Today I want to share about my Paris Christmas trip. The first one, anyway. Christmas in Paris is such a great season I visited the French capital twice in one week for it.
Paris Christmas Trip
November was the first full month I’ve spent in the UK since I moved here. I’d love to say that it was because I’ve finally been cured of the travel bug, but the truth is that I was getting my passport renewed.
My new passport arrived in the mail at the end of November and since then I’ve been diligently putting it to work. First was my trip to Dusseldorf. Then came Paris for the first of two trips to the City of Lights this week.
At the start of my first Paris Christmas trip, I took the Eurostar to Paris on Wednesday morning at 5:25am.
Exhausted from seeing Lucha Libre in Camden the prior evening, I staggered off the train at Gare du Nord and took the metro straight to my favorite breakfast place in the city.
It’s a tiny little restaurant called Comptoir Poilane near Saint-Sulpice. It serves up amazing tartines, croissants, and the best chocolat chaud in the world.
Paris Christmas Markets
Satiated and marginally more awake, I spent the second half of my morning exploring the Christmas markets at Place Saint-Sulpice and Marche St. Germain.
The smell of mulled wine and roasted chestnuts lured me through stalls filled with everything from silk scarves to Russian matryoshka dolls.
It being early and me not having gone to an ATM, I bought neither mulled wine nor other holiday goodies.
Paris Landmarks
Instead I made my way across the Seine to the Louvre, where I continued my Paris Christmas trip by strolling through the Tuileries wishing it were lovely summer and hot instead of gray winter and bone-chilling cold.
At Concorde I threw a nostalgic glance in the direction my former place of work, the US embassy, then rode the metro to George V.
Paris Hotel
I tried to check into my room at the Prince de Galles hotel, one of my favorite places to stay in Paris. Unfortunately my boyfriend hadn’t been able to add my name to the reservation yet.
Undeterred, I headed up to Etoile, soaking up the Champs-Elysees and the monumental Arc de Triomphe, two of my favorite Paris landmarks. Then I took the metro to the Marais.
The Marais
I spent the afternoon visiting my favorite boutiques (Antoine et Lili in particular), the Place des Vosges, and of course Mariage Freres, my beloved tea place.
I stopped at a crowded corner bistro for a lunch of onion soup and crusty bread, then headed over to the Ile St. Louis.
Les Editeurs
I didn’t stop on the island or its Notre Dame-sporting neighbor, but kept walking until I was back in St. Germain. I had to visit one of my other favorite places in Paris, Les Editeurs.
I sat down among the book-lined walls on a bright red banquette and spent two hours reading a book and sipping my Earl Grey. Ah, Paris. How I love thee.
Christmas Lights in Paris
I finally managed to pry my bookish rear end off the banquette around 5pm, and headed to the Prince de Galles to unload my bag. My boyfriend met me there shortly thereafter.
At the suggestion of a good friend that I used to work with in Paris, we had a big steak frites dinner at Le Relais de l’Entrecote.
After gorging ourselves on healthy steak, we headed to the Champs-Elysees to see the Christmas lights. Just like last year, they were beautiful.
Every tree was glowing with little blue lights, and the Ferris wheel in the Place de la Concorde was illuminated brilliantly. No wonder it’s called the City of Light.
Champs-Elysees Christmas Market in Paris
We walked through the Christmas market in the Tuileries, then headed back to the hotel to rest before going out with my boyfriend’s coworker. We never made it out. Ten minutes after we got to the hotel we were both fast asleep.
Maison de l’Alsace Christmas Market in Paris
The next morning my boyfriend left for London, so I was once again flying solo on my Paris Christmas trip.
I grabbed a quick croissant for breakfast, then headed over to the Maison de l’Alsace to check out the Christmas market. A bit small, but I liked that it was indoors.
Paris Christmas Sightseeing
I headed down the street where I used to live in the 8th arrondissement, and up to Parc Monceau, my favorite place in Paris (even more favorite than the rest of my favorites).
I got sufficiently nostalgic for the long summer evenings I spent there with my friends, then I went down to Opera for some window shopping at the grands magasins.
The Christmas lights and decorations were out in full force all around Opera, and it all felt very festive.
I left the grands magasins and headed up to Montmartre, where I had a giant gallette for lunch and walked up the butte to see the Sacre Coeur.
I strolled around the hill for a while, then pried myself away from the land of Amelie Poulin and the Passe-Muraille to head back to the Gare du Nord for the trip back to London.
Best Paris Christmas Trip
I would have left the City of Lights and concluded my Paris Christmas trip with a heavy heart, but I’m going back to Paris today for the rest of the weekend.
At this rate, I’m going to need extra pages in my new passport even faster than I needed them in my last one!
Want more inspiration? Take a look at my YouTube video about how to spend a weekend in Paris at Christmas!
Find this post helpful? Buy me a coffee!
New here? Join thousands of others and subscribe to the A Lady in London blog via email.
Some of the links in this blog post are affiliate links. At no cost to you, I earn a small commission when you click on them and make a purchase. It doesn’t affect the way you shop, and it’s a great way to support the A Lady in London blog.
Pin it!