Christmas and New Year in Paris 2026

Private access to a city at its most theatrical — and its most fully booked.

Paris in December belongs to those who know where to look. Beyond the illuminated boulevards, the season opens doors that stay closed the rest of the year: after-hours visits to museums, ateliers preparing their bûches de Noël, and a Réveillon table that took a year of relationships to secure.

Our travel designers live here. They know which restaurants quietly open on the twenty-fifth, which hotel still holds a suite over New Year, and which of the season’s concerts are worth rearranging an evening for.

Private Festive Experiences in Paris

A selection of the experiences we arrange through December and early January. Each is private, guided by a specialist, and shaped around your pace rather than a fixed schedule.

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Christmas in Paris 2026: Dates, Markets & Luxury Stays

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Paris at Christmas 2026: Key Dates

Christmas Day in Paris

Paris stays more open on 25 December than London does, but the day still needs shaping. Most major museums close, including the Louvre. The Métro runs a reduced service. A number of restaurants open by reservation only, and hotel dining rooms serve throughout. A private walking tour of a quiet city is often the best use of the morning.

New Year's Eve

Réveillon dinners are long, formal and reserved early. The Champs-Élysées draws large crowds and closes to traffic, which affects transfers across the 8th arrondissement — we plan around it rather than through it. Private transfers on 31 December should be confirmed at least a month ahead.

Getting around in Paris at New Year's Eve

Taxis are scarce on 24, 25 and 31 December. We arrange private transfers with chauffeurs booked in advance for exactly these days.

What to Know Before You Book:

Christmas Day in Paris

Paris stays more open on 25 December than London does, but the day still needs shaping. Most major museums close, including the Louvre. The Métro runs a reduced service. A number of restaurants open by reservation only, and hotel dining rooms serve throughout. A private walking tour of a quiet city is often the best use of the morning.

New Year's Eve

Réveillon dinners are long, formal and reserved early. The Champs-Élysées draws large crowds and closes to traffic, which affects transfers across the 8th arrondissement — we plan around it rather than through it. Private transfers on 31 December should be confirmed at least a month ahead.

Getting around in Paris at New Year's Eve

Taxis are scarce on 24, 25 and 31 December. We arrange private transfers with chauffeurs booked in advance for exactly these days.

There is no Nutcracker in Paris Opera this season.

The Paris Opera’s festive programme is Pulsations at the Palais Garnier and Rituals at the Opéra Bastille, both running into the first days of January. Families expecting the traditional Christmas ballet should know this before booking; we are happy to advise on alternatives.

Frequently asked questions

Paris in December is quieter and more gastronomic than most visitors expect. Illuminations run the length of the Champs-Élysées and along the grands boulevards from mid-November, the department stores unveil their window displays, and markets open across the city. But the centre of the season is the table: long lunches, patisserie, and Réveillon dinners on 24 and 31 December that run well past midnight. It is a romantic season rather than a boisterous one.

No. The Louvre closes on 25 December and again on 1 January, as well as every Tuesday. Several smaller museums and private collections stay open across the festive period, and we arrange private guided visits on both days where availability allows.

The 1st and 8th arrondissements put you within walking distance of the Champs-Élysées illuminations, the Tuileries market and the department store windows — the best choice if the season itself is the reason for the trip. Saint-Germain-des-Prés on the Left Bank is quieter and more residential, and suits travellers who want Paris rather than Christmas in Paris. We book across both, with partner benefits attached to the stay.

Réveillon is the long celebratory dinner held twice in the French festive season: on Christmas Eve, 24 December, and again on New Year’s Eve, 31 December. It is multi-course, unhurried and central to how the season is marked in France. Restaurants publish their Réveillon menus in the autumn, and the notable tables are reserved by late September.

Yes. Guide availability on 25 December and 1 January is limited and reserved early, but private walking tours, transfers and selected museum visits can all be arranged when confirmed well in advance. With most major museums closed on both days, a private walk through a genuinely quiet Paris is often the best use of the morning.

Most Paris markets open in mid to late November and run to the first days of January.

Plan Your Christmas in Paris

Tell us your dates and what you would like the season to look like. A travel designer based in Paris will reply personally with what is still available.

* В рамках Общее положение о защите данных (GDPR), ваш адрес электронной почты не будет передаваться и будет использоваться только для рассылки новостей от Carsons Travel Concierge.

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