First time trip for me, my husband has been to Paris before, but did not see a lot. We will be staying Dec 24-31. Hotel & flight are all booked. We're staying near the Eiffel Tower. I've already read a few threads here on Fodor's and we have some tour guides. This is our plan so far...

To beat the jet-lag, a walk maybe around the neighborhood after we get in. Or a visit to the Eiffel Tower. See some pretty Christmas lights.

Christmas Day - not exactly sure what we'll do. I realize a lot will be closed. Suggestions welcome. A trip out of the city? A Chateaux open that we can do a day trip to?

Friday - Train to Reims. Cathedral, champagne tour

Versailles, Chartres Cathedral, Louvre, Orsay, Sacre Coeur & Notre Dame are all on our list to fit in Saturday, Sunday & Monday depending on what's open. We like a mix of art, architecture & history. Should I add anything? Take something off our list?? Thanks

Go to a ballet at either of the opera houses: http://www.operadeparis.fr/Calendrie...08&Mois=12

Or skating in front of the Hotel de Ville.

There isn't any ballet on Christmas during the day, and none at the Garnier on that date. Christmas is one of the most major holidays in France, very few public institutions are open. I have not heard of any chateau that would be open on that holiday, and most of them have reduced hours during the winter, anyway, I believe.

A few museums have been open on some holidays now in Paris, more than before, but I don't know about Christmas. I would play it by ear and just see what might be open when you get there -- buy a weekly entertainment guide. The only thing I know for sure is that the Eiffel Tower is open every day of the year (I think). It's not public, though. There will be some concerts in churches, including probably Notre Dame, in the afternoon or early evening -- at least there have been in the past.

NYCBella,

We were in Paris last year at the same time. The Jacquemart-Andre Museum is open Christmas day (http://www.musee-jacquemart-andre.com/en/jacquemart/) as is the Pompidou Center, the Natural History Museum and the zoos.

Some shops and restaurants are closed during the holiday week but many many shops and restaurants are open so you will not have any problems finding things to do.

Not sure I'd plan any day trips in advance. Whether you feel like leaving the city will depend a lot on the weather, I would imagine. If you go to Reims, Chartres, and Versailles, you'll have three day trips. That doesn't leave you much time to enjoy Paris.

Hi

I have not been to Paris at that time of the year. But I did go to Paris in April with my wife a couple of years back. Maybe you can find some useful info in my trip report with pictures and links on my homepage http://gardkarlsen.com/Paris_France.htm Get in touch if you have any questions or comments.

Regards
Gard
http://gardkarlsen.com - trip reports and pictures

I was in Paris for Christmas a few years ago. Everything is shut on Christmas day. I was so bored I went to Disneyland. That was the only thing that was open.

So unless you like being accosted by giant mice, have a lazy day in your hotel (which will also be the only place you'll easily get something to eat)

Thanks everyone!

I think I saw somewhere, a travel guide or another Paris thread, that Versailles & Chartres can be done in the same day. I realize that just because you CAN do it, doesn't mean you should. Any thoughts on this?

Christmas day is our first full day in Paris, so I realize we might not be ready to sight see and may enjoy a quieter day. Thanks for all the suggestions. I guess our To-Do list is a packed for a week visit that includes a holiday. We live in the city so I think we're prepared to travel & sight-see at a good pace. We'll see what we can fit in & enjoy!

Thanks for the trip report & pics Gard - very helpful.

CW - I hear what you mean about not planning too far in advance. We'll probably just get up and decide what to do each day depending on what's open and how the weather is.

"Everything is shut on Christmas day"

I will have to disagree with the above comment.
We had a very, non-boring Christmas Day in Paris. I actually liked walking the streets on that day when they were not full of people (it will be a good chance for you to get your bearings, too). The Jacquemart Andre is a cool, little museum.

Tracy and I were in Paris for eight days over Christmas in 2006. From my "Christmas Miracle" trip report (which has a lot of other things to do in Paris during the holiday season). Here is the abridged version of our Christmas Day:

" DAY EIGHT: JOYEUX NOEL, THIS OLD HOUSE (JACQUEMART-ANDRE), WHERE AM I AND DINNER UNDER THE DOME

It was Christmas morning in Paris....

...Tracy had picked up a brochure at our hotel shortly after we arrived in Paris that had some information about a museum we had never heard of before, but it said it was open on Christmas Day, so we figured, “Let’s go.”

We got ourselves back over to bd. Haussmann (our Pomze street) and headed for the Musee Jacquemart-André. This was our little “undiscovered gem” moment of the trip (many of you well-seasoned travelers already know about it, but it had never been on our radar before).

This is a mansion that was built in the 1870s and belonged to Edouard André and Nellie Jacquemart, hence the name. These two would have been able to do some great trip reports, because they traveled often to Italy and collected art that they would bring back and exhibit at the mansion.

Even after his death, Nellie made other trips to Italy and also to the Far East. In 1912, after her death, the art and the house were left to the city of Paris.

The free audio guide here was terrific, and Tracy especially liked the commentary because it talked a lot about the house, its history, how it was utilized, the couple themselves and the elegant parties they threw here. You could also learn about specific pieces of art, but to us, the history of the people and the home was the most interesting facet of the tour.

From Tracy, “I found the Italian art collection to be amazing. I loved how the doors in the entry parlor drop into the floor and the walls on either side of the parlor could fold back to accommodate more than 1,000 people. During the parties, musicians played upstairs in the balcony area, while people danced below.

“The amazing staircase was suspended in air. The architect had lost out on the design for the opera house, which has a similar-type stairway, but the museum staircase was deemed better and more amazing.

“The house is still used for private functions. Maybe we could renew our wedding vows here.” Boy, is she sneaky!

There was also an exhibit going on of golden treasures. There were television monitors that explained the exhibit in English with French subtitles, but we were getting hungry.

During the tour, our noses had been tempted by the smell of food wafting through the building, so after we dropped off the headphones and had lunch in the restaurant at Jacquemart-André. It was charming…and good.

Tracy had the Le Prince salad, which consisted of a mixed salad with curried chicken and carrots, raisins and grapefruit. I don’t remember what I had for lunch, because we split ½ bottle of Pommery Champagne, and I, as usual, took more than my fair share.

We then ducked into their nice, little gift shop, and Tracy bought a bunch of butterflies (not live ones). Tracy again: “Butterflies were quite the decoration in Paris this year. We saw them in white, pink, red, gold, black and pale blue. They were displayed in front windows and on the tree in our hotel lobby.

“The only place we saw them for sale was at the museum gift store, and the lovely Tracy (man, how she sneaks these comments in) came home with pink, red and gold butterflies – 1.30 euro apiece.”

The rest of the afternoon we just wandered somewhat aimlessly (but in a good way), and there was not a lot going on. Then up ahead, we saw a bunch of people, and the entire area was bustling with people. We had made it back to the Jewish Quarter in the Marais, and it was hopping full of people.

I was thinking of grabbing something else to eat, but I had a couple of more wardrobe malfunctions earlier in the day, so I didn’t want the local populous to think I was some sort of meshuggener by flailing away in my misguided attempt to get out my wallet.

As soon as left the area, it was quiet again until we reached the next multitude of people. Out in front of the Hotel de Ville, it looked like a Dorothy Hamill (one of my first true loves after my unrequited love affair with Peggy Fleming years before) reunion.

Tracy asked (jokingly) if I wanted to get out on the ice and try it. Since I had not ice-skated since the Nixon administration, I deferred.

On this afternoon, we had also thought about going to the Pompidou, but the line had been rather long, and for me to go back to the Pompidou, it would have to have been a much shorter line ....

Our Christmas dinner on Christmas night was at Bofinger. It was when we got off the metro at Bastille, that Tom’s Tuscan Tours (please see 2005 trip report for details) got a little derailed. I had forgotten to bring the address, and at the Opera Bastille (a place I knew it was fairly near), there were about eight or nine options on which way to head.

Now a sane and raisonnable person would, of course, ask one of the people standing nearby which way Bofinger was located. Not I. In a moment of temporary insanity, I decided I could figure it out with that GPS system of a brain installed in my stubborn head.

For the next ten minutes, I did my best Keystone Kop imitation as I headed one way, then another and then another again. After ten minutes, Tracy was tired of this movie and said, “Please ask somebody.” Good idea.

Trying to be as French as possible (of course, they had probably seen me do my cartoon act for the past ten minutes), I went up to a gentleman in front of the opera. In my best really bad French I said, “Oú est Bo-fahn-jay?”

He looked at me and said, “You mean BowFinger.” Yeah, that’s the place. By the way, there were lots of restaurants open in this neighborhood. I know that because I saw them all on my ten minute joy walk.

We were now 20 minutes late for our 8:30 reservations, and we walked in the door. “Bonsoir,” I told the Maitre’di. “We are Mr. and Mrs. Late People.” He could not find our names.

I then told him our reservations were for 8:30. He said, with a little bit of an attitude (which I like), “Oh, you should have made them for 9.” He then gave us a quick “I’m kidding” look and directed us to our table located under the belle epoch ceiling. It was quite cool and, even better, there is no smoking in this section (although smoking in restaurants did not bother us at all on this trip).

A large number of Americans presumably dine here, but on Christmas night it was mostly occupied by French families, lovers and a couple who we surmised were either on their first date or heading for divorce because they talked about as much as a couple at a Marcel Marceau convention (now that’s a reference I didn’t see coming).

I liked the traditional French waiters, the room and the experience. Dinner was fine, but, once again, it wasn’t one to write home about.

It was more escargots for me, while Tracy had an arugula, egg and bacon salad. My beef in peppercorn sauce wasn’t bad, and Tracy had a Napoleon of seared scallops with Parmesan crisps on a bed of cornichons.

Dessert was good. We had a chocolate mousse cake with caramel on a cookie crust.

For drinks, we had started with some champagne, then a bottle of 2003 Chateauneuf de Pape L’Orateuers (or at least that’s we wrote down) with dinner, and for some strange reason, I had another Irish Coffee after dessert. Interestingly, or maybe not, at home if I have caffeine after 2 p.m., I’m a mess trying to sleep. In Paris, I can drink one at 11 p.m. and sleep like a baby.

Our waiter told us that Bofinger can serve 1,000 or so people on a very busy day, and on this Christmas they were above 700 for the day. The kitchen stays open until 1 a.m."

Have a great trip!

Thank you maitaitom that was all very helpful. Jacquemart Andre sounds like a place we might like. I'm glad we have some options for Christmas day.

Thanks everyone so far for your help, I'm sure I'll be back again posting when the trip gets closer!!

Even McDonald's doesn't close on Christmas day anymore, although it used to be their sacred day -- open 364 days a year. But since their main competitor Quick doesn't close at Christmas, they are now busy making Christmas Big Macs on 25 December.

Have also been to Paris on Christmas. We took a walk to Place des Vosges. It was a clear, sunny day. Sister and I went to the Beaubourg (Pompidou Centre) and my mother visited the Musée d'art et d’histoire du Judaïsme. We also did a bit of shopping in the Marais. Many stores were closed. And many were open.

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Have fun.

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