Paris for Easter
 

Hi,
I will be in Paris over Easter. What is it like there for Easter. On Good Friday and on Easter Sunday are most of the attractions, restaurants, shopping closed?

Thanks

Hi ktyson, I was in Paris Easter 2003 from the Saturday before Palm Sunday thru to Easter Sunday. The Palm Sunday procession thru the Place du Parvis Notre Dame was really wonderful to see. Although not Catholic, I was impressed by the procession.

I really don't know what is open Easter Sunday as far as attractions are concerned or even restaurants (your hotel can help you there) since I left Paris right after the Pâcques ceremony at Notre Dame. But I guarantee the churches will be open! ;)

Wait, from my notes I do know that Miss Manon, a pâtisserie in the Marais on the rue St-Antoine, is open. And the taxis are running! I believe that Au Pied de Cochon is open year-round.

The Pâques ceremony was beautiful. I was really touched that the mass was intoned in Latin, French and English.

The weather was gorgeous that week and only rained Easter Sunday (just as I was going back to my hotel). One day was even rather warm, warm enough that I stepped inside the high-ceilinged, cold temperatured Pantheon to cool off.

FYI, Good Friday is not a holiday in France (except in Alsace and Moselle), but Easter Monday is. It should be business as usual, I mean as a usual week-end. Expect huge tourist crowds though, especially Spaniards and Italians.

I can't remember whether it was last year or the year before that I was in Paris for Easter Sunday, but it was relatively quiet. I remember because it was my only day in Paris and my daughter had asked me to pick up a few things from her from her favorite stores - most of them were closed. But restaurants and cafés seemed to be mostly open.

Thanks for your help. I have one more question what is the Pâques ceremony that beatchick talked about?

If anyone else has anything to add it would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

It's just Easter Mass. :) Pâques means Peace maybe?

Paques IS Easter; derived from the Greek and Latin Pascha, from the Hebrew Pesakh, 'Passover.' Think Paschal Lamb, paschal moon--paschal: (1) pertaining to Passover, (2) pertaining to Easter.

I thought it had something to do with Pax!! :)

Good Question!

I will also be in Paris the week before Easter - arriving on Palm Sunday and departing Easter Sunday - and hadn't even considered that some things may be closed. Glad to hear that it will mostly be business as usual.

Can anyone tell me more about the Palm Sunday procession thru the Place du Parvis Notre Dame (mentioned by beatchick earlier in this thread)? I'm not sure exactly what it is, what time it occurs, or from what vantage point it might best be observed.

Thanks!

newesttraveler, here are some comments from my notes:
"Reached Cathédrale Notre Dame de Paris by 10:30am and stood in line for the towers. While standing in line, the Palm Sunday procession entered through the large front portal of Notre Dame while the choir sang. It was such a beautiful sight and yet another serendipitous experience. I had looked forward to the happenings on Easter Sunday but hadn't even considered that something special would happen on Palm Sunday."

The choir folk were carrying some type of fronds to represent palms but they weren't palms. Maybe eucalyptus leaves? Can someone help me out here?

I imagine that the procession comes out of the church around 10am, does their circuit around the parvis and then goes back inside. But by 10:30 they were coming from the middle of the parvis, singing, waving the fronds and the incense burner thingies, and making their way back into the portals of Notre Dame.

The first trip I took to Paris was over Easter weekend. We arrived on Good Friday and left Sunday night..Museums will be closed, and more than a few restaurants. But in the afternoons, some shops usually open and people come out and stroll..it is really quite nice. That year there was a bicycle race and the streets were closed for that.
We just walked..we stopped at whatever cafes were open and took breaks then walked some more. I window shopped which was a tiny bit frustrating.

I cut myself off!
We window shopped which was a tiny bit frustrating but Paris is so beautiful, it is really enough to be able to walk and just look at the buildings and the Seine and Montmarte and the nieghborhoods. You will find that you will still enjoy yourself.
* We were there that spring and went back in the fall to stay longer, be careful, that could happen to you :)

Beatchick--

I wonder if the fronds they were carrying were olive branches.

One year we became part of the Palm Sunday procession through some streets in Rome and I believe it was olive branches we were given...

Searching on Google now, I see many references to olive branches as well as palm fronds as part of Palm Sunday services. Here in the US, I have seen only palms.

ktyson, in Paris on Easter Sunday, we were able to visit the musee Marmottan. Here's their site for hours and any days they are closed--
http://www.marmottan.com/fr/informations/#

And, according to their site, the Louvre is open on Easter Sunday and Easter Monday (in 2004, anyway).

I googled this image and it isn't what I have/saw:
http://fp.thebeers.f9.co.uk/images/olivebranch.JPG

The leaves are round, about 3/4" across and had a wonderful smell to them. Might be hyssop??

kmarie, I saw that too..that is good, we were quite disappointed when it was closed when we were there. It was our luck that we were able to go back in a few months and stay longer and go to the Louvre many times.
Most of the shops and restaurants on the Ille St-Louis were open after 12:00 nnon.