Everything has been said a hundred times, a thousand times about Paris, in all languages and often in poetry... yet no one really manages to grasp the aura of this city that we like to hate, that we like to adore. Paris in winter, it's an enchanting Paris. Its long, glittering avenues, its enchanting windows, its cinnamon scents, its restaurants that use the familiar names of the stars, its bistros that warm souls and its nights that extend to the cabaret shows. It is also an opportunity to warm up in the capital's major museums for special exhibitions.
We have the myths we create for ourselves, but we called Paris "the City of Light" for a very pragmatic reason: it was the first city to install street lamps in its streets in the 17th century. Obviously today, Paris Lumière evokes more the grandeur of its monuments, the prestige of its institutions, its elegance, its glitter, its gossip... And during the winter months, Paris becomes more coquettish and uses all the tricks to wake up. The nursery begins in mid-November with the illumination of hundreds of streets and squares throughout the city. Associations of shopkeepers, designers and lighting professionals bring together the Parisian night. This circuit honours the prestigious arteries such as Boulevard Saint-Germain, Place Vendôme, Les Grands Boulevards, Parvis de la Défense, Rue Saint-Honoré, Place de la Concorde, Les Halles and Place des Abbesses. It also integrates the new centres such as the village of Bercy and even falls in love with small anonymous alleys, one of those that make Paris so charming
The highlight is the most beautiful avenue in the world where a river of luminous diamonds flows from the Arc de Triomphe to the Obelisk of Concord. The 200 trees along the Champs-Elysées are illuminated. The panoramic bus tour "Christmas Illuminations" organized by OpenTour invites you to discover the most beautiful illuminated monuments of the capital at nightfall.
Athletes will sweat on the outdoor rinks, at the Jardin des Tuileries (24 November 2018 to 6 January 2019) or at the Grand Palais in particular (16 December 2018 to 9 January 2019). And each monument reveals at night what it hides in the open. Notre-Dame seems more impressive when a subtle play of light illuminates its rose window, its buttresses and the statues of the apostles; the Opéra Garnier shines with the reflections of its gildings and the Sacré-Cœur with its immaculate whiteness; a misty and mysterious atmosphere spreads from the pyramid of the Louvre..
From markets to galleries
A scent of cinnamon and roasted chestnuts, bells that ring from the chalets, here santons, there crafts, on all sides of the region's specialities: the Christmas markets illuminate Paris with their warmth and good humour. If this year, the one on the Champs-Elysées has been cancelled, we can still go to the one on the Champs de Mars and the Eiffel Tower, with about a hundred chalets representing the different European countries. At Les Abbesses, on the Montmartre hill, it is the products of our terroir that will be highlighted, while at Notre-Dame we will celebrate craftsmanship. We will also go to Saint-Germain-des-Prés for the gastronomic products of its market. We also keep a certain tenderness for the market at the Gare de l'Est, which plays the Alsatian folklore card by offering mulled wine, gingerbread and all the festive specialities of Eastern France. In all, there are more than a dozen markets throughout the city, so wherever you are you will find a white beard or at least those red lights that brighten up the holidays
Blue, yellow, green, multicoloured: one of the great attractions of the end of the year is the Galeries Lafayette and Printemps showcases on boulevard Haussmann. Each of them gives rise to small sketches played by cuddly toys, dolls and puppets. While some cultivate nostalgia for the windows of yesteryear, others are more daring, such as those of the Galleries with their space dedicated to the Harry Potter universe or those of the BHV, which adopts the Mary Poppins theme. You should also not miss those of Bercy Village or Le Bon Marché
Finally, a more original event than usual will brighten up the winter days of 2018-2019 in the capital. Indeed, the Jardin des Plantes is hosting its very first Festival of Lights with gigantic luminous statues of animals that can be admired from November 16 to January 15.
Stars on the menu
In this fantastic, timeless atmosphere, we would like to experience Greater Paris, the one that sets its table among the stars. Pierre Gagnaire, Guy Savoy, Alain Ducasse at Le Meurice, Alain Passard at L'Arpège, Eric Fréchon at Bristol, Mathieu Pacaud at L'Apicius, Guy Martin at Le Grand Véfour... Haute cuisine has its napkin rings in several establishments that never disappoint if you can put your PEL in a three-quarters meal! If you have to aim for the stars, you might as well choose a table that would embrace both the sky and the rooftops of Paris from its height. The Jules Verne on the second floor of the Eiffel Tower is certainly the most prestigious. Le Georges, the restaurant of the Centre Pompidou, offers one of the most beautiful panoramic views; from the Parisian sky, which is on familiar terms with it from the 56th floor of the Montparnasse tower, the view is breathtaking, the decor is hushed and the cuisine is very refined, especially on the sea side
These tables floating in the Parisian sky also leave the choice of the Kong for its Franco-Asian spirit, which caps the former Samaritan woman; of La Maison Blanche, which chaperones the backstage of the Champs-Elysées theatre when La Tour d'Argent watches over 400 years of history. Paris from above, undeniably it's beautiful, but it would be a shame not to slip into your neck and not to bang the bell in the parigot bars. Le Paul Bert, La Régalade, La Cantine du Troquet, Chez l'Ami Jean or Le Baratin, each Parisian has his own little address where he regularly comes to eat a grandmother's cuisine revisited in a bistronomic way and a few well delineated bottles for a reasonable note.
Unique exhibitions
To keep busy during the winter days, what could be better than to go and warm up in the great Parisian museums. From 30 January 2018 to 6 January 2019, "Peintures des lointains" at the musée du quai Branly will feature more than 200 paintings from the end of the 18th century to the middle of the 20th century, while the museums of Orsay and Picasso will join forces for "Picasso. Blue and Pink" until January 6th. At the Musée de l'Homme, we will have until January 7 to go back over the millennia on the occasion of "Neanderthal Expo". The Louvre Museum will offer him a Christmas itinerary with paintings around the birth of the baby Jesus, but also "The Marquis of Campana: the greatest collector of his time" and "Raphael's colour print in Rubens. Between drawing and engraving" until January. The Musée du Luxembourg will focus on Alfons Mucha, while in another genre, the Musée Saint Laurent Paris will focus on "L'Asie rêvée de Saint Laurent". More original, "Sugimoto Versailles", in the famous castle between 16 October 2018 and 17 February 2019, will celebrate contemporary art and "Michael Jackson, On the Wall", will pay tribute to the King of Pop at the Grand Palais from 23 November 2018 to 14 February 2019. Finally, you can immerse yourself in the magical world of musicals at the Philharmonic on the occasion of "Musicals, the joie de vivre of cinema". Between rare documents and giant screenings, amateurs will be delighted.
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When? When? From mid-November to early January, Paris lights up and Christmas markets are a hit.
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