Paris in December

Margie, go to Graffiti Wall on this website and look for "Christmas in Europe" for some feedback and check out the holiday schedule of places you plan to visit. December 26 is a holiday and there will be closings around New Year's as well. The concert and theater season is in full swing and the restaurants will be warm and festive. The days will be really short, so you have to plan your evenings well.
Go to http://en.parisinfo.com/ a website that tells you in English what's going on in Paris. Click on the calendar (Pick December 27) and it comes up with innumerable things to see and do. In fact, thanks for asking this question. It made me search for the website and will help me plan my trip next spring. Paris is my favorite city.

There will be a skating rink just outside of Hotel de Ville (i.e. Paris City Hall) and you can rent skates (or are they free?) do a few rounds of the rink and take photos for the folks back home. As well, the whole city comes alive with Christmas lights late in the day as it gets dark. Quite magical. Don't miss the imaginatively decorated windows of the big department stores, Printemps & Galeries de Lafayette.

We were there the same time of year. I didn't notice many things closed, except on New Years day. Even that day there were things to do. The holiday decorations are tasteful, but beautiful. We arrived on 12/29 and ran across a couple of Christmas markets over the next few days.

Will you be at a hotel or an apartment? If you can do an apartment I recommend it. Hotel rooms are small, and considering the time of year you may be in it more than you would otherwise. As you have already been told, daylight hours are short. It didn't really get light until around 9:00 a.m. and it was dark around 4:30 in the afternoon. It can also be very cold, so pack accordingly.

Have a great trip!

"The holiday decorations are tasteful, but beautiful." I was particularly struck with that point as well. You won't see any giant inflatable snow globes, or light-up Santa Clauses. Expect tasteful understatement.

There is a Christmas Market at La Defense, I just remembered.

For a place to stay, look at: Nadine Studio 30 sqm Paris 9e near Montmartre/Opera E-mail : [email protected] Website : http://locationparis9.canalblog.com We stayed here and loved it.Great for 2 people.

Dear Margie: My wife and I did this exact trip a few years ago and enjoyed it very much. I would caution you to make dinner reservations for New Years Eve and New Years Day if possible&#59; before you leave the US. Paris for New Years is popular with the French and other Europeans, so although Paris was somewhat emptier than usual on the 26th-30th, it filled up to bursting on the 31st. We had a tough time getting in to a restaurant on the 31st, and we left on New Years Day but noticed that a lot of places were closed. We found the weather extremely variable....one day of pouring rain, another of bright sunshine, and still another of blowing winds and cold temps. On the other hand, it seemed to us that the building interiors were stifling...dress in layers so you can go from 40 to 90 degrees in a couple of minutes. Have a wonderful time!

Just for an opposite point of view...we did a walking tour of Monmartre on New Years Eve, then went to the Pont Neuf area where we had no trouble finding a place to eat without a reservation. We went on the bridge to get a good view of the Eiffel Tower to position ourselves for the fireworks that would go off at midnight. Only one problem...no fireworks! There were a lot of people on the bridge with champagne and wine and some people brought fireworks. All in all, a New Years we will never forget!