Christmas in Paris: Village de Noël

The Holiday Mood in Paris

Fouquet's and Louis Vuitton on the Champs-Elysées

The holiday lights in Paris are now up in all of the major streets around Paris. They all have their own unique theme, with the Champs Elysées going for the "European Union Presidency" theme of blue and gold. In this video is the Mayor Delanoë and actress Marion Cotillard inaugurating the lights of the most beautiful avenue in the world (PS Don't worry, the lights are all LED energy efficient):

Marion Cotillard lights up the Champs Elysées !

All of the big department stores and shopping malls in Paris, in addition to the Christmas Markets, are open Sundays in December. Despite the economic crisis, the shops are all packed full as usual. "French people save up for their holiday spending," said my retired French neighbor in the elevator this morning. "We don't rely on credit." That seems to be the case, although it's hard to tell whether the hoards of shoppers are really spending as much as usual. After just coming back from the US, I just thought it was nice to see people in the shops!

Champs Elysées Lights and Arc de Triomphe

Champs Elysées Lights and Ferris Wheel at the Place de la Concorde

Stay tuned for the free skating rinks and merry-go-rounds coming December 20th all over Paris.

Christmas Markets in Paris

It's time for the annual Marchés de Noël to set up around Paris! French people shun shopping malls, so even in the coldest winters they'd rather do their holiday shopping at these adorable villages made up of Alpine chalets.

You'll find regional gourmet foods, handmade crafts, jewelry, clothing, gifts, toys, food stands and hot wine, Père Noël, and often live entertainment. They're usually closed Christmas Day. Here are some of the ones that I know about so far (check back for updates):

• Avenue des Champs Elysées (8th, on the Place de la Concorde end, M° Champs-Elysées-Clémenceau) From Nov 20-Dec 28.

• At the Gare de Montparnasse (6th, metro Montparnasse; there's an ice rink here too)

• At the Gare St-Lazare (9th, Metro St-Lazare)

• Outside the Eglise St-Germain-des-Près (6th, Metro St-Germain-des-Près). From Dec 5-31.

• Outside the Eglise St-Sulpice (6th, Metro St Sulpice). From December 10-24.

• Les Féeries d'Auteuil (at the Fondation d'Auteuil, 40 rue Jean-de-La-Fontaine, 16th), Dec 6-21, 11am-7pm daily.

• At the Maison du Limousin (30 rue Caumartin, 9^th, Metro Opera), open Dec 1-27; Mon-Fri 9am-6:30pm, Sat 2-7pm. The evening of December 1 is a chocolate tasting!

• At the Parvis de La Défense (Metro/RER La Défense Grande Arche) from Nov 26-Dec 28, this is the largest Christmas Market in the Paris region, with 350 chalets. The skyscraper setting may not be cozy, but you’re sure to find something original here. Open Sun-Fri 11am-7:30pm, Saturdays 9:30am-8pm. And if you’re chilly, the Quatre Temps shopping mall is right there.

• At the Gare de l'Est (10th, Metro Gare de L'est) Nov 29-Dec 13 (sponsored by the Maison d'Alsace)

• Place de Nation (12th, Metro Nation)

• Place des Abbesses (18th, Metro Abbesses)

• Maison du Danemark (142 ave des Champs-Elysées, 2nd floor, Dec 9-21, 1-8pm).

• Maison d'Alsace (39 ave des Champs-Elysées, 8th, closed Dec 24-26) until the 28th December.