Best Christmas Markets in Paris

Check out our list of the best Christmas markets in the city and make it a memorable trip!

By Dom Bewley
Published: July 18, 2024
Best Christmas Markets in Paris

It's the most wonderful time of the year! Those songs are playing on the radio again. An overabundance of red and white adorn every advert on TV. It can only mean one thing; Christmas. It's here. It's finally here! Time to dust off the box of decorations, and grit your teeth through another card to a long-hated neighbor.

If you're visiting the magical city of Paris over the holidays, you might wonder what the Christmas market situation looks like. Which are the best, and where are they in the city? Don't worry; we've got you. Read on, and discover our picks of the best Christmas markets in Paris!

Including:

  • Montmartre Christmas Market
  • Saint-Germain-des-Prés Christmas Market
  • La Magie de Noël
  • Hôtel de Ville Christmas Market
  • Marché de Noel Notre Dame
  • and more!

Are Paris Christmas markets good?

While Paris may not have the same Christmas market pedigree compared to other cities, they're quickly catching up. Nowadays, you'll find a number of brilliant Christmas markets in Paris, with some focusing on fun, and others offering hearty meals and warm drinks.

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La Magie de Noël

November - January

'The Magic of Christmas' was once the Champs-Élysées Christmas Market. But it has only grown from those humble beginnings, now stretching the length of Tuileries Garden, between the Rue des Pyramides and Place de la Concord. Arguably Paris' biggest and most visited Christmas market, it offers a one-two punch of carnival rides and your usual market offerings.

Visitors will find more than a dozen rides to enjoy, from merry Ferris wheels to bumper cars. So that's the kids taken care of. And you, if you're so inclined. For everything else, the market has a metric ton of food, mulled wine, Champagne, and stalls selling artisanal decorations, jewelry, and other Christmasy goods bound for a stocking or two.

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Marché de Noel Notre Dame

December - January

While the eponymous cathedral may still be under restoration following the 2019 fire, its Christmas market is still in full swing. While it may not boast the entertainment offerings you'll find on some of this list, it does provide plenty of upmarket gift-purchasing opportunities!

Walk its stalls, and you'll find plenty of pricey gifts to give to your loved ones, from ornate homeware to bedazzling jewelry. You could even pick up some top-draw meat for the Christmas cook-up, if you're spending the holidays in the city.

And, of course, you'll have plenty of opportunities to red the cheeks thanks to pots of steaming mulled wine. And if you're lucky, you might even catch a live performance to two.

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Montmartre Christmas Market

November - December

If you're looking for a smaller affair with fewer shoulders to brush past, head to stunning Montmartre, where you'll find a humbly delightful Christmas market where local artists, designers, and creators get to strut their stuff.

Visitors will find it easy to navigate around the twenty-off stalls that call the market home, all surrounding a massive Christmas tree replete with multicolored lights. Grab a mulled wine to warm up, and take a wander around the food stalls to pick up some traditionally Parisian snacks. Then, pick up some unique scarves, toys, and other items created by local masters.

Stocking fillers that sustain the local community? What could possibly be more Christmasy than that?

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Hôtel de Ville Christmas Market

December - January

If you like your Christmas tinged with a rustic theme, head to the Hôtel de Ville Christmas Market, which is encased in Christmas trees adorned with lights and decorations. And that rustic feel trickles down to the market's offerings, too, with plenty of roasted chestnuts, mulled wine, and other sweet treats to guzzle down as you wander about.

But really, the star of the show is Hôtel de Ville's light show, which bathes the surrounding buildings - and the market - with the warm glow of unmistakably Christmas colors. Under all that, kids can even get in on the fun, with carousels, and even Santa's workshop, where they can dream big. Inevitably, however, their dreams will be shattered when you fail to plant a unicorn under the tree. It's okay; they'll get over it. Eventually.

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Saint-Germain-des-Prés Christmas Market

December-January

And now, we look to the stomping grounds of soccer behemoth PSG, where you'll find the charming Saint-Germain-des-Prés Christmas Market. While oil may flow freely into the club's checkbook, the Christmas market is a more modest affair, with around 40 stalls offering plenty of stocking opportunities.

From candles to ornaments for the home, to jewelry, bags, and unique keepsakes for your loved ones, there's plenty to purchase. And that's without mentioning the food and drink. Cakes, wines, Christmas liquors, and even caviar make an appearance every year. So, if you want to upgrade your tasting time, this might just be the best Christmas market in Paris!

Image of Lighting,

La Défense Marché de Noël

November - December

Throwing their hat in the ring for the 'biggest Christmas market in Paris' is La Défense Marché de Noël, which expands some prior proceedings with over 200 stalls along La Défense Esplanade. Over a million people visit every year, and that many people can't be wrong.

Along with the usual market affair of great food and piping-hot drinks, as well as plenty of stocking shopping opportunities, what makes La Défense Marché de Noël unique is the many stalls selling specialty items. One moment you could be looking at bespoke stuffed Santas, the next filing through antique artwork. It's a melting pot of oddities and absolutely deserves a visit at least once.

All of this goodness is backed up by DJs spinning sweet Christmas songs all through the night. So, if you're in the area, why not give it a go?

And that rounds out our list of the best Christmas markets in Paris! If you're in town for the holidays, why not make the most of your visit and see what else the city has to offer? Go City's got you covered. With our Explorer Pass and All-Inclusive Pass, you can see all of Paris' best bits for one low price!

Dom Bewley
Go City Travel Expert

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View of the Eiffel Tower across the River Seine
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Week in Paris

Planning a holiday in Paris? First off: lucky you! Secondly, although a week may seem like a lot for a city break, there’s just so much to see and do in Paris that, in fact, seven days is just about the right length of time needed to see the sights and fall in love with the place. Remember that time spent traveling between and queueing for some of the more popular attractions adds up. So, decide which are your must-sees, remember that skip the line tickets are your friend and dive into our suggested itinerary for a week in the City of Love. Day 1: Seeing the Sights Start your break with a bang by ticking off some of the biggest hitters in town. A trip up the Eiffel Tower is essential on any visit to Paris and, with a whole week to spare, you really have no excuse not to. Climb the steps (all 674 of them!) to the second floor for one of the world’s most unforgettable workouts, or take it easy and cruise up in the great glass elevator. Afterwards, head across elegant Pont d'Iéna to the Jardins du Trocadéro with their eye-catching fountain display, then onwards to the Arc de Triomphe, where committed climbers can again take the stairs to the viewing platform up top – 284 this time, fact fans. From here, the view along the Champs-Élysées, with the Luxor Obelisk, Jardin des Tuileries and the Louvre’s glass pyramid all perfectly aligned is nothing short of remarkable. Day 2: Art and Culture We recommend picking one or other of the Louvre and Musée d’Orsay and spending an entire day in your chosen museum. These, after all, contain some of the finest art on the planet, so there’s no sense in rushing. The Louvre, with its distinctive pyramid is huuuuge – it’s estimated that it would take around 200 days to see every piece of its 35,000-strong collection so, again, it’s important to plan your must-see masterpieces (Mona Lisa, anyone?) before you go. The relatively bitesize Musée d’Orsay is set inside the beautiful former Gare d’Orsay railway station and contains some huge original station clocks as well as the world’s largest collection of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist art, including Monet, Manet, Degas and Renoir. If you do find yourself with time on your hands afterward, there’s plenty to do within strolling distance of both museums. Take a wander into the stunning Jardin des Tuileries by the Louvre and relax by the lakes or ride the old-fashioned carousel there. From Musée d’Orsay wander east along the Seine to shop the riverside book stalls and pause for a coffee and pastry in the boho Latin Quarter. Day 3: Gently Does It After two days of serious sightseeing it's time to kick back and slow the pace a little. Take a gentle amble through the authentic cobbled lanes of the Marais district, with its cute independent boutiques, delightful sidewalk cafés and – at the Marché des Enfants Rouges – some of the best street food in town. People-watch with a picnic in the gardens of the 17th-century Place des Vosges and while away an hour or two admiring the paintings and sculptures in the Picasso Museum. Cross one of the picturesque arched bridges to Île de la Cité. This tiny island in the middle of the Seine packs in an impressive number of big-hitting attractions including Notre-Dame Cathedral, the Conciergerie and medieval Saint-Chapelle with its extraordinary stained-glass windows. Pick up some fresh blooms at the daily flower market (which magically transforms into a bird market on weekends) and cool down with some of the best ice cream in Paris at the Berthillon store. Day 4: Shopping! Paris is an absolute mecca for shoppers, from the luxury designer names that line the broad Champs-Élysées boulevard to bargain antiques and knick knacks at the world’s biggest flea market in Saint-Ouen, just north of the 18th arrondissement. You’ll find historic 19th-century shopping arcades scattered throughout the city center. Inside, beneath elegant glass-and-iron canopies, you’ll find everything from chic fashion boutiques to watchmakers, wine cellars and old-fashioned antique stores selling unique period pieces. Passage du Jouffroy in the 9th arrondissement is one of the most popular, and features Instagram-tastic geometric tiling, an ornate stucco clock and even a tiny 150-year-old wax museum! Head to Galeries Lafayette Haussmann for high-end department store shopping beneath opulent galleries and a soaring stained-glass dome. This landmark Paris mega-mall has around 65,000 square meters of big-name boutiques to explore, plus a Decléor spa and more than 20 cafés and restaurants. Day 5: Rest and Relaxation Holidays are all about relaxing, right? And green spaces are some of the most relaxing places on the planet, yes? Great news: Paris has over 400 public parks and gardens to explore, many within short walking distance of the city’s premier attractions. Pick up a picnic from the local boulangerie and make for the Jardin du Luxembourg, where you can sit and idly watch kids sailing toy boats on the lake in front of the Palais and see locals competing on the pétanque courts. Or stroll the flower-filled gardens of nearby Jardin des Plantes, which also contains a small zoo and natural history museum. Further afield in the 16th arrondissement, you can take an old-fashioned rowboat onto the lake in Bois du Boulogne, where a forest trail and botanical garden will also help you recharge. Not relaxed enough yet? Paris also boasts dozens of excellent spas, with facilities to be found in the likes of ultra-luxe La Réserve Paris as well as the Latin Quarter’s exquisite Mosquée de Paris, with its beautiful byzantine-style hammam and leafy courtyard. Keep it zen with a champagne cruise along the Seine in the evening, admiring the city sights as the sun goes down. Day 6: Highs and Lows The Paris Catacombs surely rank as one of Paris’s most interesting – and most macabre – attractions. Here, deep beneath the unassuming streets of the 14th arrondissement lies a labyrinth of tunnels, where curious souls can come face to skull with some six million long-dead Parisians, their mortal remains displaced here from overflowing Paris cemeteries in the 18th and 19th centuries. Take the 1.5-kilometer walking route through these hushed and dimly lit tunnels for a bone-freezing experience you’ll never forget. Afterwards, shake off the chill with a quick whiz up the nearby Montparnasse Tower, where the uninterrupted 56th-floor views across Paris are considered some of the best in town. You’ll find locals to be especially effusive about these views because it's one of few vantage points in the city where you can’t see the Montparnasse Tower itself – it’s considered to be a bit of a blight on the skyline! Day 7: Montmartre No trip to Paris would be complete without a visit to Montmartre. You can easily spend a day here, exploring the maze of cobbled streets that are home to world-famous attractions including the Moulin Rouge cabaret and Sacré-Cœur Basilica. Save your legs by taking the funicular up the steep butte (hill), then find your bearings on a walking tour of the main sights. Afterwards, grab lunch in one of the adorable cafés or splash out on famous restaurants such as the Café des Deux Moulins of Amélie fame and Moulin de la Galette, part of the famous windmill immortalized in art by both van Gogh and Renoir. Then keep the arty theme going with a stroll to the Place du Tertre to have your portrait painted in the shadow of the basilica by one of the resident artists. Stroll the picture-perfect Rue des Abbesses – great for people-watching and home to the Sunday flea market where you can pick up antique bits and bobs as well as jewelry and art from local designers. And don’t miss sunset from the basilica steps where, as the sky turns pink and orange and a carousel wheels into motion below, you’ll truly feel like you saved the best for last. Save on top attractions during your week in Paris Save on admission to Paris attractions with Go City. Check out @GoCity on Instagram and Facebook for the latest top tips and attraction info.
Stuart Bak
Stuart Bak
A tourist studying her map in front of the Eiffel Tower
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Is Paris Safe?

Paris is one of the most-visited cities on the planet, with millions of tourists pouring in every year. And it’s not difficult to understand why: beautiful parks, world-class museums, gourmet dining and Instagrammable monuments galore mean it’s packed with great things to see and do. Never mind that it's simply one of the most romantic places on earth. But is Paris safe for tourists to visit? Find out in our guide below. How Safe is Paris? Paris, like most major cities, has its fair share of petty crime, with pickpocketing and bag-snatching highest on the list of things to watch out for. Tourists and newcomers to the city are, of course, far more likely to be targeted than locals, especially those who appear lost, disoriented or confused by their surroundings, or who generally stick out like a sore thumb. So it’s important to know what to look out for to stay safe and ensure you enjoy an incident-free break. Opportunistic thieves tend to ply their questionable trade in and around major attractions, where large crowds of tourists can make for easy pickings. So it makes sense that the places you’re most likely to be relieved of your cash and possessions are around the likes of the Eiffel Tower, Champs-Élysées and Notre-Dame Cathedral, as well as in popular neighborhoods including Montmartre, the Marais and the Latin Quarter. Avoid flashing around large sums of cash, keep your bags zipped up and be aware of your surroundings when, for example, using your phone or taking money out of an ATM. Thankfully, violent crime against tourists is relatively low in Paris. So the best response if you do fall victim to petty theft on the streets is not to give chase and instead report the incident to local police as soon as possible. And remember that, as long as you take sensible precautions like keeping an eye on your belongings and not falling for obvious scams, it’s likely the very worst thing that will happen to you in Paris is having to endure your waiter’s scorn when you order your steak well-done. Common Scams in Paris Thieves in Paris employ a quite extraordinary range of techniques to part you from your belongings. All are designed to fluster or otherwise bamboozle you for just long enough to get what they want and melt back into the crowd. A common trick is for the thief to pose as a lost tourist and approach you when you’re sitting at a café or restaurant table on the street. Placing an oversized city map on your table they will, on departing, pocket the map as well as whatever else was underneath it: your purse, your phone, and so on. Avoid this by keeping items in your pocket or a secured bag rather than in full view of opportunists. Also be wary of anyone who approaches you to sign a petition, or to donate to a charity: it’s highly likely these are not legit. Likewise someone who spills a messy liquid – coffee, ketchup, etc – on you, then makes a show of helping you clean up. These are distraction techniques pure and simple, so secure your belongings and walk away. Gold rings and roses are some of the other common scams that many visitors to Paris fall foul of – especially hopeless romantics. In the first of these, the the tinkle of metal hitting concrete is rapidly followed by a lady asking you if you have dropped your ring. When you say it isn’t yours she will then insist you take it as a lucky charm. But take care: as soon as you agree she will aggressively demand payment for the item. Beware also of men bearing flowers. These will be held out for you to take, but are never, ever free of charge. So only accept one if you’re happy to line this particular scammer’s pockets. The game of bonneteau – also known as find the lady and three-card monte – has been operating on the streets of Paris for centuries. Simply keep your eye on your chosen color of ball as it disappears beneath one of three cups, correctly identify the cup and hey presto, you win! Right? Wrong: it’s a confidence trick and you are the dupe. Keep your cash in your pocket and walk away. Is Paris Safe for Solo and Female Travelers? Not only is Paris safe for solo and female travelers, there are also loads of great things you can do on your own here, from learning to make macarons to seeing the city by bike and joining one of the city’s fab weekly rollerskating events. Otherwise the rules are much the same as for everyone else: take sensible precautions like letting family and friends know your plans if you’re going out alone at night and avoid trouble hotspots like quiet streets and late-night trains. A night out in Paris can of course be a lot of fun, with its buzzing nightlife and great entertainment scene: think world-class opera, high-kicking cabaret shows, and late-night bars and clubs. It’s always safer to politely decline offers of drinks from strangers and indeed to go out in a group if you can. Drink in moderation and ideally take a cab home rather than using public transport at night. Apps like Uber operate in Paris, or you can hail a Taxi Parisien, identifiable by the name on their cab light. The cab will also have a meter and display a badge with the driver’s license number. Note that if you do opt to take the Paris Métro, you should only buy your tickets from an authorized vendor or ticket machine in the station. Do not pay touts in and around the station for what might appear to be bargain tickets – you are most likely being scammed. Follow these simple tips and chances are your holiday in Paris will be every bit as fun and trouble-free as it is for the millions of tourists who visit and fall in love with the city every year. Save on things to do in Paris Save on admission to Paris attractions with Go City. Check out @GoCity on Instagram and Facebook for the latest top tips and attraction info.
Stuart Bak
Stuart Bak
The Louvre Museum in Paris
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Best Art Galleries in Paris

The birthplace of Impressionism, Paris is a veritable paradise for artists and art lovers. It’s a city that has inspired and produced a disproportionate number of household names over the centuries – think Matisse, Modigliani, Manet and Toulouse-Lautrec. It’s no surprise then that Paris is where you’ll find some of the world’s finest galleries and museums as well as, of course, arguably the most recognizable (and certainly the most visited) painting on the planet. Read on to be inspired by our selection of some of the best art galleries in Paris. The Big Hitters The Louvre Museum Of course, no visit to Paris would be complete without passing through the Louvre’s iconic glass pyramid and entering its multi-level labyrinth of galleries, corridors, stairways and escalators. With nearly 40,000 works of art on display at any given time, covering painting, sculpture, antiquities and much more, the Louvre is the world’s most-visited museum and contains many of its greatest and most famous artistic treasures. Come for the Mona Lisa and Venus de Milo, stay for the ancient Great Sphinx of Tanis, French crown jewels and the decadent pastries and fancies served in the museum’s Café Richelieu Angelina, where the Mont Blanc – a grand confection of meringue, whipped cream and chocolate shavings – is something of a work of art in itself. Musée d’Orsay More compact, easier to navigate and significantly less crowded than the Louvre, the Musée d’Orsay’s collection of 19th and 20th-century art packs a real punch. Here, in what used to be the Gare d’Orsay train station, you can view world-class pieces including Van Gogh’s mesmerizing Starry Night over the Rhône and Self Portrait, perhaps the greatest selfie of them all. French Impressionism and Post-Impressionism is particularly well represented here, with a great variety of Toulouse-Lautrec’s Moulin Rouge-inspired pieces and many Monet masterpieces, including one from his Water Lilies series. Don’t miss the original station clock, which hangs in the impressive main hall, and head to fifth-floor Café Campana by the Impressionist Gallery, where a giant clock-face window affords enchanting views across the Seine to the Louvre and Sacré-Cœur Basilica. Musée de Montmartre Montmartre’s cobbled streets, bohemian vibe and awe-inspiring views across Paris have attracted a great many artists over the years, among them – deep breath – Renoir, Manet, Toulouse-Lautrec, Van Gogh, Picasso, Miró and Modigliani, many of whom are represented here at the Musée de Montmartre. Housed in one of the district’s oldest buildings, the Musée de Montmartre was once a mansion containing artists’ studios used by the likes of Renoir, Charles Camoin and Suzanne Valadon. The peaceful surrounding gardens are named in memory of Renoir, who painted several of his greatest masterpieces when he lived here in the 1870s, including the Bal du moulin de la Galette and Jardin de la rue Cortot, depicting this very garden. Top Paris Museums for Kids Centre Pompidou Paris has stacks of fab museums that children will love with many, including big hitters like the Louvre and Musée d’Orsay, offering free entry for under 18s. The huge Centre Pompidou has an entire floor dedicated to kids aged from 2-16, offering informative tours, exhibitions, hands-on workshops and bags of interactive fun. Better still, workshops for kids aged nine and over don’t require parental supervision, leaving you free to explore the center’s National Museum of Modern Art, which boasts a collection including Picasso, Pollock, Warhol and many more, that’s rivaled only by MoMA in NYC in terms of its variety, scope and quality. Musée du Quai Branly Kids will adore the Musée du Quai Branly’s quirky exterior: a towering green wall of foliage that looks like a giant garden flipped on its side. Inside, there’s much for bright young minds to discover among the vast collection of indigineous art from around the world. Highlights that are sure to entertain include dramatic ceremonial masks from India and Africa, Aboriginal tree-bark paintings, a brightly mosaiced Volkswagen Beetle from Mexico and a massive medieval Moai head from Easter Island. Kids here can also shrug off uncool parents and fly solo in fun arty workshops for ages 6-12. Single Artist Museums Musée Rodin Arguably France’s greatest ever sculptor, Auguste Rodin is celebrated here in a fine collection that also includes a few paintings by fellow Gallic luminaries such as Renoir and Monet. Indisputable star of the show here though is the sedate seven-acre sculpture garden, where many of Rodin’s best-loved creations – including The Thinker, Monument to the Burghers of Calais and The Gates of Hell – can be found scattered among perfectly sculpted box hedges and ornamental pools. Musée Picasso-Paris This collection of over 5,000 works by the father of Cubism is among the world’s finest. His offbeat and unsettling world is represented here by around 700 paintings and surreal sculptures, plus thousands of drawings, notebooks, photos, engravings and other ephemera. Explore the four stories of this delightful 17th-century palace to discover pieces including his Self-Portrait and La Celestina, painted during Picasso’s Blue Period, as well as later works from his Cubist phase and works depicting scenes from the Spanish Civil War from his harrowing war paintings series. Musée National Gustave Moreau Dedicated to the life and works of 19th-century Symbolist painter Gustave Moreau, this fascinating museum was the Moreau family home until the artist’s death in 1898. Among its many highlights are a quite extraordinary spiral staircase and some fairly out-there compositions featuring unicorns and other mythical creatures, hallucinatory visions, bizarre plants and more. Printed guides containing extensive and often rambling commentaries from the man himself are available to take around the museum with you, and you can even visit his old studio and top-floor apartment. Save on the best art galleries in Paris Save on admission to Paris attractions with Go City. Check out @GoCity on Instagram and Facebook for the latest top tips and attraction info.
Stuart Bak
Stuart Bak

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