Paris at Christmas is all about light. From mid-November the department-store windows on Boulevard Haussmann come alive, the plane trees of the Champs-Élysées are wrapped in lights, and wooden chalets fill the Tuileries, La Défense and, for the first time in ten years, the bottom of the Champs-Élysées. This guide lists the dates announced by 9 November 2026. Daily hours can change, so check each organiser’s page before you go.

Christmas markets 2026

  • La Magie de Noël, Jardin des Tuileries: 14 November 2026 to 3 January 2027. About 95 chalets, food stalls, an ice rink, a big wheel and fairground rides between the Louvre and the Place de la Concorde. Usually open daily from 11am to 11.45pm. Metro Tuileries or Concorde.
  • Paris La Défense: 12 November to 31 December 2026, with a new festive area called Le Sommet and an ice rink staying open until 3 January 2027. Billed as the largest Christmas market in the Paris region, with around 300 chalets under the Grande Arche. Monday to Thursday 11am to 9pm, Friday 11am to 11pm, Saturday 10am to 11pm and Sunday 11am to 9.30pm. Metro line 1 or RER A to La Défense.
  • Champs-Élysées: 22 November 2026 to 4 January 2027. The market returns to the gardens at the bottom of the avenue after a ten-year absence, with around 200 chalets. Reported hours are 10am to 10pm from Monday to Thursday and until 11pm from Friday to Sunday. Metro Champs-Élysées-Clemenceau.
  • Notre-Dame: 26 November to 27 December 2026 in Square René-Viviani, across the river from the cathedral, with French artisans and regional produce. Monday to Thursday and Sunday 10am to 8pm, Friday and Saturday 10am to 9pm.
  • Alsatian market, Gare de l’Est: 2 to 18 December 2026 on the station forecourt, with Alsace food and wine. Monday to Saturday 9am to 7.30pm, Sunday 10am to 7pm.

Entry to all the markets is free; rides, rinks and food are paid. Smaller markets usually appear in Saint-Germain-des-Prés, Montmartre and elsewhere; the City of Paris publishes a full calendar on paris.fr.

Christmas lights

The Champs-Élysées lights are switched on on the evening of Sunday 22 November 2026 and stay up until early January. Hundreds of plane trees along the avenue are lit from the Place de la Concorde to the Arc de Triomphe, and the view from the top of the Arc or from the Concorde end is spectacular. The avenue’s committee says the lights run in the evenings, and all night on 24 and 31 December, but nightly times had not been confirmed on an official page when this guide was written.

Paris La Défense is lit from 12 November 2026 to 14 January 2027, with a giant tree on the Place de La Défense. Other good streets for lights include Avenue Montaigne, the Place Vendôme and Boulevard Haussmann.

Department-store windows

The animated windows of the Galeries Lafayette and Printemps on Boulevard Haussmann are a Paris tradition, especially for children. Press reports give the unveilings as 10 November 2026 at Printemps and 12 November at the Galeries Lafayette, with the windows staying up until early January. Inside, the giant tree under the Galeries Lafayette dome is one of the sights of the season.

Other things to do

  • Skating. The Tuileries and La Défense markets both have ice rinks.
  • Disneyland Paris. The resort runs a Christmas season with decorations and seasonal shows from early November to early January.
  • Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Many museums and monuments close on 25 December, including the Louvre, the Orsay, the Sainte-Chapelle and the Catacombs. The Arc de Triomphe and the Panthéon close early on 24 and 31 December.
  • Midnight Mass. Notre-Dame and the Sacré-Cœur hold Christmas services; expect large crowds.
  • New Year’s Eve. The Champs-Élysées is the focus of the celebrations; check the city’s announcements for the 2026 programme.

Tips

  • Weekday evenings are much quieter at the markets than weekends.
  • Combine the Tuileries market, the Concorde end of the Champs-Élysées lights and the new Champs-Élysées market in one evening walk.
  • Dress warmly: December evenings in Paris are cold and often damp.