Why Paris is still the ultimate festive escape
I have lived in Paris for most of my adult life, but before the pandemic I always returned to London for Christmas. In fact, I would have told you that Christmas is better in the UK. We have cosy pubs and boozy parties, not to mention the silly jumpers. But I have come to appreciate and embrace festivities à la Parisienne – and there is something especially enchanting about the holiday season in Paris this year, not least because it is the first in a while without any restrictions.
The whole business of Christmas is a little bit different over here. For a start, the big feasting day is the 24th, not the 25th, and there is no such thing as Boxing Day. Out and about, it is less blaring Crimbo hits from times gone by, and more jazz standards. It’s not so much flashing multicoloured lights, more subtle guirlandes – strings of warm-toned fairy lights that twinkle above the roads, along café awnings and on teeny Haussmannian balconies.
As with all things French, the food comes first. From early November, chalkboards announce the start of the oyster/hot chocolate/mulled wine season. In December, the elegant displays in the boulangerie windows are even more seductive than usual, brightening up the darker days with abundant piles of exquisite pastries and buns. Seasonal specialities abound: fragrant pain d’épices, marrons glacés wrapped up in gold foil, air-light macaroons and rich chocolate truffles.
Despite the cold, Parisians can still be found on their beloved café terraces, keeping warm with wool blankets on their knees and steaming glasses of spiced vin chaud cupped in their gloved hands. In the city’s high-end gastronomic restaurants, chefs serve up elaborate tasting menus, while sommeliers search their cellars for the most celebratory bottles.
The locals love to spend a winter evening visiting “une expo” and there are plenty to choose from. The Musée d’Orsay (musee-orsay.fr) is hosting a major retrospective of Rosa Bonheur, known for her paintings of animals, while the Louvre (louvre.fr) has Things, tracking the history of the still life. There are endless concerts on offer, with special classical programming in magnificent locations such as the Sainte-Chapelle and, further afield, the opera house of Versailles.
At this time of year, the city’s sumptuous department stores pull out all the stops, each one vying to create the most enchanting window display. At Printemps, one of the oldest grands magasins, there is a dazzling circus-themed display. A cast of 95 handmade marionettes perform trapeze and tightrope acts. Down by the Seine there is La Samaritaine, the glittering Art-Nouveau department store, reopened in style last year by LVMH.
This year, the galleried atrium is the backdrop for a giant advent calendar. Every day, one shopper wins a high-end prize, such as a trip to Monte Carlo or a designer watch. Across the river on the Left Bank, you will find the city’s oldest grand magasin, Le Bon Marché, serving up old-school glamour. Its food hall, La Grande Epicerie rivals Harrods with its endless pristine displays of consumable delights, from panettone to fine whisky.
For families, there are special immersive illuminations in the Jardin des Plantes in the Latin Quarter, or the cutting-edge La Villette complex in the cool north of town. And then there are the pop-up Christmas markets, the biggest at the Tuileries Garden (where there is even an ice rink with the Louvre as a backdrop) – plus little versions dotted across the city, from the riverside to the enchanting Place des Abbesses in Montmartre. The city of Paris even makes its iconic manèges (carousels) free to ride at this time of year.
Out of town, of course there is Disneyland, but it’s not the only castle out there. At the Château de Fontainebleau (chateaudefontainebleau.fr) there is a special programme of Christmas events including a princess-themed tour. At the Château de Chantilly (chateaudechantilly.fr), a short train ride from Paris, there is a dazzling winter wonderland installation, featuring illuminations and a Christmas market too.
Times are tough, it’s true, but the French reaction in hard times is always to huddle closer to life’s pleasures and joys – food, wine, art, music and loved ones. Why not join in, and forget your troubles for a lovely seasonal weekend? It’s a lot of fun – even without the Christmas jumpers.
How to do it
Shopping
Get in the Christmas mood by visiting Paris’s iconic department stores. Marvel at the enormous Christmas tree that climbs all the way up to the magnificent Art-Nouveau dome of Galeries Lafayette (galerieslafayette.com), offset by the ornate galleried balustrades on each level. Next, head down the street to Printemps (printemps.com) to marvel at its exquisite marionette display.
The store has been entirely renovated this year and is offering dozens of limited-edition exclusive products, such as Christmas ornaments of departed icons, including the Queen and David Bowie. Shop for one-off gifts in the Christmas markets dotted across the town, including the largest at the Tuileries Garden (Place de la Concorde). Peruse the tomes at legendary English-language bookstores, such as Shakespeare and Company (37 Rue de la Bûcherie; shakespeareandcompany.com), or the Smith & Son (248 Rue de Rivoli; smithandson.com).
Food and drink
Stock up on festive delights made by the local patissier. Just about any area in Paris has at least a couple of excellent boulangeries, and I don’t think you can go wrong by popping in any one that takes your fancy. However, if you want to test some of Parisians’ favourites, duck into one of the branches of Mamiche (mamiche.fr), Maison Landemaine (maisonlandemaine.com) or Du Pain et des idées (34 Tue Yves Toudic; dupainetdesidees.com) for pastry.
For fine chocolate, there is the diet-wrecking Maison Georges Larnicol (larnicol.com), or the ultra-fancy gourmet offering of Alléno & Rivoire near the Eiffel Tower (9 Rue du Champ de Mars; chocolat-allenorivoire.fr), co-created by Michelin-starred chef Yannick Alléno.
For environmental reasons, Parisian terraces are no longer heated by energy-guzzling heaters, but it is still well worth pulling up a bistro chair to watch the world go by. Do like the Parisians and throw on a big scarf and order a vin chaud or Viennois hot chocolate with chantilly cream on top. To enjoy a charming Christmassy view, try the famous Café de Flore (172 Boulevard Saint-Germain; cafedeflore.fr), the romantic Le Nemours (2 Place Colette; lenemours.paris) by the Louvre, or charming Café Saint Regis (6 Rue Jean du Bellay; cafesaintregisparis.com) on the picture-perfect Ile Saint-Louis on the Seine.
For something special, high-end restaurants such as Frédéric Vardon’s 39V on Avenue George V (le39v.com), or L’Oiseau Blanc (peninsula.com) at the Peninsula hotel on Avenue Kléber are offering exquisite tasting menus. For a slice of festive luxury without blowing the bank, opt for a drink or afternoon tea at one of Paris’s luxury hotels, such as the Ritz (ritzparis.com). While you are there, enjoy the beautiful display of Christmas trees on Place Vendôme.
Family
Visit the Christmas market at the Tuileries and skate on the ice rink there, which is open now until January 8 2023. Head to out-of-town winter wonderlands in the châteaux that surround Paris, in particular Fontainebleau and Chantilly (see above), which are laying on special concerts and tours. For extra-special illuminations, try the light festival at the Jardin des Plantes (57 Rue Cuvier; jardindesplantesdeparis.fr) featuring giant illuminated insects and flowers; in Parc de La Villette (211 Avenue Jean Jaurès; lavillette.com) in the hip north of the city, lanterns light the way for a magical immersive journey along the canal.
Culture
Visit the Rosa Bonheur exhibition at the Musée d’Orsay (see above) and supplement that with an out-of-town visit to her wonderfully restored château (12 Rue Rosa Bonheur; chateau-rosa-bonheur.fr) in Thomery, a short train ride from Paris. Enjoy classical music at the 18th-century Royal Opera House in Versailles (chateauversailles-spectacles.fr), one of the château’s best-kept secrets, or back in Paris listen to Handel, Vivaldi or Strauss amid the stained glass of the Sainte-Chapelle (10 Boulevard du Palais; euromusicproductions.fr).
Stay
Madame Rêve Hotel (00 331 8040 7770; madamereve.com) opened this year in the historic central post office by the Louvre. From the bar at the top, you can take in fantastic views of the City of Lights. Or stay in Simone de Beauvoir’s former home in the heart of the Latin Quarter, now hotel Maison Colbert (00 331 5681 1900; melia.com), a short walk from her beloved Café de Flore and the always gorgeous Jardin du Luxembourg.
Sights
You will find pretty illuminations in every corner of Paris, and sometimes the smaller displays are the most charming. But for the big-hitters, head to the Avenue des Champs-Elysées to take in the stunning symmetry of the illuminated trees, and continue onto the luxury shopping streets Avenue Montaigne and Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré. Stroll the 19th-century covered passageways of the 2nd and 9th arrondissements, lovely in any season, but extra special with Christmas decorations. For a different view, take a cruise along the Seine and see Paris lit up on each side of you. Bateaux Parisiens (bateauxparisiens.com) is offering special festive meals.
For something more intimate, try a private cruise up and down the Seine on an electric boat with Green River Cruises (greenriver-paris.fr).
