The Christmas celebrations have already begun in Paris. The city embraces the festive season and likes to get the fun underway before December, so November has already seen quite a bit of activity on the Yuletide front. If you love the Christmas spirit, it’s high time to take a break in Paris and enjoy all that’s happening around Noel in the capital. To start with, we at the Hotel Best Western Quartier Latin invite you to visit the market and Christmas village of the Champs-Élysées. Then, we suggest you test your ice skating skills on one of the city’s temporary rinks. Finally, we recommend you check out the festive atmosphere offered by the department stores of the capital.
Champs Elysees market and Christmas village
Even though it’s becoming chilly, Paris is already bathing in the warmth, joy and magic of Christmas and has been doing so since November 11th. Organised by Marcel Campion, the market and Christmas village of the Champs Elysées has been delighting visitors for a few weeks already, and will not close until January 8th, 2017. So until then everyone can make the most of the Ferris wheel on the Place de la Concorde, the skating rink, the amusements and the market stalls that are spread out from the roundabout and along the world’s most famous avenue. Here you can find great gift ideas, handicrafts, Christmas decorations, regional food and drink items and much more.
Indoor and outdoor skating rinks in Paris
As it does each year at this time, Paris has made various indoor and outdoor skating rinks available to everyone. At the Champs Elysées Christmas market, a giant skating rink of 1600m2 awaits the swish of your blades. In addition, other giant skating rinks have been set up for the pleasure of all comers in the following locations; the Grand Palais, Eiffel Tower, Hôtel de Ville, Trocadéro, Charléty sur Neige, Parc Zoologique de Paris and, of course, at the Saint Germain des Neiges winter sports and entertainment event. Plenty of additional fun can be enjoyed in these places, too!
The City of Light with its Christmas markets and beautiful illuminations
The festive season in Paris would not be complete without Christmas markets and new illuminations and displays. This year, the capital offers a wide choice of Christmas markets suitable for the whole family. Apart from the Champs Elysées, you can also visit the Christmas markets of Saint Germain des Prés, the Abbesses Montmartre, the Gare de l'Est, the Gare Saint Lazare, the Féerie d'Auteuil, as well as many more throughout Paris. As for new illuminations and displays; all the department stores in the capital have dressed their windows with exquisitely imaginative scenes in the enchanting colours of Christmas. The most beautiful and heart-warming decorations and illuminations in Paris can be seen on the Champs Elysées, the Faubourg Saint Honoré, the Place Vendôme and its vicinity, in Bercy Village, and in the shop windows of the Boulevard Haussmann, the Viaduct des Arts, the Forum des Halles and along the Avenue Montaigne.
~oOo~
Crédit Photo : Gabriele Barni - Flickr
Best Western Quartier Latin Panthéon Hotel, a 3 star hotel in Paris