Things to do in Paris in December

Paris in December rewards travellers who want lights, markets and museums more than long days outdoors. Expect afternoon highs near 8 °C, sunset before 17:00, a quiet first fortnight, a crowded Christmas week and closures on 25 December and 1 January.

The Champs-Élysées committee lights about 400 trees along the avenue between Place de la Concorde and the Arc de Triomphe. In recent years the switch-on has fallen on a Sunday in the second half of November (19 November 2023, 24 November 2024 and 16 November 2025). The 2025 display stayed on until 4 January 2026. The 2026 date had not been announced on 1 October 2026. The avenue is free and open all evening, and a walk from Concorde towards the arch keeps the lit trees and the Arc de Triomphe ahead. Weekday evenings in early December are calmer than the Saturdays before Christmas.

When: every evening from the late November switch-on into early January

Nearest metro: Concorde (lines 1, 8, 12), Franklin D. Roosevelt (lines 1, 9) or Charles de Gaulle-Étoile (lines 1, 2, 6 and RER A)

Galeries Lafayette Haussmann and Printemps Haussmann stand next to each other on Boulevard Haussmann and unveil animated Christmas windows each November, and Galeries Lafayette also hangs a giant tree under its glass dome. In 2025 Printemps lit its windows on 6 November and Galeries Lafayette on 12 November, so both displays cover the whole of December. The 2026 dates had not been announced on 1 October. Looking at the windows and the dome is free. Weekday mornings are the easiest time, because Saturday afternoons in December bring queues on the pavement and crowds on the escalators inside.

When: early November to the end of December, quietest on weekday mornings

Nearest metro: Chaussée d'Antin-La Fayette (lines 7, 9) or Havre-Caumartin (lines 3, 9)

Two markets had confirmed their 2026 dates by 1 October. The Notre-Dame market runs in Square René Viviani, across the river from the cathedral, from 26 November to 27 December 2026. The La Défense market fills the business district's parvis from 12 November to 31 December 2026 with free entry. The Tuileries market, the largest in central Paris, ran from 14 November 2025 to 4 January 2026 with about 100 chalets and an ice rink, but its 2026 dates had not been published. The stalls sell mulled wine, raclette, crafts and gifts, and weekdays before 19 December, when school holidays start, are the least crowded.

When: mid-November to late December, dates vary by market

Nearest metro: Saint-Michel Notre-Dame (RER B, C) for Notre-Dame, La Défense (line 1, RER A) for La Défense, Tuileries or Concorde (line 1) for the Tuileries

The Grand Palais de Glace returns under the glass roof of the Grand Palais from 13 December 2026 to 6 January 2027, with 2,700 m² of indoor ice and skate hire included in the ticket. Tickets go on sale online only from mid-October, and sessions run in the morning, the afternoon and late evening until 01:00. The rink closes at 18:00 on 24 and 31 December, and skaters must wear gloves on the ice. Smaller open-air rinks appeared at the Tuileries market and outside the 15th arrondissement town hall in 2025, but their 2026 dates were not out on 1 October.

When: 13 December 2026 to 6 January 2027 at the Grand Palais

Nearest metro: Champs-Élysées-Clemenceau (line 1) or Franklin D. Roosevelt (line 9)

Photo: "Le Grand Palais des Glaces, Paris" by Passion Leica (CC BY-SA 2.0).

Sainte-Chapelle, the 13th-century royal chapel on Île de la Cité, hosts Christmas concerts of Handel, Bach and carols under its stained glass. The 2026 series is on sale, with evening concerts from 18 December up to New Year's Eve. Concerts start at 18:00, after dark, so the windows show little colour from inside, and a daytime visit suits anyone who cares most about the glass. Audience reviews mention that the chapel is unheated, and most of the audience keeps coats and hats on. Seating is unreserved, so early arrivals get the places near the musicians.

When: 18 to 31 December 2026, evening concerts

Nearest metro: Cité (line 4)

With rain on about 11 days in an average December, most trips need at least one long museum day. The Louvre closes on Tuesdays and the Musée d'Orsay on Mondays. In December 2026 the Louvre is shut on 1, 8, 15, 22 and 29 December and the Orsay on 7, 14, 21 and 28 December. The Louvre stays open until 21:00 on Wednesdays and Fridays, and the Orsay until 21:45 on Thursdays, which turns the dark early evening into gallery time. Both get busier from 19 December, when French schools break up.

Opening hours: Louvre 9:00 to 18:00, to 21:00 on Wednesday and Friday, closed Tuesday. Orsay 9:30 to 18:00, to 21:45 on Thursday, closed Monday

Nearest metro: Palais Royal-Musée du Louvre (lines 1, 7) for the Louvre, Solférino (line 12) or Musée d'Orsay (RER C) for the Orsay

Sunset falls between 16:53 and 17:03 all month, so a boat leaving around 16:30 starts in the last light and finishes with the Eiffel Tower lit. In the low season Bateaux-Mouches sails every 45 minutes from 10:15 to 21:30, with departures every 30 minutes from 16:00, and the loop takes about an hour. The tower sparkles for five minutes at the start of each hour after dusk, so a boat that reaches it on the hour catches the show. The heated lower deck suits cold or wet evenings, and the open top deck is worth a few minutes as the boat nears the tower.

When: every day, with departures every 30 minutes from 16:00 in the low season

Nearest metro: Alma-Marceau (line 9) for the Bateaux-Mouches pier at Pont de l'Alma

Disney's Enchanted Christmas runs in both parks from 7 November 2026 to 6 January 2027, with Mickey's Dazzling Christmas Parade and a giant tree. New for 2026, Disney adds Christmas activities in the World of Frozen area of Disney Adventure World. The resort is at Marne-la-Vallée, at the eastern end of RER A, so the trip takes a full day, and an early train makes the most of the short daylight. The heaviest crowds come between 19 December and 3 January, when French schools are on holiday, while early December weekdays stay calmer.

When: 7 November 2026 to 6 January 2027

Getting there: RER A to Marne-la-Vallée-Chessy