Christmas in Paris

Paris is a great town for Christmas. If you can rent an apartment (it is high high season for apartments in Paris so for so short a time it might be tricky) then definitely plan to shop for the lovely treats available to prepare a Christmas dinner at home. One year we bought a boned duck stuffed with a sort of pate already to put in the oven to roast, and a variety of wonderful appetizers in the market and a stunning dessert.

See if you can get tickets for the Musee des Arts Forains; this used to be very hard to visit except right after Christmas. I think it is more available now but may still be particularly nice to visit at Christmas. It is a carnival museum; you can see snapshots of our visit in my photo journal. https://janettravels.wordpress.com/2012/12/31/magic-at-musee-des-arts-forains/ At Christmas I think the rides and the refreshment booths and such are in full operation which is not true for the everyday tours.

You basically have 3 full days since not much is open on Christmas day. I'd use that day for things like the Eiffel Tower and the Seine Cruise which do operate, I believe, on that day. And perhaps plan neighborhood walking tours on that day using self guided book or guides from the internet. I would think the Christmas Market on the Champs Elysees might be open on Christmas and definitely ride the Grande Roue at concord at some point on your trip. I scoffed at the idea and at the price of 10 Euro but my nephews wanted to do it so we did it one night. It was pretty fabulous; the views and photo ops from the cabin were wonderful. Each cabin holds 4.

My husband and I were in Paris over Christmas two years ago and loved it.

I second the recommendation of renting an apartment while you are there. We used the company Vacation in Paris (http://www.vacationinparis.com) and were very pleased with the apartment and the customer service. They even send you the keys before you leave, which I liked because you didn't have to arrange a meeting time and stress about delayed trains, etc..

We also made use of museum passes while we were there, and I don't think I am exaggerating when I say it saved us about 6-8 hours of waiting in line. It is very much high season during this time, and lines for places such as the Louvre and the Orangerie were incredibly long. Yet with the museum pass we just walked right in to both museums, even though the Louvre had a line that wound around the courtyard. We bought our pass at a quieter sight (we used the Pantheon) to further avoid lines.

My last recommendation is to attend a Christmas eve service at Notre Dame. Hearing the choir preform there was definitely a wow moment for us.

In response to Ben, I was just sharing my personal experience. I'm glad to hear that the year I was there may have been unusual. In my experience the crowds were worse around Christmas than when I'd been in May, but clearly that is just one person's experience. We still had a great time, and I certainly wouldn't discourage you from going.

By high season I mean that hotels and apartments are at their most expensive. Major tourist sites are also quite crowded.

Around Christmas multiple Circus companies are on the outskirts of Paris. Also the Cirque d'Hiver Bolulglione is nice.
Maybe this is for you something.

I spent Christmas in Paris a few years ago and am returning again this Christmas. ( I was just in Paris this summer but could not wait a whole year to return!)

As soon as I got my airline tkt I reserved an apartment for 10 days. Yes this is high season in Paris and many hotels and apartments will tell you right on the website that prices are higher. They book fast so they can raise the prices. I used VRBO and reserved the first one I saw that looked interesting. The owner is American and we hit it off right away.

I love going to the Christmas Markets on the Champs Elysees and visiting the windows at Galleries Lafayette, etc. I have also walked around Pere Lachaise cemetery in the cooler season weather. It is beautiful there and gives you a reason to get over to the the 20th arr., and out of the touristy areas. If you are a photographer you will not find a better place.

I will be using the colder evenings to visit museums (many are open later one evening a week) and using the limited daylight/warmer hours for general exploration and walking tours. Just be sure to check for closures since it is holiday season. I am re-evaluating getting a museum pass though, as so many places are closed an extra day or 2 during Christmas/New Years season. I bought a 2-day pass this summer during my June-July visit and frankly found it a waste of money. I saw no lines longer than a 15 minute wait, and you need to use it 3 times a day to really get your money's worth. The 6-day pass is the best deal but there is not a 6-day window where the places i want to see are open. Spend the time and "do the math" while checking the calendar of openings/closings.

We spent Christmas in Paris a few years ago and more was open during the day than we expected. All the stores and restaurants in the Marais are open on that day. Many cafes are open but restaurants are generally closed. There are a handful of restaurants opened Christmas Eve-google and you will find them. They usually require 50% deposits for dinner.