Christmas in Paris
 

My wife and I will spend this coming Christmas in Paris. Any suggestions on things to do on Christmas Day? Has anyone attended Christmas mass at Notre Dame?

We spent Christmas 2005 in Paris. I booked Brasserie Bofinger for Christmas lunch (Fodor recomendation) via www.reservethebest.com. It was brilliant (do dress up) and Woody Allen and family were at the next table. (ask for the room with glass ceiling). It was 275 euro for four adults. In the morning we went to the Eiffel Tower (no queues) and in the afternoon wandered the streets of the Marais - would be a great day to walk the parks and gardens of Paris.

We intended to go to Mass at Notre Dame on Christmas Eve but I had food poisoning and was too ill. Be careful of chicken in sauces! We did hit the shops on Christmas Eve as we had not brought presents with us, but I don't recommend it. It was a crazy madhouse at the cash registers and we struggled to find something we wanted to buy.

It's a great time to visit the popular attractions as many tourists are busy elsewhere - just check the net for what's open.
Enjoy your Parisian Christmas.

Judy,
Thanks for the recommendation. Bofinger is in the Fodor's print version as well. Walking sounds nice on Christmas Day- assuming most everything will be closed anyway.

64driver,

The Jacquemart-Andre museum is open on Christmas as well as the Pompidou Center. Also the complex of museums and the menagerie at the Museum of Natural History are open (at the Jardin des Plantes). I believe also that the zoo at the Bois de Vincennes is open.

A lot of people walk along and look at the Christmas decorations at the big department stores and there are people on the sidewalk selling hot chestnuts.

We had lunch at the Jacquemart Andre and dinner at Bofinger's. All of the Flo group of brasseries are open and many other brasseries. We found that our patisserie, small local grocery store, and a few cafes were also open.

You might enjoy this LA TIMES article:

http://travel.latimes.com/articles/la-tr-parisdec16

Joyeux Noel!

bookmarking

Dina,
What a great article. Thank you very much.