Paris · CHRISTMAS
Good christmas experiences fill up weeks ahead and the great ones go first. Below: the 13 to book early, what each includes and how they differ.
Ride a 90-minute open-top electric green bus from Boulevard des Capucines past the Opera, Louvre, Champs-Élysées, Arc de Triomphe, and Eiffel Tower. You get multilingual audio, Christmas music, Wi-Fi, earphones, and access to four self-guided Tootwalks.
“Enjoyed a very good tour of most of the key sites that were lit up.”
Ride through central Paris for about 90 minutes, passing Place Vendôme, the Champs-Élysées, Arc de Triomphe, Louvre, Seine, and Eiffel Tower. The English audio includes Christmas songs, and the route ends near Printemps and Galeries Lafayette. Dress warmly and expect traffic.
“Great experience to quickly see the Christmas lights of the city. We did not need to manually organize as this was done for us by your company.”
Ride through Paris at night in a private vintage Citroën 2CV with blankets, an open roof, and a driver-guide speaking English or French. Your route can follow your interests, with hotel pickup in central Paris and a photo stop at the Champs de Mars.
“We had the most lovely time! The Citroen was so fun and well appointed with blankets and the removable roof to see the Christmas lights. Our driver was so kind and informed. He made us feel so comfortable and was willing to flip between English and French. We would recommend this itinerary to anybody-especially with our driver- and will make sure to do so!”
Spend 3 to 4 hours seeing Paris in holiday dress with a private guide, hotel pickup, chauffeured transport, walking stops, Galeries Lafayette, Tuileries Market, and a Ferris wheel ride. Milan Melet is the guide most often praised for his history, warmth, flexibility, and family-friendly approach.
“Milan is an amazing guide. If and when we go back we will call him. He meet us at our hotel to start our adventure. For us first time in the city he explained the history while see Christmas lights around Paris.”
Follow a local English-speaking guide through Paris at Christmas, from Rue Montorgueil and Galerie Vivienne to the Tuileries market, Place Vendôme, and Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré. Groups are capped at six, with hot chocolate or mulled wine included.
“Very interesting your. Walked to holiday markets and saw Christmas lights and learned some history. I would remind this tour”
You’ll walk from Rue Étienne Marcel to Place de la Concorde with a French, English, or Spanish-speaking guide. Expect Galerie Vivienne, Palais-Royal, Tuileries Garden, Place Vendôme, La Madeleine, a hot drink, and a traditional Christmas sweet in a group of six or fewer.
“Ruben was by far the best tour leader we have ever had in all our entire visits and travels - he is literally 5/5 with the knowledge, information and presentation.”
Spend Christmas Day aboard a covered Bateaux-Mouches boat, enjoying a three-course French lunch, homemade Yule log, wine, tea or coffee, and live music. The 1-hour-45-minute cruise passes Notre-Dame, the Louvre, Musée d’Orsay, the Eiffel Tower, and historic bridges before returning to Port de la Conférence.
“Food- great, atmosphere-great but the boat was so.hot. it was +10C outside and they insisted on keeping the heating on. I spoke to no fewer than 5 staff trying to get the heating turned off but it completely ruined our experience.”
Spend two festive hours aboard Bateaux Mouches, enjoying a French lunch, half a bottle of wine per person, piano music, and views of Paris from the Seine. Your maître d’hôtel leads you to your table, while the upper deck gives you a fine spot for Eiffel Tower photos.
“En underbar båttur och lunch på Bateaux Mouche. Servicen är toppen och maten mycket god. Hjälpsam servicepersonal och vackra vyer.”
Join a private English-language food walk through central Paris, beginning near Notre-Dame and ending at Luxembourg Gardens. Clara may guide you through Christmas markets, Saint-Germain cafés, oysters, foie gras, mulled wine, yule log cake, and candied chestnuts, with local tips along the way.
“Great experience! Clara was wonderful and we had the chance to experience great food. Would definitely book again.”
You will spend about three hours cycling through Paris with a local guide and a small group of no more than 12 people. The route links the Eiffel Tower area, Champs-Élysées, Place Vendôme, the Louvre, Centre Pompidou, and other decorated streets, ending with mulled wine at a Christmas market.
“Just a normal sightseeing bike tour around main attractions of Paris. Details not clear. Lots of cycling cutting across traffic.”
Join chef Dominique for a four-hour French Christmas cooking class in his Paris home kitchen. Choose a market visit or head straight to class, prepare seasonal dishes such as guinea fowl and Bûche de Noël, then sit down with your small group for a 45-minute meal and wine tasting.
“That Chef created a dish that made my campion enjoy beets and her gave us directions to purchase our own tools that we enjoyed using in his kitchen!! Yes Chef ❣️”
Spend three hours with a small group of up to eight, sampling chocolates, pastries, nougat, gingerbread, candied fruit, cheeses, mulled wine, and more. Your English, French, or Japanese-speaking guide leads you through St-Germain-des-Prés, gourmet shops, and a Christmas market, ending with hot drinks and festive sweets.
“The tour was great. The guide took us to some amazing shops to try fabulous chocolates and pastries. The Christmas markets were lovely and we tasted some lovely cheeses, mulled wine, truffles, nougat, honey, teas amongst other things. The tour finished at a great cafe where we had the opportunity to try some outrageous macaron flavours! Highly recommend.”
Join an English-speaking guide, including Linda, for a one-hour Christmas stroll around Notre Dame. Taste holiday treats, mulled wine, and regional cheese, browse artisan stalls and bouquinistes, and take a festive photo at Santa’s stall.
“Linda was a wonderful guide! Incredibly knowledgeable and loved her sense of humor. Highly recommend this tour.”
Pick a monument, a quarter or a table.
