Christmas in Paris

Is the holidays a good time to visit Paris? Oui! Here’s a few things you should know:

Shopping 

• It’s the peak shopping season and the Grands Magasins will be packed. 
• Yet, do not miss the decorated windows. They are true artistic creations!

• Contrary to London, sales do not start on December 26.Sales (« Les Soldes ») usually start in January and obey a strict government schedule in order to protect consumers. Anyone telling you about sales outside of the official period is lying to you!
• You might still find discounts after December 25, those will be labeled « promotions. » 
• Most shops and department stores will be closed on December 25and January 1.However, most of them will be open a bit later than usual on Christmas and New Year’s Eve. Also, note that, while lots of stores are closed on Sundays in France, a lot of them will exceptionally open on the couple Sundays leading to Christmas. 

Dining and cooking 

• Finding a dining venue for Christmas Eve or New Year’s Eve is a tricky affair.  There are plenty to chose from. Here are a few dos and don’ts.
• Avoid Seine River cruises. Their food selection is notoriously bad any time of the year. They will be overpriced on that special night and you’ll be disappointed. 
• Most « grands restaurants » (aka Michelin star) will have a Christmas Eve or New Year’s Eve menu. You should expect to pay €200 to €500 per person. Not necessarily much more expensive than usual. But you should expect a single prix fixe that particular night. Make sure to be interested by what’s on the menu; substitutions will be limited!
• Less ambitious venues will not hesitate to double or triple what they charge on any other given night. Once again, you might feel like you’re being ripped off. So our recommendation: go big or go home!
• So how about making your own special dinner? A traditional French holiday dinner will include foie gras, a choice between oysters, smoked salmon, or lobster, turkey or capon, cheese course, and bûche de Noël for dessert. While cooking a turkey in an Airbnb might sound a bit crazy (but why not, after all!), most of these dishes can be purchased ready to eat. 
• Foie gras can be found at Hédiard, Fauchon, La Grande Épicerie, or la Maison Godard. Make sure to get « foie gras entier » « cuit » or « mi-cuit » and stay away from « terrine » or « reconstituté ». Make sure you see an « origine France » label (you don’t want a knock off from somewhere else). Unwrap, cut 1cm slices and serve as a starter with toasted fresh baguette. Some people give in to fig or onions preserve; we think it should be enjoyed plain. Pairs divinely with vintage Champagne.
  
   
• Find a local fishmonger (« poissonnier ») and get a « plateau de fruits de mer ». This seafood assortment will traditionally include oysters, shrimps, crayfish, and other delicacies. It usually can be customized (more of this, less of that) on demand. We strongly suggest you order it a day or two in advance. Last minute orders might not be served!
• Some « rotisserie » or « traiteur » will offer ready to carve turkey, capon, or chicken. Check locally; consider ordering in avance. 
• Visit your local « fromager », tell them the size of your party, inform them of your taste in cheese, and voilà !
• La bûche de Noël is sponge cake filled with custard cream and iced with butter cream; variations are infinite. Now, that’s a tricky one. They will be displayed everywhere from local bakeries to supermarkets to frozen food stores. You’ll see them advertised in the subway! Every year, food critics try to determine which pastry chef came up with the best creation. Check Yann Couvreur’s store. Other options on this page. Again, touch base a day or two in advance!

Christmas Day and New Year’s Day brunch  

• This is the latest Parisian trend: forget about boring, endless Christmas Day lunch. Some great restaurants have given up on table service and put together fantastic buffets. Check Le First Boudoir, probably the best value out there. Other 5* hotels have similar concepts. Some pair buffet style with table service for your main. 

A show on Christmas Eve or New Year's Eve

• The Opera National de Paris and its two locations always have great shows on holiday evening and days. This is a great way to celebrate. Make sure to dress up!
• Other venues like Theatre des Champs-Elysees, offer concerts.

Joyeuses fêtes!

Bienvenue ! Welcome!

People keep asking us our best addresses in the City of Light. We created these virtual (long) walks with some of our best places to visit and eat. We later added tips for shopping and going out. 

We hope you enjoy reading this blog as much as we enjoyed writing it!

Writing this guide took us a while. Therefore, whoever you are, if you happen to use it, please, please, please, send us your feedback and, if you'd like, your pictures! 

The Right Bank (Rive Droite)

 

- Start with a tour of the top of the Arc de Triomphe, built to celebrate Napoléon I's victories.

- Then, walk down the famous Champs-Élysées, lined with innumerable shops and restaurants.  (The latter are very touristy, so we generally avoid them.) 

- Some distance down the Champs-Élysées from the Arc de Triomphe is the Nef du Grand Palais. Across the avenue, you can catch a glimpse of the French presidential residence, le Palais de l'Élysée. Unfortunately, the palace can only be visited once a year during the Journée Européenne du Patrimoine. 

- Further down the Champs-Élysées is the Place de la Concorde (formerly, Place Louis XV, Place de la Révolution, and Place Louis XVI), where King Louis XVI was guillotined on January 21, 1793. (Many more were to meet a similar fate during the ensuing Reign of Terror.)  Today, the place is home to one of two obelisks from the Luxor Temple in Egypt (the two obelisks were given to King Louis-Phillippe in 1845 in exchange for a tin clock still on display at the Cairo Citadel. Transporting the first obelisk proved to be extremely difficult. Consequently, As a result, the other obelisk was never sent to France; it was officially restituted to Egypt by President François Mitterrand in the 1980s. On the south side of the place is the Palais Bourbon, home of l'Assemblée Nationale, the lower chamber of the French parliament. On the north side of the place, stop by the luxurious Hôtel de Crillon for tea at the Jardin d'Hiver or for lunch at Les Ambassadeurs. 

- On the east side of Place de la Concorde, you'll find the Jardin des Tuileries and the largest museum in the world and former residence of the kings of France, Le Louvre. The Jardin des Tuileries is named after the Tuileries Palace, which once formed the western wing of the Louvre but was destroyed in 1871 during the Paris Commune. Tip: Access the museum from the Carrousel du Louvre shopping mall (see below). The line is usually much shorter than the main entrance at the glass pyramid.

- Don't forget to walk along rue de Rivoli. Today, it is one of Paris's most expensive streets. But when it was first laid, Napoléon had the French state erect the façades and induced reluctant wealthy Parisians to buy them and then build behind them (look carefully at street corners and you'll see how the façades are distinct from the buildings behind them). Rue de Rivoli is home of one of our favorite venues for brunch, Le First, located inside the Westin hotel. The brunch includes seafood, small vérines, and French pastries and other desserts--essentially, small portions of all varieties of French food you can imagine. An absolute must! Le First closes for the summer months, but the Westin serves food in its central courtyard--what it calls its Summer Terrace.

- Should you choose to walk north, you'll find our favorite brasserie, Le Bistrot Victoires. Make sure you order the entrecôte au thym brûlé (burned thyme-flavored T-bone steak). It's awesome! And don't miss a little tour of the Place des Victoires. Here, too, you'll notice how the façades and the buildings behind them are separate structures.

- If you continue east along rue de Rivoli, don't overlook Saint-Germain l'Auxerrois, a beautiful little Gothic church and gateway of the Les Halles quarter. 

- Before 1786, Les Halles didn't exist; the neighborhood was a giant cemetery, the Cimetière des Saints-Innocents. Oddly enough, in 1786, the remains were removed to make way for Paris's principal market, Les Halles.  Don't worry, though, the farmers' market was since closed and replaced by the Forum des Halles shopping mall in the 1970s. Today, work is wrapping on up a 21st century reimagining of that space. Les Halles is now covered by La Canopée. If, however, you are intrigued by the morbid past of this area, you will want to pay a visit to the Catacombs of Paris on the Left Bank, where the remains of millions of Parisians were sent when the Cimetière des Saints-Innocents closed to clear the way for Les Halles. 

- Don't miss l'Église Saint-Eustache. The church's painfully slow construction started in 1223, and it has never been finished:  one of its two towers is still missing. Still, the interior is gorgeous, and the organ is a masterpiece. Find your way behind the church and walk down rue Montorgueil with its many traditional shops. Stop at the Rocher de Cancale for a giant salad. 

- Also a few steps from the Forum des Halles is the Centre Georges Pompidou. The avant-garde and controversial building was part of the urban renewal of the area in the late 1970s and pays tribute to President Georges Pompidou's taste for modern and contemporary art; he never saw the museum finished as he died in office of cancer (Waldenstrom's macroglobulinemia) in 1974. Although most people think the numerous pipes that are visible are for show, they each have a use and their color designates their purpose: heating, air conditioning, etc.  Book a table or stop for drink at Le Georges. The view, the food, the service, and the design of the space are all spectacular.  Or simply spend some time on the terrace of the Café Beaubourg, opposite the Centre Pompidou, for some (gay) people watching. 

- Don't miss the Hôtel de Ville, home of the mayor of Paris, and stop by the nearby BHV department store (Bazaar de l'Hôtel de Ville) for some shopping. 

- Still going east, you'll walk toward Le Marais. Don't forget to check out the Place des Vosges (built by good King Henri IV) and the Marché des Enfants Rouges (the oldest farmers' market in the city). It's open every day except Monday, but opening hours vary. Stop by Le Bouledogue for lunch or dinner or, if it's Sunday brunch, by Benedict.

- Keep heading east and admire the Place de la Bastille, where the French Revolution started on July 14, 1789. It was the site of the prison destroyed in the July 14 assault.  Two hundred years later, President François Mitterrand dedicated the prison's ultimate replacement, the Opéra Bastille. Don't miss the river port of the Arsenal and its garden. 

- From the Place de la Bastille, walk on the Promenade Plantée, a suspended park built on a former train line--today, it's one of Paris's best walking tours. It is also the project that inspired New York City's High Line. 

- If you're tired of going east, head back to the core of the city for a tour of (or even better, a show at) Paris's other opera house, the Palais Garnier. Don't fail to stop at the Café de la Paix for a mille-feuille.  After your visit, take in the neighborhood with a stroll from the Place Vendôme to the Place de la Madeleine.  Near the Madeleine Church are the famous épiceries, Hédiard and Fauchon. (Hédiard is closed for renovations as of summer 2017; Fauchon just completed its remodeling.) If you're (still) hungry, stop by Le Comptoir in the latter's cellar--it has a great cave, and the food is outstanding. 

- If you prefer the high road, head to the hills--specifically, Montmartre.  It boasts quaint little streets and shops, the famous Sacré-Coeur basilica, and a million-euro view of the City of Light. 

The Left Bank (Rive Gauche)

- Across the river, on the Left Bank, is the former Paris-Orléans train station, turned into a museum featuring mostly 19th and early 20th century French art, including an outstanding collection of Impressionist work, the Musée d'Orsay. 

- Famous for its gardens and next door to the prime minister's residence (the Hôtel de Matignon) is the Musée Rodin, which is dedicated to the sculptor's work. 

- Not too far away is the Napoléon I's tomb at the Army Museum at the Invalides (combo tickets available), whose Cathédrale Saint-Louis should not be missed (entrance through the museum but free). 

- Get lost in the Latin Quarter, but don't miss a walk on Boulevard Saint-Germain, a visit to the Saint-Germain-des-Près church, and a pass through the Marché Saint-Germain, another farmers' market--one that was completely renovated in 2016. (If you know French, check out this link for more information.) Stop at the Café de Flore (don't let the notriously rude waiters discourage you!), where philosophers Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir had their habits. If you're hungry, book a table at the Procope, Paris's oldest restaurant, for dinner. 

- Also, please don't leave Paris before stopping at Ladurée for a macaron or Julien's favorite pastry, the rose syrup-flavored Saint-Honoré cake. Ladurée has several stores in the city, but you should try the one at 21 rue Bonaparte, which has a little tea salon where you can eat.  Pierre Hermé, Ladurée's arch-competitor, offers a similar but perhaps more original concept.  It also has a store on rue Bonaparte at number 72. If you opt for this one, try the Ispahan cake. 

- Head south and walk along the Rue du Bac, which features many design and clothing shops, until you reach the Bon Marché and la Grande Épicerie, where food from all over the world is on display.  In our opinion, the épicerie is simply not to be missed. 

- But the real heart of the Left Bank is the Jardin du Luxembourg, with its eponymous palais, home of le Senat, the upper chamber of the French parliament. 

- Find your way up rue Soufflot, and walk to the place du Panthéon. Here, the French Republic pays tribute to its great men and women. You shouldn't overlook the nearby Sainte-Geneviève Library (though it closes for three weeks in July and August) and the Sorbonne, one of the earliest universities in the world. 

- Behind the place du Panthéon is the old but still lively rue Mouffetard. Stop at Les 5 for lunch or brunch. 

- The Left Bank is also home of the fabled Tour Eiffel and its unforgettable Michelin-starred restaurant, le Jules Verne, for lunch (good value) or dinner, 410 feet over the city. Lunch here was one of our best dining experiences anywhere; the food and the service were exceptional. 

- A great alternative to the Jules Verne is the Ciel de Paris, located at the 56th floor of the Tour Maine-Montparnasse, Paris's most-reviled skyscraper. It was extensively renovated in the past few years and is less expensive than Jules. One of my friends (an art/design critic and fine bouche) went and loved it. You can also go for a cocktail in the afternoon. 

Paris's Islands and the Seine

- Notre-Dâme de Paris on the Île de la Cité needs no introduction. Don't miss the little park behind it. 

- Walk around the Île Saint-Louis and admire the small streets and the immeubles built along the Seine. Stop at Berthillon for the best ice cream in the world. 

- The Sainte-Chapelle, built by order of King Louis IX (aka St. Louis) to house Christ's crown of thorns, is stunningly beautiful. The admission lines can be long, so it pays to go early.  Better still, buy your ticket online in advance, so you can avoid the line for the ticket window; this is called coupe-file.

- If it's warm enough, you can try a cruise on the Seine River. There are multiple cruise companies (e.g., Bateux Mouches, Vedettes Pont-Neuf), but Canauxrama also offers cruises on the Saint-Martin Canal, which then consul Napoléon I decided to build in 1802 to give Parisians access to fresh, clean water. It wasn't finished until 1825, under the reign of Charles X. A walk along the canal is also a great way to experience it.  (Think Amelie.) 

Outskirts of Paris

OUTSIDE PARIS BUT STILL ACCESSIBLE BY METRO/RER

- If you love palaces and gardens, the Chateau de Versailles is incomparable. This hunting residence was transformed by Louis XIV into the official royal residence. It became the castle by which all royal residences were measured from then on. You might pair your visit to the chateau with a stop at the nearby Trianon Palace for tea or dinner (Gordon Ramsay is the executive chef) or even choose to stay overnight.

- Before Versailles, the Chateau de Vincennes served as the king's official residence. The Sainte-Chapelle at Vincennes is nearly as stunning at the one on the Île de la Cité. The chateau sits on the edge of a beautiful park, the Bois de Vincennes. 

Useful Advice

- Create an account on The Fork. It takes less than a minute, and you can then use the website to book tables pretty much everywhere (like OpenTable), but it also features special discounts of up to 50% off your check. There is no need to prepay (unlike sites like LivingSocial).

- Parisians generally regard having lunch before 12:30 p.m. or dinner before 8 p.m. disgustingly provincial. Avoid that. Eat with the locals! Besides, who would want to eat in an empty restaurant? Note, however, that lots of restaurants will refuse to serve lunch after 2:30 p.m. or dinner after 10 p.m. So you have a fairly narrow window for meal times at most establishments.

- You should ALWAYS greet shopkeepers, waitstaff, and others (like the RATP person you're asking help from) with a friendly "Bonjour !" The French guy's observation:  French people are often very self-concious of their English and hate being addressed in Shakespeare's tongue from the start. Always break the ice with a few words of French, even if you only know two or three. In the American guy's experience, that--along with appropriate use of "Merci, madame/monsieur" and "s'il vous plaît"--convinces the French person that you are not simply another one of those devilishly rude Americans who rushes in expecting and demanding everyone to speak English. 

- Taxis are reasonably cheap, and since the end of 2015, all take credit cards. When you see a white or green light on, the taxi is available; a red light (or if the light on the roof is off) indicates it is occupied or otherwise unavailable. Always make sure the meter is engaged once your journey has begun. Uber does work in Paris (chauffeurs are actually more stylish than in New York); just use your Uber account as you do at home. Of course, to use Uber, you’ll need to have access to wifi or turn on data. 

- Paris is a safe city, and one can walk around or take the subway/métro at night without fear (although the system shuts down every day between roughly 1 a.m. and 5 a.m.).

- Still, always be aware of your personal belongings, as talented pickpockets are everywhere. Never respond to the request of a beggar boy or girl or other young person to sign a petition (usually in support of the deaf and mute); it's a scam to distract your attention. Do not leave your phone or camera on your table, even if it's directly in front of you when you are sitting on a terrace and even if the surroundings looks quiet and there doesn't seem to be anyone around. I once saw a group of young pickpockets storm a terrace and leave with all the valuables in under three seconds. Use a lock for your backpack (especially in the subway), and never carry your wallet in the back pocket of your jeans. If you follow this basic advice, pickpockets will generally move to easier prey. 

Shopping in Paris

Historically, les Grands Magasins were an actual store. But the name became a generic expression in French to designate department stores in Paris. Le quartier des grands magasins designates an area on boulevard Haussmann near the Garnier Opera House where Printemps and Galeries Lafayette have their flagship stores. Many smaller clothing stores and other sorts of boutiques can also be found there, offering a virtually unlimited shopping experience. The neighborhood is predictably packed with tourists and traffic. 

Printemps has an entire building dedicated to men's fashion: le Printemps de l'Homme, which just moved to new quarters in 2017, at 64 boulevard Haussmann. There is a panoramic terrace on the ninth floor. It gives an up-close look at the department store building itself, as well as the Paris skyline. Le Printemps de la Mode features a stunning restaurant, La Brasserie du Printemps, on its sixth floor; its dome will enchant you.

The Galeries Lafayette might not be as thrilling an experience but is still notable for its impressive wine cellar. 

If you're looking for a (slightly) more authentic experience, you might want to try the BHV (Bazar de l'Hôtel de Ville) we mentioned earlier in the Right Bank section of the blog. Note that it has a men's store, le BHV l'Homme, and a pet store, la la Niche. All three stores are located together in the Marais.

Also mentioned earlier is the famous Bon Marché Rive Gauche. Located across the river on the Left Bank, it's in another very active, yet less famous district: the 7th arrondissement. The Bon Marché offers a solid selection of men's clothes and a great wine cellar, but it's the grocery store (something other department stores gave up a long time ago) that makes it worth a trip. La Grand Épicerie de Paris is an absolute must, featuring foods and delicacies from around the world. If you're thinking of organizing a little pique-nique, this is the place to go!

Last, you might want to know about the Carrousel du Louvre and its many stores (a Printemps spinoff, an Apple Store, etc.). It's open on Sundays and is directly accessible from the Louvre (or vice versa.)

Many criticize department stores for their impersonalized service. If you're craving a more human touch, try these favorites:

- Paraboot sells 100% made-in-France shoes (they make their own rubber!) and has several stores in the city (notably, rue Vignon near the Madeleine Church). Can you believe I bought a pair of boots from them 13 years ago and still walk around in them in snowy New York? They're indestructible!

- Perigot has all sorts of home accessories.

IMPORTANT: Visitors from outside the European Union are generally eligible for a refund of any value-added tax (VAT) paid on their purchases of more than €175 (including tax). This can represent savings of 12% or more. Details are available where you shop or at the Paris Convention and Visitors Bureau.

LGBT Paris

You'll find our Parisian gay friends hanging out at the Open Café before dinner. After dinner, you'll spot them at the Free DJ (say "fridge" and please don't ask why) unless they're admiring the shower model at the Raidd Bar. If it's Sunday evening, they'll desert the Marais and take the subway to Rosa Bonheur in the beautiful Parc des Buttes Chaumont (métro Botzaris on line M7bis.)

Clubbing varies week after week, and it behooves you to check which soirée is scheduled for a given week. Favorites include les Crazyvores, la Club Sandwich, and la Scream.

Is ORY a good airport?

Lots of people ask me if landing in ORY is a good plan.
If you're flying to Paris directly from the States, your only option to fly directly to ORY is OpenSkies. The BA affiliate is now fully integrated in the One World alliance and fares are offered on AA.com.
The Paris-based airline offers 3 flights a day from JFK and EWR all of them to Paris Orly.

If OpenSkies is an option you're considering , I would encourage you to try and select their premium product which really is recycled business class seats from Lufthansa. 

Now when it comes to Orly, most parisians would probably say they prefer Orly because it is a smaller and less crowded and that’s the reason OpenSkies decided to make it its home.

Let's get into details:

Overview:

ORY is definitely closer to the city. It’s one of the original Paris airport (along with Le Bourget) and was the main hub before CDG opened in 1974 (CDG actually celebrated its 40th birthday last week-end.) Today, it’s mainly a domestic airport but still has some flights to North-Africa + OpenSkies to JFK and EWR. The south terminal is the most interesting with its vintage 1960’s candelabra. You’d expect seeing Georges Pompidou and Lyndon Johnson smoking a cigar together at one of the gates…

Unfortunately, I think OpenSkies flies into and out of terminal west now (less interesting but functional).

Transportation:

Train: The RER doesn’t go directly into the airport and requires a connexion with an air train called OrlyVal which takes 7 minutes to travel to the Antony RER station (a litle like JFK and Jamaica station.) 

Once at Antony, line B will bring you to Chatelet in 20’.

Car/taxi: Outside of rush hours, the commute to the city with a cab is a breeze and can take as little as 15’ and cost around €30 or even less. Totally different story during rush hours. 

Bus: The “Cars Air France”, which is reasonably cheap, take you to Montparnasse station, Invalides and Étoile/Champs-Élysées. Busses are comfy.

Other things to consider:

Openskies’ used to send its customers to the Icare lounge which is small but nice and has a good food selection. Last time I heard (when my mom took OpenSkies to JFK last Thanksgiving), customers were sent to the BA lounge which is nice but has the inconvenient of being pre-security.