Christmas/New Years in Paris

Posted by Sue (Springfield, VA, USA) on 10/05/15 07:29 PM

My husband and I are going to Paris on 12/22 and returning on 1/2. We are in our 60s. We have been to Paris and other parts of France many times. Have rented an apartment near Place Vosges, then move to a hotel near the Tuileries for New Years Eve.

Would love some tips for this trip. We have been there for pre-Christmas, know it will be cold, and have some plans. What would you do, especially on New Year's Eve. Where would you plan to eat dinner? Although, it is pretty over the top, I looked at Bouton Mouche, but not our style.

Oddly, one of our big plans is to see the new Star Wars movie in Paris on Christmas. Any suggestions on that? I know theatres are open.

Thanks!

Posted by Philip

London, United Kingdom

10/05/15 09:36 PM

4684 posts

Look for showings marked "VO" or "version originale". Other showings will be dubbed in French.

Posted by Harold

New York, NY, USA

10/07/15 04:16 AM

11294 posts

The weekly magazines Pariscope and l'Officiel des Spectacles are sold cheaply (less than €1) on newsstands, and have listings for all the events in Paris. A large portion of each is devoted to movies - by title, by genre, by arrondissement, etc. As Philip said, just find a VO showing near you, or at a large theater (I believe the individual theater listings show the number of seats). But do get there early, or buy advance tickets. Like New York, Paris movie theaters are very busy and can sell out (particularly for something like the new Star Wars).

If you want to see other movies, you not only have to find a VO showing, but make sure the original soundtrack is in a language you can understand. I remember on my first trip, theaters were showing The Last Emperor, the Bertolucci about Pu Yi (mostly in English). But one theater was showing The Last Empress, about the wife of Pu Yi. Sounded interesting - but it turned out to be a Chinese film, in Mandarin with French subtitles, so I had to pass. On the flip side, there are often revivals of old American classics that don't get shown on big screens anywhere else.

Posted by brushtim

Vacaville, Ca

10/08/15 04:16 AM

1441 posts

Looking at the theater, Gaumont Opera, http://www.cinemasgaumontpathe.com/films/, it shows the movie Hotel Transylvania 2 (Transylvanie 2), original language (VOST) - version originale sous-titréefor - 11 Oct at 20:00 and 22:00. So VO or VOST should be in English for Star Wars. Other times are indicated as VF, I would assume version-French. The MK2 Theater lists the movies as VO or VF. There are a few MK2 theaters in Paris.