24th, you should be able to pick up pastries, cheeses, Champagne, and other extras for your Christmas morning. If you don't have a fridge, put a bag of supplies out on the window ledge to stay cold (preferably not facing toward the sunrise).

If you are looking for a reasonably priced painting then try Cite des Arts just across the Seine on the right bank not far from the Isle St. Louis. While we were having lunch one day we were watching an artist paint and struck up a conversation with him. His art was beautiful and we asked him about it. Turns out he was a lodger at the Cite des Arts, an apartment and art collective set up for artists to be able to stay and work in Paris for a reasonable price. We went with him to his apartment, looked at his work, and then bought a painting from him that we liked. There are so many artists working in Paris that you should have no trouble finding a painting that you like...whether you can find one for the price you like is another story! I would try Cite des Arts to see if this might be a place you could get the painting for your mother.

I'll be there from Dec 20-26 so we may run into each other! I am staying on the Isle de St. Louis so I can be in a central location near the metro and RER.