Christmas Photo Tour in Paris
Christmas time in Paris is a whole other experience! Every year, I enjoy discovering the new light installations all around the city, especially the beautiful Christmas tree at Les Galeries Lafayette. In this article, I’ll walk you through the best photo spots Paris has to offer!
Important disclaimers:
1) Every year, the installations change; therefore you won’t be able to reproduce the photos included in this article. Nevertheless, all those venues keep innovating year after year so you shouldn’t be disappointed.
2) Most of these places are actually private restaurants / hotels, so don’t be that annoying person. When I visit, I always make sure to have drinks or dinner there (for some, it’s best to make a reservation). When taking the photos, be conscious of the people around you and don’t take forever!
Christmas in Paris
Explore the best photo spots the city has to offer
↠ Galeries Lafayette
Les Galeries Lafayette is the most iconic shopping mall in France. Every year, they work on a new Giant Christmas Tree that they display under the dome, a yearly tradition that has been going on since 1976. The big reveal usually happens around mid-November and the tree is displayed until the end of the Christmas period. Despite its popularity (expect crowds), this place is a complete fairytale and definitely worth a visit. Try to avoid visiting on weekends!
↠ Four Seasons Hotel
Just like most Parisian hotels, the Four Seasons Hotel change its Christmas decor every year, and it usually is one of the most spectacular ones. They have a main hall where they usually display tall structures! The year I visited, the hall was full of giant golden reindeers and their garden had this massive igloo covered in fairy lights!
↠ Dior Montaigne Store
The Dior shop on Avenue Montaigne is one of the most popular Christmas destinations, and is pretty easy to visit because their Christmas decor is covering the facade of their building. It is located near Les Champs Elysées so the access is super convenient!
↠ Hotel De Crillon
This hotel is one of the most luxurious hotels in Paris, and while most people including myself can’t really afford to spend the night there, I would highly recommend visiting their bar Les Ambassadeurs where they display enchanting Christmas decorations every year.
↠ Tuileries Garden Christmas Market
The main Parisian Christmas market used to take place on Les Champs Elysée every year, but for the past few years it has been moved to the Tuileries gardens, which I personally prefer. It’s the perfect opportunity to have a glass of mulled wine and splurge on winter delicacies! Most people don’t realise but winter in Paris is actually quite cold and humid, so a hot beverage is always welcome!
↠ Le Bon Marché
Le Bon Marché is the oldest department store in the world and it was built back in 1852 by Aristide Boucicaut and his wife Marguerite, who wanted to create this new store concept! Christmas or not, this place is worth a visit and their main escalators will probably leave you speechless.
↠ Louis Vuitton Place Vendôme
The Louis Vuitton store at Place Vendôme is always very original with their Christmas decorations, which are never quite traditional as you can see on the picture below.
↠ Ritz Hotel Paris
Just like the Louis Vuitton store, the Ritz Hotel Paris is also located on Place Vendôme. Their Christmas tree is quite iconic due to its location right in the middle of their wide central stairway. The hotel has three main bars where you can have some food and drinks and one salon where it is possible to get high tea. I would personally recommend trying their bar Hemingway!
↠ Ephemeral pop-up igloos
Paris has a reputation for having pop-up events and shops so I would recommend a quick google search before you intend to visit, who knows! Most years, you’ll find that there’s a Parisian igloo somewhere in the city. In 2017, I had the pleasure of trying the pop-up igloos on the rooftop of Les Galeries Lafayette and in 2018, I tried Hors-Piste, the winter version of Monsieur Mouche on the Seine river.
↠ Le Chalet Savoyard
Experience raclette, a traditional winter dish from the Alps region, without having to travel to the Alps! For you cheese lovers, I promise this is worth it! Le Chalet Savoyard is a French restaurant located near Place de la Bastille and they specialise in raclette and cheese fondue (yum!) For those who are unfamiliar with the term raclette, it comes from the French verb racler, which means ‘to scrape’ and that’s basically what you need to do. Raclette is a semi-soft cheese, and the concept of having a raclette meal is to place a half wheel of cheese onto a special grill, wait for it to melt, then scrape it onto your food. It is served with charcuterie, potatoes and pickles! Definitely not for those who are on a diet, it’s a winter tradition that’s meant to keep people warm! If you want to go there, make sure to make a reservation ahead of time because this restaurant is always booked due its popularity!
*Raclette is always better with a glass of riesling.
I have heard that the Plaza Athénée and the Lutetia also have great Christmas decorations, however did not get a chance to visit myself!
Lastly, if you have more time and are willing to travel a bit, I would highly suggest hopping on a train to Strasbourg to go visit the Alsacian Christmas markets near the border with Germany! They are absolutely stunning!
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