Christmas Season to-do list in France +

We could add in other cities as well. I have read that Budapest is fabulous that time of year.
You heard correctly, but I am a bit biased.

First, you say this year or 2026 or 2027. If funds are a bit tight for this year, you might find that Budapest is somewhat less expensive than Paris or a lot of Western Europe for that matter; so, it can help balance the cost of a holiday or it can just be the holiday. Budapest winters are a bit warmer than Paris as well.

Paris to Budapest: Booked today for 8 December on Wizzair with a checked bag is right at $100.

Seattle Round trip to Budapest: Mid December for a week, starts at about $1200 for one level up from Basic Economy.

Hotels: I just checked some hotel prices for another Christmas visitor and there is a perfectly located, no compromise, 3-Star for about $100 a night and a handful of equally as well located 4-Star hotels for under $200 a night (like this one: https://youtu.be/_kusvljyDN0?si=5EZ9-1nRUN6a9o48). Those prices with equally convenient locations and quality might be difficult to replicate in Paris.

Local Transportation: You guys, over 65, get to travel all the public transportation, even the trains within the country for FREE. No cards, no tickets, just get on and ride. If you don’t mind the bus (it’s nice actually) even getting from the airport to the city center is free for you.

You need 3 full days to do it justice. So that is not less than 4 nights. But I have friends and know of a few Rick Steves forum members that come to Budapest every year for a week or more each trip and are still finding more to see and do so as a stand-alone trip 7 nights isn’t crazy. You just do a few day trip and slow down a bit. Here is a decent place to slow down a bit: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/tJ7TvLF0ZZA

The vibe at Christmas: https://youtube.com/shorts/PCgmLIw3PqY?si=eMSCWafbgm90Dx7G AND https://youtube.com/shorts/GTwhR6swMMs?si=P_SPi2LZaP5I8Mcr

• For the Christmas Markets: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/hungary/budapest-christmas-markets-d26f8ab1-2048-4160-bfb3-bf13b096683e
• For other things going on in the city: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/hungary/updated-budapest-events-for-january-june-2026
• For music and theater: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/hungary/updated-budapest-performance-venue-list
• For restaurants: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/hungary/budapest-restaurant-tales AND https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/hungary/restaurants-in-budapest-revisited

The day trip I would do would be Szentendre. It’s a 45-minute commuter train up the river. Lovely town and lovely market. Again, it’s a free trip for you (over 65). Given time there are other ideas like Eger or the Archabbey at Pannonhalma; maybe for a Christmas concert.

If you want to pair Budapest with another place, look at Vienna. It’s 2:40 away by train for as little as $20 a ticket. Vienna does tend to have Paris like prices, but we have Emily on the forum who has been helpful in finding good accommodations in budget. Also, very nice markets. Emily has a post on the forum with information on the Vienna Markets.

I'm spending Christmas in France this year (second time.)

We're staying in Amiens which has one of the largest Christmas Markets in northern France. It has the largest cathedral in France which is also (to me) one of the most beautiful. They do a light show on the Cathedral which is simply stunning.

Amiens in a little over an hour from Paris by train. It's an easily navigable city, no car necessary. You literally get off the train, and cross the street and the Christmas Market begins there. It is a ten minute walk through the pedestrian city center to the cathedral, and you'll be treated to all the usual holiday festivities - Ferris wheel, carousel, skating rink, hot chestnuts, etc.

This year we are staying in the city center, so everything is right at our door. And from there we can easily take day trips to Paris or Lille (Amiens is halfway between) or a number of other interesting little cities such as Chantilly and Albert.

During our last Christmas in France we also stayed in Amiens and visited Paris, Reims, Metz, and Lille as well. Everywhere we went was beautiful of course. And yes, it was COLD! In Metz it snowed, otherwise it was cold and damp. It was a little colder than our coldest winters in Atlanta (where it occasionally snows a couple of inches) so it wasn't unbearable but you'll need to bundle up. (We also did a day trip to Bastogne and it was VERY cold - full on snow and ice and temps in the 20s.)

StellaB, sounds lovely. I book marked the thread because of your post. Thank you.

Ohhhh, where do you stay when there?

StellaB, I'm also bookmarking this as it does sound lovely. I will be in Paris for about six days after touring the Christmas markets in Germany and Alsace with my sister, so we'll be looking for something like that to do, and that sounds perfect. And I love cathedrals!

Thank you, StellaB and Mr É. Great ideas to follow up on. We spent 5 weeks in Europe this spring, so will probably wait until winter 2027 - unless we do a much shorter trip than usual. I like to fly comfortably, so it is expensive and I'm not inclined to short trips. I'll likely be back later with more questions. This forum is the best!!!

StellaB, sounds lovely. I book marked the thread because of your post.
Thank you.

Ohhhh, where do you stay when there?

We're staying at an Airbnb just a few steps from the Cathedral. Most of the main hotels in town are right next to the train station which is right across the street from the pedestrian city center (not as much charm, but they'll do.)

We chose this one for our upcoming visit, and it is less than $175/night for a three bedroom apartment (so we're sharing with another couple which makes this VERY affordable!).