Christmas in Paris

[Love0715]

Hello ^_^

My name is Terence from Canada. My wife & I will stay in Paris for a week. We will arrive in early morning of  Christmas Day (Dec 25) and depart on Jan 1st.  Hope you can answer the questions below:

Q1.  On Christmas day, other than touring Effiel tower ,Seina cruise and Moulin Rouge ,what festival activities   could be available in Paris during the daytime ? For example - touring Opera Garnier, parade, Flea markets, street shows ...

Q2.  On New Year's Eve, are all shops closed ?  What activities will be held in Paris and where would be good spots for watch the Fireworks (countdown) ?

Thank You !
Terence

[Missy]

Xmas in Paris happens on the 24th all through the night. On 25th everyone is just about going to bed and sleep off the merrynmaking ! or it will be very intimate and quiet celebratings between family and friends at home...I think that most of (if not all) the museums will be shut for the day, so you are left with walking around the city and admiring the sites.

For the New Year it's a re-run. It happens from mid-afternoon and through out the night. I recommend to stand on the Place de la Concorde nearest to the bridge over the Seine and look in the direction of the Eiffel tower, slightly to your left, the champs-Elysées will be straight ahead of you, or if you manage it with the tight crowd ! walk along the Seine on the right bank or stand on the Pont des Arts or Pont de l'Alma for another best vantage point. At midnight on the dot, the tower is an explosion of fireworks and quite some spectacle!!! Then the Champs Elysées is just one big street party. At about dawn on the 1st everyone is going home to sleep that merrymaking off. The metro underground system and night buses will be open through out the night (usually they are closed from 1am to 5 am) and will be FREE from 17:00 on the 31st till 12noon on the 1st. Museums are likely to be closed.

Have a look at these websites for more info : 

http://www.forbeginners.info/paris/      or     http://www.v1.paris.fr/en/    or   http://www.parisinfo.com/en/     or http://www.parisinfo.com/museum_monuments/rub5932.html

Whatever you manage to get to do have a fantastic time!!!