Hello!
We are a mid-30's couple who has been to Paris a few times. We booked another quick trip in late November; arriving 8am, thur. nob. 24 and departing mon. nov. 28. Original plan was going to Paris again but after lookinging around, it seems that getting to either Strasbourg or Lyon is very easy and can be done directly from CDG in around 2hrs. So now we area considering of switching Paris for either of the other 2 cities. We would plan on doing 1 day trip to either Colmar (from Stras.) or Annecy (from Lyon). Any suggestions on which is best? Or, is this not a good time of year and we should stick to original plan of Paris...since there is no BAD time to visit Paris

Thanks!

Sergey

I'm not sure of the exact dates this year, but I'm thinking the Christmas Markets might be open in Strasbourg and Colmar. They are wonderful fun!

thanks. Just checked and the Christmas Markets in Strasbourg open on Nov. 25th, our 2nd day there.

Actually, I would tend to think the opposite -- it is Paris that jumps the gun more and more on starting the Christmas season as soon as possible. In the past at least, Alsace and the rest of eastern France were much more respectful of the calendar and often didn't start things until St. Nicolas (December 6). However, it is a very competitive world, and they have almost certainly started Christmas markets sooner as well. However, municipal decorations like the town Christmas tree and the strings of lights over the streets do not necessarily follow the same calendar.

Luckily, the internet will give you all of these details by September.

If you have never been to Paris around Christmas time - stay in Paris. Christmas is our favorite time of the year to visit Paris. Everything will be "in gear" in late Nov.

Stu Dudley

I have been to Paris for NYE and I believe all the Christmas decorations were still on. We certainly LOVE Paris. How can you not? At the same time, I don't mind exploring other wonderful places in France.

I don't like much Paris in december, however Alsace puts on a bigger show (and less fake for me).

That being said, Lyon will have better weather.

Loved Lyon -- we went directly from CDG to Lyon-very easy. Fabulous food and a very walkable city, but there is good public transportation if you need that. Here's our TR - we were there for 1 week in Janaury 2013.
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...-from-lyon.cfm

You'll be cold and wet wherever you go, so I recommend Strasbourg/Colmar and Lyon - if you haven't been to any of these regions, you should - the architecture and food is spectacular in these cities. Come back to Paris another time, since you'll already been.

We were in Paris last year mid Nov to Dec 8 and decorations were already up in some places. As the stay went on more were on display. It was really lovely and something I had always wanted to see. Paris has extra sparkle during the holidays. The weather wasn't horrible and definitely not very cold at least compared to weather in the NE USA.

So glad to read these, I was wondering when the holiday lights and markets began.

The Paris department stores on Boulevard Haussmann are already decorated at the beginning of November.