Paris, France (2017)
Christmas in Paris 2017
Our first night in Paris was a rainy one, but that didn’t stop us from going out to explore and find the Eiffel Tower. It can be seen from many places in the city, so it wasn’t difficult. We caught a glimpse not far from our apartment.
Eiffel Tower
Notre Dame Cathedral
The next day our first stop was at the Notre Dame Cathedral. As I write this in 2019, I am thinking of how thankful we are that we got to see it before the horrible fire earlier this year. As you’ll see later in this post, our most memorable moment of the trip was in this incredible shrine. The beauty of this church with its French Gothic architecture, stained glass, and numerous works of art is simply breathtaking. It is closed now for reconstruction, but no tickets are normally required for entrance.
Notre Dame, Paris, France
Notre Dame Cathedral, Paris, France
Exploring the City of Lights
Later in that day and evening we just walked around the city taking in as many sites as we could. We admired the beautifully illuminated city as we walked along the Siene River, explored the enchanting side streets, walked past the Louvre, along the Champs Elysees and by the Arc de Triomphe.
Along the Siene River
Champs Elysees
*TIP FOR TICKETS I have used CityPass.com for tickets in several cities around the world like New York City, London and Paris. If you plan to see the main attractions in the city you are visiting the pass will usually save money. It depends on how much time you want to spend at each attraction. You buy the pass for a certain number of days, and you can visit as many places as you can fit into that period of time. If you want to spend a full day at one attraction the pass won’t save you any money, but if you visit a few attractions each day it probably will. Always price it each way to be sure it will be worth it for you.
Basilica of Sacre-Coeur and Saint-Chapelle
The next day we climbed 300 steps to see the Sacre-Coeur Basilica. It was worth the climb (although you can opt to take the funicular to the top for a few euros). It is a Roman Catholic church that stands at the highest point in the city offering an amazing view. The church itself is beautiful, and the Christmas embellishments and the nativity scenes were wonderful. There is no charge for admission. We spent that afternoon walking around admiring the many holiday window displays and Christmas lights. The following day we visited Saint-Chapelle (tickets with ParisPass), a Gothic style royal chapel that was the residence of the kings of France until the 14th century. We also went to The Paris Story (tickets with ParisPass) and the Gourmet Chocolate Museum (tickets with ParisPass)! We couldn’t NOT go there, of course, especially since it was included with the ParisPass.
Sacre-Coeur Basilica
Saint Chapelle
Palace of Versailles and Musee d’Orsay
Next on our list was the Palace of Versailles (tickets with ParisPass), which is about an hour-long train ride from Paris. It is just as grand and elaborate as you would imagine with its gilded ceilings, dazzling chandeliers, and lush gardens. It was complete opulence. Later that afternoon we went to to Musee d’Orsay (Orsay Museum) (tickets with ParisPass), an art gallery in a converted railway station that houses mostly French art by Monet, Renoir and others. That evening, as we did every evening, we walked around the city taking in all of its brilliant radiance.
Palace of Versailles
Hall of Mirrors, Palace of Versailles
The Louvre, Palais Garnier, Wine Tasting, Montparnasse Tower, Arc de Triomphe
The next day was a full day! We started out at the Louvre (tickets with ParisPass), a colossal museum that houses Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa. It would take days to see it all, but we fit it all we could in a few hours. We then made our way to the grand Palais Garnier (tickets with ParisPass), an unbelievably ornate opera house completed in 1875 as the home of the Paris Opera, now used mainly for ballet.
Louvre Museum
Palais Garnier
After dinner we went to a wine tasting at Les Caves du Louvre (tickets with ParisPass). It was a nice tour, very informative, and good wine! Then we headed to Montparnasse Tower (tickets with ParisPass), the only skyscraper in Paris. We got an incredible view of the city from the 56th floor observation deck. And the evening was still not over! We made our way to the Arc de Triomphe (tickets with ParisPass) and climbed 284 steps to the top to get another impressive view of the Champs Elysees as well as the rest of the city.
Wine Tasting at Les Caves du Louvre
Arc de Triomphe
Paris Photo Shoot
The following day was spent walking around the city with a photographer I hired. Our son, Cadden, was a senior in high school then, and I had planned to get some senior pictures made for him while we were there. Since we had the photographer, we had photos taken of all of us. It was a great way to capture all of us in such an incredible setting.
A Memorable Christmas Eve
The next day was Christmas Eve. Many things were closed that day, so we had a slow day and went Christmas shopping. That evening we had dinner at a restaurant right across from Notre Dame. Then we went to the Christmas Eve service at Notre Dame. If we had to choose one thing that stood out among all the things we did on this trip, it would be that. It was a profoundly meaningful way to celebrate the birth of Christ.
Notre Dame, Paris, France
Christmas Eve at Notre Dame
Christmas Day at Disneyland Paris
Where do you go on Christmas when everything is closed? Disneyland, of course! It’s always open, and we knew there would be food! When we stepped off the train at the entrance and the bitterly cold 30º F temperatures hit us, we looked at each other and wondered for a moment how we would make it all day. We did make it. We wrapped our entire heads and bodies (literally!) and started riding. Once our ears were covered we were really ok. [Side note— that was the only day of our vacation that was that cold. Other days were cold but not miserable not all]. There are minor differences at Disneyland Paris compared to Disney World in Orlando, but it was very much the same. It was a fun Christmas Day!
Disneyland Paris
Exploring
The last couple of days of our trip were spent walking and exploring. As you can tell by now, we did a lot of walking. We went to the Eiffel Tower. The line for tickets was hours-long! We chose not to waste that much time, so we saw it from every possible angle except the top. We walked around the area, Trocadero. We went to Palais de Tokyo, a modern and contemporary art museum, and to the Museum of the Cinema. We went shopping on the Champs Elysees, the Fifth Avenue of Paris. Lastly, we went to Les Invalides, a complex of buildings originally built as a military hospital and a place of worship that houses the tomb of Napoleon.
And then our time was up. To say it was a memorable Christmas doesn’t adequately describe it. Anywhere we are together, even home, is special, but Christmas in Paris was indeed exceptional.
Palais de Tokyo
Le Invalides