Hello all:<BR>We are considering spending X'mas holidays in Paris. Need to know how a tourist would spend Dec.25th - are there any restaurants open on that day? Please give details of your experience. Also, can you recommend a budget family apartment that is close to the attractions. Thank you.

A few yrs. ago I spent Xmas in Paris, or rather spent Xmas Eve there ( some restaurants were open) and then on Xmas Day (after breakfast in a restaurant) took train about 20 mi. north to Luzarches, where we stayed at Chateau du Chaumontel. It's a former hunting lodge, beautifully furnished, lovely grounds, complete with a moat and "reasonable." However, if I were to do that again, I would go to Chaumontel on Xmas Eve, since that seems to be the night the big Xmas dinner takes place in France. Lovely as it was, we kind of arrived "the day after." But anyway, in answer to your question, there are restaurants open in Paris. The one we went to on Xmas eve was full of Americans, all with same recent piece from NYT, which listed places open on Xmas Eve, Day in Paris! We also went to midnite mass at Notre Dame, where we arrived in time to barely get SRO, so ended up going back near our hotel to Eglise St.Germain-des-Pres, where we got a seat.

We were in Paris for Christmas in 1999, the year of "Le Tempest" or the storm of the century that wreaked such havoc with the trees of Versailles. Assuming you don't have anything approaching that weather, Paris is very "open" for Christmas. There are a couple of places where they set up special Christmas villages--the square des Innocents near Les Halles and in the Trocadero gardens. In little wooden chalet type huts people sell gifts, ornaments and food. We had dinner Christmas eve at our favorite Chinese restaurant in Paris, Chez Vong. It's lovely, up-scale and elegant. A couple at a nearby table were having chicken in crockery or somesuch--they bake the bird in a clay mixture and crack it open at the table for you. Smelled wonderful. Since the mass at Notre Dame was by invitation only for persons who had done charity work or something, we took in late mass at St. Eustache, the second biggest church in Paris (I think) in Les Halles. Lunch on Christmas day was at Pied de Cochon (also in Les Halles)which I knew would be open since it never closes. In fact, the story goes that when they did close for the founder's funeral they couldn't find the key to lock it. Yup, Paris will be open for your Christmas.

Hi Sue and Julie:<BR><BR>Thanks a lot for the response. Hoping to make the most of the holiday in this wonderful city.

Was there last year for Christmas and other than a handful of places like the Louvre, everything was open - much more than anything you'd find in the UK or North America. It was pretty much business as usual which I found strange for a country that's primarily Catholic..