Paris shows two faces in winter: the metropolis is radiant and opulent, but also subdued and approachable. Falstaff TRAVEL shows the must-see places during the festive season.
In the cold season, Paris is filled with an atmosphere of gentle, almost poetic melancholy. When the winter sky has soaked up all the colors, you sometimes get the impression that you have walked into one of the iconic black and white photographs - until warm light falls from a bistro onto the sidewalk or the doors of a dazzling department store open. Paris is both glamorous and intimate when the temperature drops outside.
Paris has been known as the "Ville lumière", the city of light, at least since the Universal Exhibition of 1900. Whether Champs-Élysées, Avenue Montaigne or Place Vendôme: the festive lighting is bombastic instead of contemplative. This is not a folkloristic fairytale Christmas, but a cosmopolitan city celebrating itself with appropriate decadence. Mulled wine? Champagne!
The highlight is the "Vitrines de Noël", the festive shop windows of Parisian department stores, which are designed by renowned decorators and artists with a love of detail. The well-known shopping centers - Printemps, La Samaritaine, Le Bon Marché, the world-famous Galeries Lafayette on Boulevard Haussmann with its Belle Époque dome - are increasingly staging themselves as experience spaces, cultural venues and exhibition areas for designer labels.
Covered promenades such as the historic passage of the Panorama and the Empire-style Galerie Vivienne with its glass roof and mosaic floor have their own charm in winter. Here you can not only buy high-quality clothing, but also literature, delicacies and a good glass of wine. If you are looking for contemporary designs and vintage pieces, head to the Marais district with its cafés and boutiques.
Marais is also a good place to hole up in a café on cold days and eat desserts without a reason. Instead of gingerbread and roasted almonds, there are Bûche de Noël (French Christmas cookies), during Advent. Or you can choose classics such as macarons or mille-feuille, with which you can never go wrong.
The time-honoured and long established, yet seldom diverse patisserie trade has recently been "revolutionized" by a new generation of pastry chefs, as the magazine "Vogue" noted. Korean-born Naraé Kim works as head pastry chef at the Park Hyatt Paris-Vendôme. Le Royal Monceau - Raffles Paris" works with the virtuoso Yazid Ichemrahen, who won the World Ice Cream Dessert Championship at the age of 22. Nina Métayer was the first woman to be named best pastry chef in the world by the International Union of Bakers and Pastry Chefs (you can try her creations at La Samaritaine). And away from the fine addresses? At "Maison Aleph" you can get sweet comfort food with Levantine flavors and the bakery chain "The French Bastards" is as snotty and unconventional as the name suggests.
Bistronomie, which established itself in the nineties, combines down-to-earth cooking with the sophistication of upscale cuisine in a relaxed atmosphere. It is still totally en vogue, for example around Montmartre, where Japanese chef Taiki Tamao is opening a modern take on bistro cuisine at "Le 975". Another example is "Clamato", the sister restaurant of Bertrand Grébaut's fine dining institution "Septime", with fish and seafood as sharing plates. Or you can visit the "Restaurant Janine" in the 17th arrondissement, where French and Italian influences merge into unpretentious cuisine, served between zinc counters, wooden tables and flea market finds. Bistro classics include the "Bistrot des Tournelles" (Marais), "Le Bon Georges" (9th) and "Les Arlots" (Gare du Nord).
La Verrière, the atrium café in the InterContinental Paris - Le Grand Hotel, is a stylish retreat that lets the sky in, even in winter. Palm trees, white flower arrangements, a light-flooded glass roof, cozy armchairs; this is the place to stop by for a coffee or snack at lunchtime and a cocktail in the evening before attending an opera at the nearby Palais Garnier, for example.
Speaking of drinks: Bar 228 in the Hotel Le Meurice, designed by Philippe Starck, is one of the city's top addresses: subdued lighting, dark wood, leather club chairs and discreet elegance create a very special atmosphere. Bartender William Oliveri, who has been working here for decades, serves cocktails, cognac and Champagne to live jazz. Hotel bars are a good place to start the evening in Paris anyway - including at the Maison Delano Paris hotel with its Art Deco-style bar in coral tones. Or alternatively in the "Bar Hemingway" or in the "Ritz Bar" in the iconic "Ritz Paris".
Art also offers contemplation in the cold season. The Paris museums are less crowded in winter, especially the Louvre, of course. It is also worth visiting the addresses in the second row, for example the Petit Palais with the municipal art museum, which exhibits paintings, sculptures and arts and crafts from antiquity to the early 20th century. Another recommendation is the Musée Gustave Moreau in the 9th arrondissement, which is housed in the Symbolist's former apartment, which was also his studio. Hundreds of paintings, watercolors, sketches and drawings are on display.
Another realm of wonder that you can take time for when the sight-seeing madness is done, in the melancholy and intimate Parisian winter.
Galeries Lafayette
The decorated shop windows are a real attraction. The highlight - in the truest sense of the word - is the huge Christmas tree under the glass dome of the Galeries. haussmann.galerieslafayette.com
Marché de Noël
From November 13 to December 28, 2025, you can visit the city's largest Christmas market in the La Défense district - it has more than 300 stalls! xmasparisladefense.com
Champs Élysées
The trees along the street are transformed into a fairytale sea of lights from 5 pm. Ideal for an evening stroll! parisjetaime.com
Grand Palais des Glaces
From December 13, 2025 to January 7, 2026, you can skate on a 2,700m2 ice rink under the imposing glass roof of the Grand Palais. legrandpalaisdesglaces.fr
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