11Fritz

Hi all,
This is my first trip to Europe and we're staring out with a bang! New Years' Eve in Paris!!! But, I'm concerned for my daughter and I that everything will be closed on New Years' Day (Monday) thus causing us to lose a whole day of sites, shopping, transportation and maybe even food?!
Does anyone know what will be open/closed on this New Years' Day Holiday?
Thank you all.
PT

PalenqueBob

Museums and main sights - Eifel Tower, etc. will be open; shops closed and town real quiet but you won't lose a day of sightseeing. Metro and buses run regularly. You won't starve as some restos will be open - certainly fast food places. In a pinch head to a major train station where things are always open it seems.

marya_

When we spent New Years in Paris four years ago, we dealt with holiday closings by taking a walking tour on the holiday. It was a beautiful, peaceful time to explore the city on foot.

I just checked and the company that we used (Paris Walks) is offering a variety of tours at different times on New Years Day.

Just an idea. Good luck with your plans.

francophile03

The walking tour sounds good. Even without a tour just walking around Paris is fantastic.

Christina

NY day is one of the biggest holidays in France in terms of closures, so assume most things will be closed (stores and museums). There is always transportation, however, that never closes completely, it will just have a reduced schedule most likely. Even on NY day, I imagine some shops may be open that cater solely to tourists, perhaps, they are always open (like souvenir shops). Also, I would assume you won't starve and will be able to eat somewhere. I'd just count on it being a laid-back day, and walk around and see what you can find but not to worry about things. I think the Eiffel Tower is open every day of the year, though, so that's one thing, and churches should be open if you want to look at them.

There are actually a few museums that will be open on that day -- I imagine they will be packed because of that, but these are the most appealing: Jacquemart-Andre, l'Orangerie, the Grand Palais and the Pompidou Center (Modern Art). The Orangerie is nice but I'd get advance tickets for that one if you want to go there (espec. since it is one of the few open). I went to the Pompidou once on Bastille Day when it was also one of the few open, and I had to wait in line about 15-20 minutes to get in as I didn't have a museum pass, but that wasn't that terrible.

You can find a list of the open museums and monuments on the Paris Tourist Information website www.parisinfo.com

saraallison11

Congrats on taking your first Europe trip! I'm also going to be in Paris on NYE and NYD, but we're leaving for London on NYD, to spend the rest of our holiday there. Still, I agree with what everyone else has said, that NYD will be a great day to just walk around, soaking in the feeling of Paris! I'm looking forward to seeing what it's like on NYE...I've done NYE in Rome, but never in Paris.

nickpapadakes

same here...we are figuring out our schedule as well...hoping to find a good pub to watch some football on new years day.....should be interesting...first trip to europe and it's over new years...were excited, too....have a great time