To spend Christmas in Paris is a dream for thousands of people. The city’s most beautiful monuments are illuminated, Christmas decorations adorn the streets, and department store windows are filled with animated displays. Many of Paris events take over the city, offering fun for all the family. For those out there looking for things to do in Paris during this holiday season, here’s a list that every designer must follow.
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Christmas Concerts at La Sainte-Chapelle
There’s no better way to celebrate the holiday season than a classical music concert at the stunning Gothic church on Île de la Cité. La Sainte-Chapelle, the 14th-century personal chapel of the kings, has just undergone a restoration with extensive cleaning and repairing to the structure’s famous stained-glass windows, so everything is shiny and beautiful. Experience the royal chapel with works by Vivaldi, Pachelbel, Bach, Monteverdi and other timeless composers. There are usually special performances on Christmas Eve and December 26 through to New Year’s Eve. Book as soon as possible, because the concerts around Christmas will sell out.
Chocolate & Pastry Tour – Special Christmas Edition
During the holiday season, and only available the last two weeks in December, you can hook up with the special Christmas edition of this very popular chocolate and pastry walking tour. As we said, Christmas in Paris is all about food, and chocolate is perhaps the best example. Everyone’s in the holiday mood as the pass out plenty of samples!
Holiday Season Performances at Palais Garnier
Another must-see in Paris at Christmas is a performance at the stunning Belle Epoque marvel, Palais Garnier. The building itself is as marvelous as any performance ever held there. Every year there are seasonal concerts and ballets and any one of them is worth seeing. So far, for Christmas 2016, three performances have been announced — an opera, a ballet, and a recital — but be sure to check back as the year goes on to sign up for a wonderful evening at this palace.
Swan Lake at Opera Bastille
In Paris, Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without a seeing a performance of Tchaikovsky’s most famous ballet, Swan Lake. This magical show (which was, by the way, Tchaikovsky’s first ballet) is based on the legends of young girls being turned into swans. It’s a perennial fave and should be on your must-see list. Performed at Opera Bastille on many dates from December 07 through 31. If you want to see it on New Year’s Eve, you’d better book right now.
Christmas Markets
Bundle up warm and go out exploring to see how the French celebrating Christmas. Every year seasonal Christmas markets spring up in many quarters of Paris. It’s where Parisians shop for crafts, decorations, and other seasonal specialties. From the middle of November to early January you can find Christmas Markets at these locations:
Saint-Sulpice (and Père Noël Village), 6th Arrondissement
Saint-Germain-des-Prés (and Père Noël Village), 6th Arrondissement
Place de la Nation, 11th Arrondissement
Place des Abbesses in Montmartre, 18th Arrondissement
Gare de l’Est, 10th Arrondissement
Trocadero, 16th Arrondissement
Christmas Day Dinner Cruise on the Seine
Plan a very special Christmas in Paris — an evening with dinner on the world’s favorite river. On a boat on the the Seine, glide past illuminated Paris landmarks as your 3-course meal is served. The seasonal menu is prepared by a chef from the Academie Culinaire de France. Reservations are available daily through December including Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve. But, you must book early!
The season leading up to Christmas is a light-filled, festive time in Paris that can provide an ideal backdrop for a romantic vacation or an enchanting holiday season with the kids. Since it’s necessary to plan things in advance, hopefully, this list will help you.
And this is it for today. We invite you to explore our Pinterest boards for more inspirations about the City of Light and also about Paris events, arts, and design world.
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