Paris, the City of Lights, is a captivating place to visit year-round, but wintertime brings a special charm. Yes, the weather can be chilly and rainy, with January’s average high temperature hovering around 43°F, but simply layering up will keep you warm and comfortable. Embrace the chilly streets and cozy up in the heated museums and cafés.
Discover the Parisian Winter
Take advantage of the slower pace and explore some of your favorite museums and monuments. Spending some quality time with the Mona Lisa or Venus de Milo is definitely worth packing an extra sweater. Engage in some learning with a cooking demonstration, art or architecture class, or a wine-tasting workshop. Escape the cold and find warmth and relaxation at a charming café. Get to know the friendly waiter at your local café – they’ll be glad to chat with you and offer their recommendations.
Festive Lights and Window Displays
One of Europe’s most delightful experiences is taking a stroll along the Champs-Élysées in winter. From late November through mid-January, the streets are decked out in holiday lights. The Champs-Élysées is particularly stunning, with a dazzling display of lights adorning the trees lining the boulevard. Paris goes all out for the holidays, using over 1,000 fresh-cut fir trees for decorations, with 300 of them surrounding the Rond-Point traffic circle at the lower end of the Champs-Élysées.
Shopping Delights
Parisians are known for their love of window shopping, a pastime known as “faire du lèche vitrines” in French, which literally translates to “window-licking.” Follow their lead and admire the spectacular window displays at grand department stores like Printemps and Galeries Lafayette. For a more intimate shopping experience, explore the seasonal displays in the boutiques around Sèvres-Babylone and the Marais neighborhood.
Seeking Shelter
If the weather takes a turn for the worse, seek refuge in the charming shopping arcades called passages. Over 200 of these covered shopping streets once crisscrossed Paris, offering shelter from the rain. Galerie Vivienne, located a few blocks from the Louvre, is the most refined and accessible. Passage Choiseul and Passage Ste. Anne, just four blocks west of Galerie Vivienne, are excellent examples of Parisian passages, offering a delightful mix of used books, stationery, trinkets, and snacks.
Literary Treasures
Browse through one of Paris’s many English-language bookstores. The friendly Red Wheelbarrow Bookstore near Luxembourg Garden is a great place to find both fiction and nonfiction. For a taste of literary history, visit Shakespeare and Company, originally located in the Latin Quarter, a popular hangout for Ernest Hemingway and Gertrude Stein in the 1920s. The bookstore was reborn in the 1950s and now resides at 37 Rue de la Bucherie, across the river from Notre-Dame.
Winter Activities
Several ice-skating rinks pop up in festive locations during the winter months. Glide across the ice in front of the Hôtel de Ville, where you’ll also find a small sled run. Head to the base of the Montparnasse skyscraper for another ice-skating experience. For a truly breathtaking view, visit the ice rink on the first level of the Eiffel Tower, 200 feet in the air. While most rinks are free to use, expect to pay a small fee to rent skates. The Eiffel Tower rink requires an additional fee for tower admission.
A Dip in the Pool
After skating, why not take a dip in the pool? Aquaboulevard, Paris’s best indoor pool and waterslide complex, is a great escape from the winter weather. Although it can get a little pricey and steamy, it’s a fun way to see Parisians at play.
Culinary Delights
Work up an appetite exploring the city and indulge in the winter season’s culinary treats. Restaurants feature game birds and venison on their menus. On street corners, you’ll hear vendors calling out “Chaud les marrons!” as they sell roasted chestnuts. Chocolatiers, like the five La Maison du Chocolat locations, and pastry shops are bustling with customers seeking traditional treats like Epiphany cakes, flaky marzipan cakes called galette des rois.
A Parisian Winter Evening
End your day with a classic Parisian winter experience: sitting at an outdoor table with a café crème, vin chaud (hot wine), or a hot chocolate (simply called “chocolat” and very popular in winter). Most cafés set up braziers to keep you warm. Watch the city bustle by while you savor the moment and soak in the Parisian atmosphere.
Embrace the Parisian Winter
Paris in winter offers a wealth of indoor activities, with museums, restaurants, and stores open as usual. The concert and arts season is in full swing. Embrace the local vibe and save money by skipping the museum lines that peak-season travelers face. There’s no better way to spend a wintry day than enjoying world-class art, architecture, and shopping, followed by a delicious dinner at a cozy bistro. As Cole Porter so aptly put it, “I love Paris in the winter, when it drizzles.”
