## The essentials {#the-essentials}
The Christmas season in Paris runs from the switch-on of the Champs-Élysées lights, on Sunday 22 November 2026, to the first days of January 2027; the winter sales start on 6 January. The Christmas markets open one after another from 14 November, and the Louvre is closed on 25 December and 1 January.
It is cold and often rainy, but it rarely snows. In December, the average temperature in Paris ranges from 3.8 °C to 8 °C, it rains (1 mm or more) on about 11 days and there are about 57 hours of sunshine in the whole month; in January, 3.2 °C to 7.6 °C, about 10 rainy days and 59 hours of sunshine. These are the 1991-2020 averages from Météo-France at the Paris-Montsouris station.
Official weather warnings and recent earthquakes in France are on [Alerts in France](/alerts/france).
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## Getting there and what you need to enter {#getting-there-and-what-you-need-to-enter}
- **Citizens of the EU, the EEA and Switzerland:** a valid national identity card or passport.
- **Other travellers, for short stays:** since 10 April 2026 the EU Entry/Exit System (EES) has been fully operational. When you enter the Schengen area your fingerprints and a photo are taken, and passports are no longer stamped.
- **ETIAS**, the online travel authorisation, is not yet in operation: the EU will announce the date months in advance. The planned fee is €20.
- If your nationality needs a visa, check France-Visas, the official French visa website.
- **From the airports:** RER line B links Charles de Gaulle and Orly with the centre and with the Gare du Nord, the Eurostar station.
> **Watch out:** The United Kingdom reports several serious assaults on RER line B. Keep your passport, cards and cash in separate places and carry your bag across your body.
## Getting around {#getting-around}
- **To the Champs-Élysées** take metro line 1 (Charles de Gaulle–Étoile, George V, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Champs-Élysées–Clemenceau stations), line 9 (Franklin D. Roosevelt), line 13 (Champs-Élysées–Clemenceau) or RER A (Charles de Gaulle–Étoile), according to RATP.
- **Strikes and demonstrations:** before you set off, check whether your train (SNCF) or your metro line (RATP) is affected. When there is a demonstration, RATP closes stations.
- **Always carry an identity document.** According to the United Kingdom, in France you must be able to prove your identity when the police ask, or within 4 hours at a police station.
> **Watch out:** The United Kingdom warns that pickpockets work on the metro, on the RER and at the main stations, sometimes in gangs: one distracts you while another goes into your bag.
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## What to see and do {#what-to-see-and-do}
### See the Champs-Élysées lights {#see-the-champs-elysees-lights}
The switch-on is on Sunday 22 November 2026 from 6:30 pm, with the avenue closed to traffic and free access. After that, the lights come on every evening from 23 November to 3 January 2027, from 5 pm to 1 am.
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> **Watch out:** The United States warns that pickpocketing and phone theft are common at tourist sites and in crowds. Keep your phone and wallet in front of you and agree a fixed meeting point with your group in case you get separated.
### Visit the Christmas markets {#visit-the-christmas-markets}
Six markets with confirmed dates for 2026-2027. The Champs-Élysées market is back this year.
| Market | Where | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Tuileries Garden | 1st arrondissement | 14 Nov 2026 – 3 Jan 2027 |
| Champs-Élysées | gardens on the lower part of the avenue, 8th arrondissement | 22 Nov – 4 Jan |
| Notre-Dame | Square René-Viviani, 5th arrondissement | 26 Nov – 27 Dec |
| Saint-Germain-des-Prés | 6th arrondissement | 27 Nov – 6 Jan |
| Eiffel Tower | Quai Jacques-Chirac, 7th arrondissement | 5 Dec – 3 Jan |
| La Défense | outside Paris | opens 12 Nov |
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> **Watch out:** The United States lists markets and major cultural events among the possible targets of attacks in France, and the United Kingdom asks you to follow the instructions of the French authorities. Find the exits when you arrive.
### Go inside Notre-Dame {#go-inside-notre-dame}
- **Opening hours:** Monday to Friday from 7:50 am to 7 pm, Thursdays until 10 pm; Saturdays and Sundays from 8:15 am to 7:30 pm. Last entry is half an hour before closing. Hours change with celebrations.
- **Admission:** free.
- **Booking a time slot** is not compulsory, but it speeds up entry: it is free at resa.notredamedeparis.fr from two days before the visit, according to the Diocese of Paris.
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### Go to the Louvre {#go-to-the-louvre}
- **Opening hours:** Monday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday from 9 am to 6 pm; Wednesday and Friday from 9 am to 9 pm. Last entry is one hour before closing.
- **Closed** on Tuesdays, 25 December and 1 January.
- **Admission:** €22 for residents or citizens of the European Economic Area (EEA) and €32 for everyone else. Under-18s and EEA residents under 26 do not pay.
- **Free admission for everyone** on the first Friday of the month from 6 pm: 4 December 2026 and 5 February 2027 (the museum is closed on 1 January).
- Booking a time slot is not compulsory, but the museum recommends it, also with free admission.
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> **Watch out:** The United Kingdom asks you not to get distracted around tourist attractions and to carry your bag across your body rather than on your shoulder.
### Spend a day at Disneyland Paris {#spend-a-day-at-disneyland-paris}
The Christmas season, “Disney’s Enchanted Christmas”, runs from 7 November 2026 to 6 January 2027. This year it comes for the first time to the “World of the Snow Queen” area in the Disney Adventure World park.
### See the year out on the Champs-Élysées {#see-the-year-out-on-the-champs-elysees}
The City of Paris celebrates New Year’s Eve on the Champs-Élysées. On 31 December 2025 there was a free video-mapping show on the Arc de Triomphe and fireworks at midnight, from 11:50 pm to 12:20 am, with no concert: the Police Prefecture did not authorise one. The programme for 31 December 2026 has not been announced yet; we will add it here when it is published.
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> **Watch out:** The United Kingdom asks you to follow the instructions of the French authorities at crowded events.
## Shopping {#shopping}
The winter sales run from Wednesday 6 January 2027, at 8 am, to Tuesday 2 February 2027 throughout metropolitan France, except four eastern departments (Meurthe-et-Moselle, Meuse, Moselle and Vosges), which have their own dates.
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> **Watch out:** Spain recommends staying alert when withdrawing money from a cash machine and not showing a lot of cash in public.
## Safety {#safety}
### What governments say {#what-governments-say}
Checked on 12 November 2026.
- **The United States** asks for “increased caution” (level 2 of 4). Pickpocketing and phone theft are common at airports, on the metro and trains, at tourist sites and stations. Terrorist groups continue to plan possible attacks in France. Demonstrations are frequent and usually peaceful, but they can disrupt transport: avoid them.
- **The United Kingdom** does not advise against travel. It warns of pickpockets on the Paris metro, on the RER lines and at the main stations, of several serious assaults on RER line B (Charles de Gaulle and Orly airports, Gare du Nord) and line D (Stade de France), and of demonstrations that can be called with little or no warning. It considers it very likely that terrorists will try to carry out attacks in France, including at tourist sites, on transport and in crowded places, and asks you to follow the instructions of the police and the authorities.
- **Spain**, at the busiest tourist sites and on public transport, recommends not carrying all your documents, money and cards in the same bag, staying alert at cash machines, being discreet with your phone and not leaving bags or backpacks unattended. It warns of new demonstrations in Paris and the surrounding area.
- **Germany** has no travel warning for France.
### Documents and theft {#documents-and-theft}
- **Report it at a police station.** Spain explains that, if there was no assault, you file a “main courante” and, if there was a violent robbery, a “plainte”. Keep the report: the consulate and your insurer will ask for it.
- **Lost passport:** your consulate can issue an emergency travel document to get you home. See which one serves you, according to your passport, in the [France safety guide](/travel-safety/france).
## Health and emergencies {#health-and-emergencies}
- **Phone numbers:** 112 (emergencies), 15 (ambulance), 17 (police), 18 (fire brigade) and 114 (by SMS or chat, for deaf and hard-of-hearing people).
- **In bars and clubs**, the United Kingdom advises buying your own drinks and keeping them in sight.
## Staying connected {#staying-connected}
- **With a mobile plan from an EU country**, in France you use your data at no extra cost (roam like at home).
- **With a plan from outside the EU** (United Kingdom, United States, Latin America…), check the roaming price first. A data eSIM for France connects you as soon as you land and you keep your usual number: [see plans for France](/pricing?country=FR).
## Travellers’ questions about Paris at Christmas {#travellers-questions-about-paris-at-christmas}
### When are the Champs-Élysées lights switched on?
On 22 November 2026 from 6:30 pm. After that they are on every evening, from 23 November to 3 January 2027, from 5 pm to 1 am.
### When do the Paris Christmas markets open in 2026?
The Tuileries market opens on 14 November; the Champs-Élysées one on the 22nd; Notre-Dame on the 26th; Saint-Germain-des-Prés on the 27th, and the Eiffel Tower on 5 December. Outside Paris, La Défense opens on 12 November.
### Do I need to book to go inside Notre-Dame?
No. Admission is free; booking a free time slot at resa.notredamedeparis.fr from two days before only lets you get in faster.
### Are there fireworks in Paris on New Year’s Eve?
On 31 December 2025 there was video mapping on the Arc de Triomphe and fireworks at midnight on the Champs-Élysées. The programme for 31 December 2026 has not been announced yet.
### When are the 2027 winter sales in France?
From 6 January 2027, at 8 am, to 2 February 2027 in most of France.
### What is the weather like in Paris in December?
Cold and damp: between 3.8 °C and 8 °C on average, about 11 rainy days and about 57 hours of sunshine in the whole month (Météo-France, 1991-2020 averages).
### What do I need to enter France?
If you are from the EU, the EEA or Switzerland, an identity card or passport. If not, since 10 April 2026 you are registered in the Entry/Exit System (fingerprints and photo) when you enter the Schengen area. ETIAS is not working yet.
## Where next {#where-next}
- [Christmas markets 2026 in Europe: official dates and safety](/blog/christmas-markets-2026-dates-safety)
- [Safety in France: what governments say today](/travel-safety/france)
- [eSIM for France: prices and networks](/esim/france)
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