Romantic Christmas in Paris
Nov 19th, 2009 by webmaster
Christmas is such a beautiful time of year in Paris – the lights on the boulevards, the beautiful windows and displays in the stores, the hope of snow, the happy faces in the streets. There are so many great things to do in Paris around Christmas and New Year’s Eve. If you’re lucky enough to spend Christmas in the City of Light and Love, here are our best picks to get definitively in the Christmas mood !
Walking down the Champs Elysées with the Christmas lights along the avenue. Place de l’Etoile to Concorde, over 2 km, the two magnificent rows of plane trees or 415 trees are decorated with a grid of illuminated crystals, unique, consisting of one million points of light .
As last year, Illuminations Champs Elysées 2009 are following the guidelines of sustainable development to respect the environment.
Photo credit
Admire the marvellous big store Christmas windows of the three famous department stores – Printemps, Galeries Lafayette, Le Bon Marché – and light design on the side of their buildings. Raised under the dome Byzantine Monument History of Galeries Lafayette, the Christmas tree was decorated this year according to a design by Jean-Charles de Castelbajac.
Listen sacred music in the wonderful Cathedral Notre Dame de Paris, near the hotel. A concert here offers the rare opportunity to enjoy a period of inspiration and reflection through the combination of beautiful live music and the incomparable atmosphere of this magnificent and historic cathedral (ticket price : 18€).
Learn to skate on the Place de l’Hotel de Ville in Paris. This is possible, thanks to the two rinks, one for children and one for adults, who are free during the month of December. The skate rental is 5 euros for adults and free for children. And if you prefer to skate at the top of the City of Lights, go to the rink in the Eiffel Tower, located on the first floor until February 1st!
Marvel at the Christmas trees of fashion designers. Every year, big hitters from Paris’ fashion world create their own Christmas trees. The results are displayed to the public, this year at the Ministère de la Culture et de la Communication (182 rue Saint Honoré, Paris 1st), then auctioned for charity. A-list Les Sapins de Noël des Créateurs designers this year include Jean-Paul Gaultier, Gucci, Hermès and Paul Smith.
Visit the luxury jewelry Place Vendôme. Difficult to resist, but for extra shopping, go to the Christmas markets and get into the spirits of Christmas in Paris, The one at Les Halles (1st) is one of the most authentic with 150 illuminated “chalets”… with the aroma of chestnuts being roasted by street vendors, « vin chaud » and « pain d’épice !
Please, ask the reception for more information.
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