Paris’s Christmas season runs from the switch-on of the Champs-Élysées lights on Sunday 22 November 2026 to early January, and its best moments are free: the lights, the market back on the Champs-Élysées for the first time in about a decade, the department-store windows, Notre-Dame and the New Year’s Eve fireworks at the Arc de Triomphe. What is worth booking is an evening with a guide or a heated seat: a small-group Christmas lights walk, a Seine dinner cruise, a table on the river on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, a skating session under the Grand Palais glass roof, or a day in Champagne or at Disneyland Paris. This guide, checked on 25 October 2026 against the City of Paris, Paris je t’aime, the monuments’ own sites and the organisers, gives the confirmed 2026–27 dates, says what is shut on 25 December and 1 January, and says plainly where organisers have not yet published this year’s details.
Christmas in Paris 2026: markets, lights, skating and New Year’s Eve
Paris Christmas tours, cruises and tickets worth booking
The lights, markets, windows, Notre-Dame and the New Year’s Eve fireworks are free; these are the Christmas experiences in Paris worth paying for. Prices checked on 25 October 2026; live prices in your currency are shown on each card. The Christmas Eve and Christmas Day cruise is non-refundable, so book it once your dates are fixed.
Where available, you can reserve now and pay later. Payment dates and eligibility depend on the experience and the options shown at checkout.
Finding experiences…
Christmas lights small-group walking tour
From €69Groups of up to six (or private as an upgrade), with a cup of hot chocolate or mulled wine included and stops at a food street, a covered passage, a garden Christmas market and the luxury windows around Place Vendôme. Runs rain, snow or shine. Free cancellation up to 24 hours before.
Festive Christmas lights bus tour
From €33.15Departures at 6pm or 8:15pm from 23 boulevard des Capucines, with Christmas songs on board; the tour ends near Printemps and Galeries Lafayette. The upper deck is cold in December, so dress warmly; the Champs-Élysées lights are on from 22 November. Free cancellation up to 24 hours before.
Seine dinner cruise from the Pont de l’Alma
From €123.58Boarding from 7:45pm near the Pont de l’Alma, departure at 8:30pm and back at 10:45pm, with live music, an aperitif and wine depending on the menu, and an open upper deck for photos. Smart casual dress (no sports shoes or shorts). Free cancellation up to 24 hours before.
Christmas Eve or Christmas Day cruise by the Eiffel Tower
From €134.96A six-course menu with champagne as an aperitif and with dessert, wines and a singer, at a private table on a glass-roofed boat from pontoons 5 and 7 at the foot of the Eiffel Tower. Dinners check in at 7pm and sail at 8:30pm; the Christmas Day lunch checks in at 11:30am and sails at 12:45pm. All sales are final.
Skating at the Grand Palais
From €27Open from 12 December 2026 to 6 January 2027 in three sessions (10am–1pm, 2pm–7pm and 8pm–2am), closing at 6pm on 24 and 31 December. Adults pay €27 in the morning, €32 in the afternoon and €39 at night; skate hire is included and under-3s go free. Tickets are sold online only and cannot be exchanged or refunded; gloves are compulsory.
Champagne day trip to Reims and two wineries
From €230A small group of up to eight leaves at 7am from 12 avenue des Ternes by minibus for Reims Cathedral, the Hautvillers abbey where Dom Pérignon is buried, a family winery and a guided visit of a large champagne house. Lunch is not included; minimum age 7. Free cancellation up to 24 hours before.
Paris Christmas events in 2026–27: what happens when
Champs-Élysées Christmas lights and market 2026 (from Sunday 22 November)
The Champs-Élysées lights are switched on on Sunday 22 November 2026 and stay on until 4 January 2027, every evening from 5pm to midnight and all night on 24 and 31 December; seeing them is free. They run the length of the avenue from the Arc de Triomphe to Place de la Concorde.
This year the lights have company: the City of Paris has approved a full Christmas market of wooden chalets on the lower part of the avenue, between Place de la Concorde and the Rond-Point, from 22 November 2026 to 4 January 2027, the first on the Champs-Élysées in about a decade. Opening hours and the number of chalets had not been published by 25 October. The Grand Palais ice rink and the Petit Palais are a few minutes’ walk away, so this end of the avenue is the natural base for a Christmas evening.
Paris Christmas markets 2026: confirmed dates and what is still to come
Four big Christmas markets in and around Paris have published 2026 dates; the others usually return but had not announced theirs by 25 October.
- Champs-Élysées: 22 November 2026 to 4 January 2027, on the lower avenue between Concorde and the Rond-Point, run by the Comité Champs-Élysées with the organiser of the La Défense market and approved by the City of Paris.
- Notre-Dame: Thursday 26 November to Sunday 27 December 2026 at Square René Viviani, 2 rue du Fouarre, across the river from the cathedral, with about 40 French makers; open 10am–9pm on Fridays and Saturdays and 10am–8pm on other days, free.
- La Défense: the biggest in the Paris region, with 2.2 million visitors in 2025, open every day from November 2026 with free entry and security checks; Paris je t’aime lists its market and Christmas lights from Thursday 12 November 2026 to 3 January 2027.
- Tuileries: the fair with chalets and rides returns from Saturday 14 November 2026 to Sunday 3 January 2027 in the Jardin des Tuileries, next to the Champs-Élysées market at Concorde (Paris je t’aime).
- Saint-Germain-des-Prés, the ‘Made in Paris’ market at the Hôtel de Ville and Place des Abbesses in Montmartre ran last winter (25 November–6 January, 5 December–4 January and 20 November–5 January); Paris je t’aime lists their 2026 dates as not yet announced (25 October).
Christmas windows and trees at the Paris department stores
The animated windows and giant trees on boulevard Haussmann are free to see. For 2026, Galeries Lafayette Haussmann has handed its windows and the tree under its dome to the designer Jean-Charles de Castelbajac, under the title ‘Au cœur de Noël’, and the press reports the unveiling on Thursday 12 November 2026 from 6pm. Printemps Haussmann (a knitted Christmas) and Le Bon Marché (a snowy mountain village) have postponed their unveilings and had not set new dates by 25 October; Paris je t’aime still lists the Haussmann district as ‘more information to follow’.
Last year’s dates show the pattern: Printemps Haussmann unveiled its windows on 6 November 2025, Le Bon Marché on 7 November and Galeries Lafayette on 12 November, all running until the end of December or into January. In 2025 Galeries Lafayette’s tree under the Art Nouveau dome was 16 metres high with 8 km of LED lights; its rooftop ice rink is reported to return from 24 November 2026 to 3 January 2027. Paris je t’aime suggests going early on a weekday evening, before the weekend family crowds.
Other Christmas lights in and around Paris
Beyond the Champs-Élysées, three 2026 displays have confirmed dates: Notre-Dame’s forecourt has a Christmas tree and a lit-up façade from 29 November 2026 to 6 January 2027, the Jardin d’Acclimatation’s lantern festival runs from 27 November 2026 to 21 February 2027, and the gardens of the Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte, south-east of Paris, are lit from 14 November 2026 to 3 January 2027. Place Vendôme, Avenue Montaigne, Saint-Germain-des-Prés, Bercy Village and the Eiffel Tower gardens are decorated every year, but their 2026 dates are still ‘to follow’.
Ice skating in Paris for Christmas 2026
The big rink this winter is under the glass roof of the Grand Palais, which its organiser calls the largest indoor rink in the world, from 12 December 2026 to 6 January 2027. Sessions run from 10am to 1pm, 2pm to 7pm and 8pm to 2am, with an early close at 6pm on 24 and 31 December.
Adults pay €27 in the morning, €32 in the afternoon and €39 at night; children pay €15 or €18 by day and seniors aged 65 and over €22 or €26, with €39 for everyone at night and €27 for entry from midnight. Skate hire is included, under-3s are free, children under 14 need an adult by day (under 16 at night), gloves are compulsory and outside food is banned. Tickets are online only and non-refundable. Galeries Lafayette’s rooftop rink is reported to return from 24 November 2026 to 3 January 2027; Printemps had not announced its plans by 25 October.
Christmas Eve and Christmas Day at Notre-Dame and Sacré-Cœur
Notre-Dame is free and holds Christmas services open to all, with no booking for Mass; the 2026 times are not published yet, so here is the 2025 schedule as a guide. On 24 December 2025 there were Christmas Eve Masses at 4pm, 6pm and 8pm, a vigil with the cathedral choir at 11pm and Midnight Mass; on 25 December, Masses at 8:30am, 10am (Gregorian, in Latin), 11:30am and 6pm, with Lauds at 9:30am and Vespers at 5:15pm.
The cathedral asks worshippers to arrive 30 minutes early and use the dedicated Mass entrance in the centre of the forecourt, opposite the Last Judgement portal. Outside services, the cathedral is normally open from 7:50am to 7pm on weekdays (10pm on Thursdays) and from 8:15am to 7:30pm at weekends; hours can change for celebrations. Sacré-Cœur in Montmartre is open every day of the year, without exception, from 6:30am to 10:30pm, and entry is free.
What is open in Paris on 24, 25 and 31 December and 1 January
Most big museums close on Christmas Day, and several also on New Year’s Day, so plan Friday 25 December 2026 and Friday 1 January 2027 around churches, walks and the lights.
- Louvre: closed on 25 December and 1 January (and every Tuesday, including 22 and 29 December); open as usual on Thursday 24 and Thursday 31 December, 9am to 6pm.
- Musée d’Orsay: closed on 25 December and every Monday (21 and 28 December, 4 January); 1 January is not among its closing days.
- Palace of Versailles: closed on 25 December, 1 January and every Monday. Low-season prices apply from 1 November, and the gardens are free until 31 March.
- Sainte-Chapelle: closed on 25 December and 1 January; 9am to 5pm from October to March.
- Arc de Triomphe: closes early, at 4pm, on 24 and 31 December 2026; its annual closing days do not include 25 December or 1 January.
- Eiffel Tower: open every day, including 25 December; from 18 to 30 December 2026 the lifts run until midnight, and on 31 December until 7pm (the monument closes at 9pm). New prices apply from 11 January 2027.
- Notre-Dame and Sacré-Cœur stay open, but expect crowds and changed visiting hours around services.
New Year’s Eve 2026 on the Champs-Élysées
Paris je t’aime lists the 2026–27 programme as free: a video show projected onto the Arc de Triomphe from 11:50pm, the countdown at 11:59pm, about ten minutes of fireworks at midnight and the end at 12:20am. The public is let onto the avenue from 7pm through security checks. Alcohol, glass, animals, bicycles and scooters are not allowed, pushchairs are strongly discouraged, shops close between 3pm and 6pm and café terraces from 4pm, so there are very few toilets.
As a precedent: on 31 December 2025 there was no concert, only the video show on the Arc de Triomphe and the fireworks, which the City of Paris says drew a very large crowd despite the cold. Île-de-France Mobilités made all public transport free from 5pm on 31 December to noon on 1 January (except to the airports), with six metro lines and the RER A and B running through the night; its 2026–27 plan was announced on 22 December last year, so expect it in late December.
Disneyland Paris at Christmas 2026
Disney Enchanted Christmas runs from 7 November 2026 to 6 January 2027, with Mickey’s Dazzling Christmas Parade twice a day, a 78-foot (about 24-metre) tree in Town Square that lights up several times a day, and Christmas for the first time in the new World of Frozen at Disney Adventure World. On New Year’s Eve Disneyland Park has DJ parties and fireworks above Sleeping Beauty Castle, and Disney Adventure World a Frozen-inspired drone and fireworks show at midnight (drones weather permitting).
The parks are about 40 minutes from Châtelet on the RER A to Marne-la-Vallée/Chessy, two minutes’ walk from the gates. The parade is included with park entry; reserved viewing spots are sold separately in limited numbers.
Map of Paris Christmas sights and how to get there
The Champs-Élysées market, its lights and the Grand Palais rink are side by side at the Concorde end of the avenue; distances below are as the crow flies from the lower Champs-Élysées. Notre-Dame and La Défense are further away but on direct lines.
Getting to the Champs-Élysées lights and the Grand Palais
Metro line 1 runs under the whole avenue, with stations at Concorde, Champs-Élysées–Clemenceau, Franklin D. Roosevelt, George V and Charles de Gaulle–Étoile; for the Grand Palais rink use Champs-Élysées–Clemenceau or Franklin D. Roosevelt. Walking the lit avenue from Concorde to the Arc de Triomphe is about 2 km as the crow flies, so start at the market end and finish at the Arc.
Getting around Paris on New Year’s Eve
Do not plan on the stations nearest the Arc. Paris je t’aime’s 2026–27 page lists Charles de Gaulle–Étoile and Argentine closing from 2pm and the central stations along the avenue (George V, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Concorde, Tuileries) from 4pm, with Charles de Gaulle–Étoile, Kléber, George V, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Concorde reopening at 1am. It also lists metro lines 1, 2, 4, 6, 9 and 14 and all RER lines running through the night, and travel free from 5pm on 31 December until noon on 1 January; check RATP and Île-de-France Mobilités for the final 2026–27 plan.
Getting to Notre-Dame, La Défense and Disneyland Paris
Notre-Dame and its Christmas market are about 3 km from the lower Champs-Élysées as the crow flies. La Défense is the western end of metro line 1, so the same line takes you from the Champs-Élysées to its Christmas market. For Disneyland Paris, take the RER A from Châtelet to Marne-la-Vallée/Chessy, about 40 minutes.
Paris Christmas sights around the Champs-Élysées and beyond
1Grand Palais ice rink
about 0.3 km as the crow fliesSkating under the glass roof from 12 December 2026 to 6 January 2027, open until 2am; tickets online only.
2Avenue Montaigne
about 0.8 km as the crow fliesThe fashion houses’ avenue between the Champs-Élysées and Place de l’Alma, lit every year; 2026 dates still to follow.
3Place Vendôme
about 1 km as the crow fliesLit trees and jewellers’ windows around the column; a stop on most Christmas lights walks.
4Galeries Lafayette and Printemps Haussmann
about 1.4 km as the crow fliesAnimated Christmas windows on boulevard Haussmann and giant trees inside; Galeries Lafayette unveils its windows on 12 November 2026, Printemps’s new date is still to come.
5Arc de Triomphe
about 1.7 km as the crow fliesThe top of the lit avenue and the screen for the New Year’s Eve video show; it closes at 4pm on 24 and 31 December 2026.
6Notre-Dame and Square René Viviani market
about 2.8 km as the crow fliesThe Christmas market (26 November to 27 December), the forecourt tree from 29 November and Christmas services in the cathedral.
7Sacré-Cœur, Montmartre
about 3 km as the crow fliesOpen every day of the year from 6:30am to 10:30pm, free; Place des Abbesses below had a Christmas market last winter.
8La Défense Christmas market
about 6.3 km as the crow fliesThe largest market in the Paris region, with lights from 12 November 2026 to 3 January 2027; at the end of metro line 1.
When to go to Paris for Christmas
For the full Christmas atmosphere, go between Sunday 22 November and Christmas Eve, when the Champs-Élysées lights and market, the Notre-Dame market and the shop windows are all running.
- Late November to mid-December: everything is on, including the Notre-Dame market (until 27 December), and the museums keep normal hours.
- From 12 December: the Grand Palais rink opens, so a mid-December trip catches both the markets and the skating.
- 24 to 26 December: services at Notre-Dame and Sacré-Cœur and the lights all night on Christmas Eve, but most museums close on the 25th.
- 27 December to 6 January: the Notre-Dame market has closed, but the Champs-Élysées lights, market and the rink carry on, with Disneyland’s season to 6 January.
- Pack for cold, grey days: Paris-Montsouris averages a high of 8.0°C and a low of 3.8°C in December, with about 62 mm of rain and only about 57 hours of sunshine in the whole month, the least of any month.
Mistakes to avoid at Christmas in Paris
Most Christmas mistakes in Paris come from assuming everything is open on the holidays, or from booking non-refundable dates too early or too late.
- Planning the Louvre, Orsay, Versailles or Sainte-Chapelle for Friday 25 December. All four are closed; the Louvre, Versailles and Sainte-Chapelle are also closed on Friday 1 January 2027.
- Forgetting the weekly closures between the holidays: Orsay and Versailles are closed on Monday 28 December and the Louvre on Tuesday 29 December.
- Arriving at the Arc de Triomphe late on 24 or 31 December. It closes at 4pm on both days.
- Paying anyone for Notre-Dame entry. Entry is free and the cathedral says its free time slots are issued only on its official website; Mass needs no booking.
- Taking glass, alcohol or a scooter to the Champs-Élysées on New Year’s Eve, or heading for Charles de Gaulle–Étoile station, listed as closing from 2pm.
- Booking a Christmas cruise before your dates are fixed. The special 24 and 25 December cruises are all sales final, unlike the regular dinner cruise.
- Turning up at the Grand Palais rink without a ticket. Tickets are sold online only and cannot be refunded or exchanged.
What to skip at Christmas in Paris
Skip paying for what is free: the Champs-Élysées lights, the markets, the department-store windows, Notre-Dame, Sacré-Cœur and the New Year’s Eve fireworks cost nothing. Spend instead on a guide for one lights walk, a seat on the river, or the skating.
Skip the lights before Sunday 22 November if the Champs-Élysées is the point of your trip; only La Défense and a few other displays are lit earlier. And unless you love crowds, watch New Year’s Eve from a boat, a restaurant or the hotel television: the avenue opens only at 7pm after security checks, there are few toilets and the nearest stations close in the afternoon.
Christmas in Paris FAQ
When do the Champs-Élysées Christmas lights start in 2026?
On Sunday 22 November 2026. They stay on until 4 January 2027, from 5pm to midnight every evening and all night on 24 and 31 December.
Is there a Christmas market on the Champs-Élysées in 2026?
Yes. The City of Paris has authorised a Christmas market on the lower Champs-Élysées, towards Concorde, from 22 November 2026 to 4 January 2027, the first there in about a decade. Opening hours had not been published by 25 October.
When are the Paris Christmas markets in 2026?
Confirmed so far: the Champs-Élysées (22 November to 4 January), the Tuileries (14 November to 3 January), Notre-Dame at Square René Viviani (26 November to 27 December) and La Défense (12 November to 3 January). Saint-Germain-des-Prés, the Hôtel de Ville and Abbesses markets had not announced 2026 dates by 25 October.
Is the Louvre open on Christmas Day?
No. The Louvre is closed on 25 December, 1 January and 1 May, and every Tuesday. It is open on Thursday 24 and Thursday 31 December 2026 from 9am to 6pm.
What is open in Paris on 25 December?
Notre-Dame and Sacré-Cœur are open, and the Champs-Élysées lights and market run as usual. The Louvre, the Musée d’Orsay, Versailles and Sainte-Chapelle are closed; the Arc de Triomphe does not list 25 December among its closing days.
Do you need a ticket for Christmas Mass at Notre-Dame?
No. Notre-Dame says no booking is needed for its Christmas celebrations; arrive 30 minutes early and use the Mass entrance in the centre of the forecourt. In 2025 Midnight Mass followed an 11pm vigil; the 2026 times are not published yet.
Where can I go ice skating in Paris at Christmas 2026?
Under the glass roof of the Grand Palais, from 12 December 2026 to 6 January 2027. Adults pay €27 to €39 depending on the session, skate hire included, and tickets are sold online only.
What happens on New Year’s Eve in Paris?
A free video show on the Arc de Triomphe from 11:50pm and fireworks at midnight, watched from the Champs-Élysées, which opens to the public from 7pm. In 2025–26 public transport across the region was free from 5pm on 31 December to noon on 1 January.
When is Christmas at Disneyland Paris in 2026?
Disney Enchanted Christmas runs from 7 November 2026 to 6 January 2027, with a Christmas parade twice a day, a 78-foot tree in Town Square and, for the first time, Christmas in World of Frozen.
How cold is Paris at Christmas?
Cold and grey rather than snowy: Paris-Montsouris averages a high of 8.0°C and a low of 3.8°C in December, with about 62 mm of rain and only about 57 hours of sunshine in the month.
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We checked the facts on this page against these sources on October 25, 2026. Prices and times can change, so confirm them when you book.
- Paris je t’aime: Christmas lights on the Champs-Élysées, 22 November 2026 – 4 January 2027 (parisjetaime.com)
- Paris je t’aime: Christmas lights 2026 in the districts of Paris (updated 14 October 2026) (parisjetaime.com)
- Paris je t’aime: Christmas markets in Paris (2025 dates) (parisjetaime.com)
- Paris je t’aime: Christmas window displays at the department stores (2025) (parisjetaime.com)
- Paris je t’aime: New Year’s Eve show and fireworks at the Arc de Triomphe, 31 December 2026 (parisjetaime.com)
- Paris je t’aime: the Grand Palais ice rink (parisjetaime.com)
- Ville de Paris: call for a Christmas market on the lower Champs-Élysées, 22 November 2026 – 4 January 2027 (paris.fr)
- Ville de Paris: Notre-Dame Christmas market, 26 November – 27 December 2026 (paris.fr)
- Ville de Paris: New Year’s Eve 2025–26 on the Champs-Élysées in pictures (paris.fr)
- Paris La Défense: the Christmas market (parisladefense.com)
- Le Grand Palais de Glace: dates, sessions and prices 2026–27 (legrandpalaisdeglace.fr)
- Île-de-France Mobilités: free transport on New Year’s Eve 2025–26 (press release, 22 December 2025) (presse.iledefrance-mobilites.fr)
- Notre-Dame de Paris: Christmas 2025 service times (notredamedeparis.fr)
- Notre-Dame de Paris: opening hours and free reservations (notredamedeparis.fr)
- Sacré-Cœur: hours and directions (sacre-coeur-montmartre.com)
- Louvre: hours and admission (louvre.fr)
- Musée d’Orsay: admission and opening times (musee-orsay.fr)
- Palace of Versailles: 2026 ticketing, seasons and closing days (en.chateauversailles.fr)
- Arc de Triomphe: practical information (paris-arc-de-triomphe.fr)
- Sainte-Chapelle: practical information (sainte-chapelle.fr)
- Eiffel Tower: rates and opening times (toureiffel.paris)
- Disneyland Paris: Disney Enchanted Christmas 2026 (disneylandparis.com)
- Disneyland Paris: getting there from Paris (disneylandparis.com)
- Infoclimat: Paris-Montsouris climate normals 1991–2020 (Météo-France data) (infoclimat.fr)
- Sortiraparis: Paris’s biggest Christmas markets and their 2026 dates (sortiraparis.com)
- Paris je t’aime: marchés de Noël 2026 à Paris (updated 21 October 2026) (parisjetaime.com)
- Sortiraparis: the Champs-Élysées Christmas market returns, 22 November 2026 – 4 January 2027 (12 October 2026) (sortiraparis.com)
- Sortiraparis: 2026 Christmas window unveilings at the Paris department stores (23 October 2026) (sortiraparis.com)
- Sortiraparis: Christmas 2026 at Galeries Lafayette Haussmann, windows and rooftop rink (12 October 2026) (sortiraparis.com)
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