Things to do in Paris in December: weather, events and outings

Paris weather in December: damp cold and short days

According to Météo-France's 1991-2020 normals for the Paris-Montsouris station, December has an average temperature of 5.9°C, barely milder than January; the damp and the wind along the Seine make it feel colder. Snow remains rare and seldom settles within the city limits. It is also one of the wettest months (62 mm) and the least sunny of the year.

The real constraint is daylight. The winter solstice falls on Monday 21 December 2026: the sun rises at about 8.42am and sets at about 4.56pm, giving about 8 hr 14 min of daylight. Concentrate outdoor walks between 10am and 3pm and keep the late afternoon for the lights.

Crowds, prices and the Christmas holidays

December splits into two very different periods.

• 1 to 18 December 2026: the lights and window displays are already in place, but French families are not yet on holiday. On weekdays, hotels remain affordable and museums are quiet; only weekends are busy around the department stores and Christmas markets.
• Saturday 19 December 2026 to Monday 4 January 2027: the Christmas holidays for zone C (the Paris, Créteil and Versailles education authorities), with classes resuming on the morning of Monday 4 January. Families from the Île-de-France region and the rest of France converge on the capital, queues grow outside the monuments, and hotel prices rise sharply between 24 and 31 December.

For a good balance between atmosphere and budget, aim for the first half of the month, on weekdays. If your stay falls during the holidays, book accommodation and time slots at the most popular sites early, and compare neighbourhoods in our guide to Paris hotels by budget. A single Métro-Train-RER ticket costs €2.55 (price checked in September 2026).

Christmas lights and window displays

The Champs-Élysées illuminations are switched on every year in the second half of November and stay up until early January; in 2025, the switch-on took place on 16 November. The date of the 2026 edition had not been published at the end of September 2026. The shopping streets (avenue Montaigne, rue du Faubourg-Saint-Honoré, boulevard Haussmann) and several squares, such as the Bastille, are also decorated.

On boulevard Haussmann, Galeries Lafayette and Printemps unveil their animated windows in early November (on 6 and 12 November in 2025), and the giant tree suspended beneath the Galeries Lafayette dome can be visited freely. Recommended times and tips for avoiding the crowds: see our guide to the department store Christmas windows.

Christmas markets 2026: what has been announced

At the end of September 2026, three events had confirmed dates for the 2026 edition:

• Paris La Défense Christmas market, from Thursday 12 November to Thursday 31 December 2026 on the parvis de La Défense, with a festive area extended until 3 January 2027: the largest market in the Île-de-France region, with several hundred chalets.
• Notre-Dame Christmas market, from 26 November to 27 December 2026, square René-Viviani (quai de Montebello, 75005 Paris): around forty chalets of crafts and regional produce. Metro Saint-Michel (line 4), RER B and C.
• Salon Saveurs des Plaisirs Gourmands (fine food fair), from 4 to 7 December 2026 at Espace Champerret (17th): delicatessen and regional produce.

The Tuileries market and funfair, usually open from mid-November to early January, did not yet have official dates for 2026. For the festive atmosphere and other ideas for outings, see our guide to Christmas in Paris.

As for ice rinks, the former Grand Palais des Glaces returns under the name Grand Palais de Glace: the rink is set up under the nave of the Grand Palais from Sunday 13 December 2026 to Wednesday 6 January 2027, closing at 6pm on 24 and 31 December. Ticket sales open in mid-October 2026, online only. The other pop-up rinks had not yet published their 2026 dates; prices and alternatives are in our guide to ice rinks in Paris.

Christmas Eve and 25 December: what closes

In 2026, Christmas Eve falls on a Thursday and Christmas Day on Friday 25 December, the only public holiday of the month. On the evening of the 24th, Christmas Eve menus at restaurants and on cruises are often fully booked weeks in advance, and many shops close early.

On 25 December, Paris slows right down: most shops, bakeries and restaurants are closed and public transport runs a holiday service.

• Closed on 25 December: the Louvre, Orsay, the Palace of Versailles, the City of Paris museums.
• Open on 25 December: the Eiffel Tower, open every day of the year, cinemas, some neighbourhood restaurants and the La Défense Christmas market, from 3pm to 11pm (11am to 6pm on 24 and 31 December). Opening hours for the other markets are in our guide to Christmas markets in Paris.

Addresses for dinner on the 24th and ideas for filling the 25th: see our guide to Christmas Eve and Christmas Day in Paris. Another useful point: Sunday 6 December 2026 is the first Sunday of the month, free at several national museums including Orsay (booking a time slot is compulsory). The list is in our guide to free museums in Paris.

31 December: New Year's Eve on the Champs-Élysées

31 December 2026 falls on a Thursday. Every year, the City of Paris puts on a free show on the Champs-Élysées: at the last edition, a video projection on the Arc de Triomphe began at 11.50pm, followed by the midnight fireworks, with screened access to the avenue from place de la Concorde from 7pm. The programme for the evening of 31 December 2026 had not yet been published at the end of September 2026.

Recommended arrival time, prohibited items, quieter alternatives (cruises, rooftops) and getting home at night: everything is covered in our guide to New Year's Eve in Paris.

Exhibitions to see in December 2026

December lets you see both the big autumn exhibitions and the first of the winter ones:

• Cezanne et nous (Cezanne and Us), at the Grand Palais, from 23 September 2026 to 17 January 2027: 69 works by Cézanne alongside the artists who claimed him as an influence. Timed ticket €20.50, free for under-18s.
• Zurbarán (1598-1664), at the Louvre, Hall Napoléon, from 7 October 2026 to 25 January 2027. Entry with the museum ticket: €22 for residents of the European Economic Area, €32 for other visitors. Closed on Tuesdays.
• Mary Cassatt, l'indépendante (Mary Cassatt, the Independent), at the Musée d'Orsay, from 6 October 2026 to 31 January 2027: nearly 80 works by the American painter. Late opening on Thursdays until 9.45pm; ticket €16 online.
• Girls. Adolescence, mode et rébellion (Girls. Adolescence, fashion and rebellion) (from 9 December) and Mika Ninagawa avec EiM (Mika Ninagawa with EiM) (from 16 December), at the Grand Palais until 21 March 2027.
• Gustave Fayet, collectionneur-créateur (Gustave Fayet, Collector and Creator), at the Fondation Louis Vuitton, until 8 March 2027.

Prices checked in September 2026. For other institutions, see our selection of current exhibitions in Paris.

Ideas for staying warm indoors

With eleven days of rain on average and night falling before 5pm, December lends itself to indoor plans:

• Late-opening museums: Thursday at Orsay, Wednesday and Friday at the Louvre. The galleries are quieter after 6pm, an advantage during the holidays.
• Covered passages: between the Grands Boulevards and the Palais-Royal, the 19th-century arcades can be explored in the dry, with shops that are ideal for gifts.
• Holiday shows: ballets, Christmas concerts, circus and musicals fill the venues; book from November for dates between 19 and 31 December.
• Tea rooms: a warm break between two markets, around the department stores or in Saint-Germain-des-Prés.

More ideas by neighbourhood are in our guide to Paris on a rainy day.

Note: the Salon nautique (boat show), long held in December at Porte de Versailles, now takes place at the Le Bourget exhibition centre, from 25 to 29 November 2026.

What to pack for December

• A warm, waterproof coat, or a down jacket with a rain jacket: the damp makes 4 to 8°C feel harsher than it sounds.
• Closed, waterproof shoes, comfortable for standing in front of shop windows and wandering the markets.
• Hat, scarf and gloves, essential in the evening, and even more so for waiting for midnight on 31 December.
• A compact umbrella and layers: the metro, museums and shops are well heated.
• A slightly dressy outfit if you have booked a Christmas Eve or New Year's Eve dinner or a cruise.

December 2026 at a glance

Prices checked in September 2026. Dates shown are those published by the organisers at that time; opening hours on 24, 25 and 31 December may be adjusted by venues.

Further reading

If you are staying on after the holidays, our guide to things to do in Paris in January covers the sales and the final weeks of the exhibitions. For a dinner or an evening on the water, our guide to Seine cruises compares the options. And to compare December with the other seasons, read the best time to visit Paris.