My husband I are planning a trip to Paris and/or London around Christmas time. We heard that the cities shut down. Has anyone been to either London or Paris around Christmas time? Any recommendations on restaurants and entertainment that stays open. We are pretty casual when traveling, so nothing too flashy. I don't want to get stuck in a hotel. Any ideas would be great. Thanks!

A BIG Difference between 'around Christmas' and Christmas DAY. Do you mean actually on Xmas Day? If so -- Paris is easier. London does essentially close up tight on Christmas Day. No public transport. No tourist attractions. Few restaurants are open. The few traditional restaurants that ARE open tend to charge sky high prices -- sort of like New Years Eve in NYC. Many ethnic places are open and can be inexpensive - but you'd have to find something w/i walking distance.

However -- if you just mean the general Christmas season like the week before or the week after Christmas . . . London is fantastic. Concerts, carolers, ice skating, Chestnuts roasting on street corners.

If you don't mean Christmas Day specifically --London is great. If you do mean ON Dec 25 --Paris would be better IMO.

If you do mean the 25th -- maybe you could split your time - in London up til say the 23rd or 24th and Paris from mid-day the 24th.

We were in Paris a couple of years ago at Christmastime. Not all museums are closed on Christmas Day and there are enough restaurants open to give you a choice in dining. The Metro is running, probably on a holiday schedule, but we didn't wait long for a train. We had a great holiday--visit and lunch at the Jacquemart-Andre Museum, long walk, and dinner at Bofinger.

My impression is that London shuts down much more at Christmas--and partially the next day too.

Paris was very festive with lighted decorations and trees. The Champs Elysees is bordered with white lights and the department stores have extravagant window displays. The hours of daylight at that time of the year are reduced, but the many lights made up for any feeling of darkness. It was a good experience.

We did stay in an apartment, but even in a hotel room, there's no need for you to feel cooped up. Many more restaurants were open than I would have thought and the local patisserie was open as was the small grocery store.

Great info! Yes, we are planning on traveling between Dec 22 and Dec 30. I am thinking the first half in Paris and the second half in London (starting the day after Christmas). Thanks.

we spent from before Christmas to after New Year's in Paris a few years ago, three generations of our family.

If the city did indeed shut down, we didn't notice it! Everything we wanted to see and do was open, including the Louvre and Versaille, Napoleon's tomb, the Pantheon, St. Chapelle, street markets, and we didn't notice restaurants closed.

One of Paris' advantages is that many of the sites you may want to see are more centrally concentrated than London's. We were able to walk to almost everything - some were a good hike, no question, but manageable for all of us, including my parents in their late 70's at the time.

I thought Paris was wonderful at Christmas - it had such an amazing vibe. (Can you tell I'm in love with Paris????)

"<i>I am thinking the first half in Paris and the second half in London (starting the day after Christmas). Thanks.</i>"

Excellent idea -- I'd recommend you arrive in London on the morning of the 27th instead of the 26th, or at least take a late afternoon train on the 26th. Dec 26th is Boxing Day and while public transport is back up and running, some attractions are still closed and there is still some disruption.

If you stayed in Paris until say after a late lunch Dec 26, you'd be in London 1 hour local time later --the train takes 2 hours but you gain the time change. So you could have lunch/cocktails in Paris and be in a pub in London the same afternoon. You'd have 5+ days in Paris and almost 4 full days free in London.

There is no public transportation in England on December 25 and 26th, to my knowledge. Things continue in Paris the same as ever, though.

"There is no public transportation in England on December 25 and 26th, to my knowledge. "

As others have pointed out there is transport in the UK on the 26th.

Same question was discussed just last month: http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...r-in-paris.cfm

That should answer questions about public transport, restaurants, sights, etc in each city, etc. But in a nutshell, what kerouac has written about public transport is correct.

"<i>But in a nutshell, what kerouac has written about public transport is correct.</i>"

Not totally . . . It is correct re Paris, but not for London.

<i>BOXING DAY
26 DECEMBER

London Underground There will be a reduced train frequency on all lines, the first trains in central London will be around 8:30am, there’s a Sunday schedule. Be aware that many stations will be closed all day.
Buses A Sunday service will operate from around 8:30am.</i>

8:30 a.m. is mid morning as far as I am concerned. I would not want to be a prisoner at that time of day.

"<i>. . . there’s a Sunday schedule . . .</i>"

That is plenty good enough for most visitors. The stations that close are generally where tourist/visitors/shoppers aren't likely to find themselves. Hundreds of thousands of folks manage on the tube/buses on the sunday schedule.

we were in Paris last year and loved it (Christmas in Paris was Fantastic trip report)...Paris is a little quite on Christmas Eve and then again on Christmas morning, but we had a fantastic time and found restaurants to go to and The Metro was running.
Don't know about London but go to Paris!!

We went to Le Train Bleu on Christmas Eve for dinner. While we had big blow out on Christmas Day at Le Cinq, there are other hotels you could try or there are restaurants, I believe, in the Jewish section that are open. Things were opening back up Christmas afternoon.

Wow...I went to work and came home and I had tons of responses. Thank you so much for the information! You guys are great.

What was your favorite restaurant in both Paris and London? And, what were your favorite activities? We love to walk and already have warm waterproof jackets and shoes to keep us going in the cold weather.

Tough to choose only one in Paris...for casual environment and really great food...Le Comptoir (in the 6th); we also loved Le Souffle; for nice splurge, but not stuffy, L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon; we also love Marco Polo for Italian, in the 6th

In December, sample the food and vin chaud at the Christmas markets. If you read our T/R, you'll know it was all about the food. Favorite memory was getting ice cream at Bertillon and eating it in the snow in the park behind Notre Dame. Looking at all the store and shop windows decorated for Christmas, was great and eating as many pain au chocolat as possible.

We did less sight seeing on that trip. My favorite museum is D'Orsay.

"<i>What was your favorite restaurant in both Paris and London?</i>"

Hundreds of great restaurants in both cities. And while Paris-philes will say the food is better in Paris, just by numbers alone, there are just as many great places in London as in Paris.

Local neighborhood places are better generally in Paris -- but at the 'awesome' end of the spectrum both cities have an amazing number of special restaurants.

All of this is to say -- what sort of food do you like, what sort of ambiance do you want, what sort of budget do you have??