Planning New Year's Eve in Paris

I've already had at least three inquiries about where to spend New Year's Eve in Paris. It certainly seems like a good idea to start planning now, but in reality, it's just too early. Most Parisians don't even know what they're doing until maybe a couple of weeks in advance, and only the most touristy (or commercial) restaurants have their menus posted (like Brasserie Flo and Chez Clément...not two places I'd recommend for the night). The Eiffel Tower restaurants are not even taking reservations that far in advance.

Some things to keep in mind:

- The majority of restaurants will be open (the smaller, family-owned places are most likely to be closed).

- Almost every single restaurant that is open on the 31st will have a special, set menu for the night, usually very pricey.  

- Try and stay close to your hotel (or wherever you're staying), because after midnight the metros, RERs and busses will be packed beyond belief (and this is Christmas again for pickpockets), and taxis will either be impossible to find or will be stuck in traffic.

- If you can brave the cold (and one never knows how cold it will get these days), the best way to pass the evening is to pack a picnic and a bottle of Champagne (don't forget glasses) and find a place with a view of the Eiffel Tower (NOT on the Champ de Mars...unless you love crowds).

- Clubs and bars will also usually have a special New Year's Réveillon soirée (BTW it's also called "Saint Sylvestre" in France) that will not be cheap. You could also just join the revellers on the Champs-Elysées or along the pedestrian  bridges of the Seine.

- Make sure you're standing near someone cute at midnight...there will be a lot of kissing -- bisous, or air kisses, that is!

Start calling restaurants or checking clubbing websites around the first week of December. I'll start posting anything I see here on the site.  

Update on Sunday, November 4, 2007 by Heather

Some things to do in Paris for New Year's Eve:

- Go on the Grande Roue (Ferris Wheel) at the Place de la Concorde, open until midnight.

-  See a classical music performance like Mozart's Requiem in a Parisian church.

-  Go to the theatre (West Side Story anyone?)

- See the Zingaro horse show

- Book dinner with entertainment at a traditional Montmartre cabaret-restaurant such as La Crémaillère 1900.

- Go to the Château Vaux-le-Vicomte (Christmas decorations) or Chantilly's Living Horse Museum (Children's Holiday Show), both during the day.

- Go ice skating in front of the Hôtel de Ville.  

- Go snow skiing and sledding with the kids at the Stade de France's winter wonderland.  

Comments

[marie]

good advice. I will be in Paris for NYE and don't know what to expect (other than inflated prices!)

[George]

Thanks for all suggestions.Happy new year,without snow,SVP.George

[ColaJae]

We just got back from our trip to Paris....we attempted to take the Metro to Trocadero for the Eiffel Tower display and that was the biggest nightmare ever! The doors of the Metro were bulging at 10 pm....people were packed like sardines, screaming and throwing things. It was almost impossible to get on. We ended up taking the Metro in the opposite direction until the waiting crowds seemed to thin out, got off and hopped on headed back to Trocadero....mistake...big mistake. We were then tortured by the crowds waiting ahead....some tried to pull us off so they could get on. It was pretty scary. We ended up getting off at the stop past Trocadero and walked to just get a view of the top...we arrived just in time to see the lights go off, popped our champagne, took a sip, then headed back to the Metro to go back before it got ridiculously crowded. We're glad we did it, but wouldn't try it again. If you're in Paris for the New Year, take the advice to find a spot a distance away that has a view....or go early....VERY early.