Noël · Through December 26
The avenue lights have a published 2026 run. The department-store unveilings and Midnight Mass do not. Here is what is dated, and the six tours we would actually compare.
Updated October 27, 2026 · Prices checked October 27, 2026 · Tour prices refresh daily
Photo: Pierre Blaché / Unsplash
Christmas in Paris is a lights season with a hard stop on the 26th for planning purposes, and a softer one on the calendar. The Paris tourist office lists the Champs-Élysées illuminations from November 22, 2026 to January 4, 2027, every evening from 5pm to midnight, and all night on December 24 and 31. The big department stores have described Christmas, but they have not posted 2026 unveiling dates on their own sites.
Use this page for the avenue, the windows, Christmas Eve, and the Grand Palais rink. The chalets, and which of their dates are actually confirmed, are in Paris Christmas markets. Museum hours on the 24th and 25th are in what is open over Christmas. December 31 is a different night: New Year’s Eve in Paris.
N° 01Short on time
1erSmall groupBest lights walk
Dayin
Two hours on foot with a local guide, a group of six at most, and a hot chocolate or mulled wine included. It is a 4.79 from 19 reviews, the deepest record among the shared walks in this set.
Free cancellation
From$78.53
per person
2eBest by bike
Holland Bikes
Three hours on a classic Dutch bike or an e-bike, with the bike and a guide included and food and pickup left out. It is the cheapest of the six, at 4.33 from only 6 reviews, and the operator can cancel if too few people book.
Free cancellation
From$51.22
lowest listed option
3ePrivateBest private evening
With Love From Paris Tours
A private guide picks you up at a Paris hotel and uses taxis between the Champs-Élysées, Opéra, and Place Vendôme lights, with a market stop for mulled wine. It is a 5.0 from 47 reviews, the only product here past 20.
Free cancellation
From$341.45
lowest listed option
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N° 02Les illuminations
The published run is on the Paris tourist office listing, read October 27, 2026: Arc de Triomphe to Place de la Concorde, November 22, 2026 to January 4, 2027, free, 5pm to midnight, and all night on December 24 and 31. That page says a Christmas market comes with the lights. Stall counts are not on it, so they stay on Paris Christmas markets. No 2026 switch-on release from the Comité Champs-Élysées turned up. The listing is a start date, not a ceremony hour. The Arc de Triomphe roof looks down the avenue when the terrace is open. December 31 is covered on the New Year’s Eve page.
On foot the lights are free. This walk is two hours, six people at most, hot chocolate or mulled wine, rain or shine:
Small groupDayin
Free cancellation
From$78.53
per person
The bike covers more street for less. Both options are three hours from the shop on Rue de la Chaussée d’Antin: a classic Dutch bike or an e-bike, plus a guide. Food, drinks, and pickup are extra. The cap is 12, ages start at 8, and the operator can cancel if too few people book. Six reviews is a thin record.
Holland Bikes
Free cancellation
From$51.22
lowest listed option
The family version is private and 90 minutes: the Arc, the avenue, Place de la Concorde, then a Tuileries market stop for a hot drink and a crêpe or waffle. Mulled wine is 18 and over. A Seine cruise is an upgrade, not the from-price. Strollers are allowed. It is a 5.0 from 4 reviews.
PrivateExperienceFirst
Free cancellation
From$147.96
lowest listed option
Golf carts, a vintage 2CV, and open-top buses are on Paris night tours.
N° 03Les vitrines
Printemps and Galeries Lafayette sit a short walk apart on Boulevard Haussmann. The windows face the sidewalk. What each store has posted for this season is not the same.
Galeries Lafayette Paris Haussmann has not posted a 2026 unveiling. Its Christmas page, modified October 20, 2026, still describes November 12 to January 4, 2026, illustrated by Jeanne Detallante, and a rooftop rink from December 1 to January 4, 2026 at €16 for adults and €7.50 for children. Not yet announced for 2026; in 2025 it was that run. The tree page says a tree has stood under the dome every winter since 1976. That page is marked obsolete and still shows the Detallante tree, so this guide does not describe a 2026 design.
Printemps Haussmann has a theme and no date. An article on printemps.com, dated October 26, 2026, names the 2026 windows “Un Noël bien tricoté”: cats, mice, and yarn, ending at a knitted tree. They are free, need no reservation, and stay lit after closing. The article says they will be unveiled soon and does not name a day.
The private walk for those windows is new, with no reviews yet. The from-price is the 3-hour option: a private guide, both stores’ displays, the dome tree, Place Vendôme, and one hot chocolate, coffee, or tea at Café de la Paix, Angelina, or Ladurée if a table is free. The listing asks for about 2.5 to 3 km of walking. Five-hour upgrades add La Défense or La Villette, not both. Meet at Printemps Haussmann.
PrivateFriendly Local Guides
Free cancellation
From$161.10
lowest listed option
N° 04Le réveillon
December 24, 2026 is a Thursday, and December 25 is a Friday. France.fr’s Christmas Eve article, updated November 20, 2020, describes the custom, not a 2026 menu. The réveillon is the long dinner on the 24th, sometimes in a restaurant. The article’s typical plate is oysters, salmon, or foie gras, then turkey with chestnuts, capon, or duck, then cheese and a bûche de Noël. The meal used to follow Midnight Mass. Many families now eat first, or go to an earlier vigil. Gifts were traditionally opened on the morning of the 25th, and opening them on the 24th is now common too. Outside Alsace and Lorraine, December 25 is the only official Christmas public holiday.
There is no 2026 figure here for how full restaurants get. If the dinner is the point of the trip, arrange it before you fly. Museum hours are in what is open over Christmas and Paris in December.
Notre-Dame has not published Christmas 2026. Not yet announced; in 2025 the cathedral’s page listed Eve Masses at 4pm, 6pm, and 8pm, a vigil at 11pm with the Maîtrise, and Midnight Mass at midnight. Christmas Day was Mass at 8:30am, Gregorian Mass at 10am, Mass at 11:30am, vespers at 5:15pm, and a diocesan Mass at 6pm. No booking was required. Arrive 30 minutes early and use the Mass door in the center of the parvis, opposite the Last Judgement portal. Do not copy those hours onto 2026. An undated Notre-Dame page still says “Tuesday, December 24,” which is not this calendar, so it is unused.
The gourmet walk is the food version of the same week: three hours on the Left Bank, eight people at most, minimum age 6, seasonal tastings, a market stop, and a hot drink. It is a 4.44 from 18 reviews.
Small groupMeeting the French
Free cancellation
From$237.88
per person
N° 05La patinoire
The one rink with a 2026 date on the monument’s own site. Galeries Lafayette’s rooftop dates for this season are not on the store’s Christmas page.
| Session | Hours | Adult | Child | Senior (65+) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Morning | 10am–1pm | €27 | €15 | €22 |
| Afternoon | 2pm–7pm | €32 | €18 | €26 |
| Evening | 8pm–2am | €39 | €39 | €39 |
| From midnight | Midnight–2am | €27 | €27 | €27 |
Checked October 27, 2026. Dates, daytime prices, the 2,700 m² sheet, and the entrance at 7 Avenue Winston Churchill are on grandpalais.fr. Evening €39 and midnight entry €27 are not split by age there. legrandpalaisdeglace.fr matches the day prices, charges children and seniors €39 in the evening, closes at 6pm on December 24 and 31, and gives the address as 3 avenue du Général Eisenhower. Under 3 is free. Skates (sizes 25–50) are included and gloves are required. Under 14 with a parent by day; under 16 at night. Tickets are online only and, on the rink site, cannot be exchanged or refunded. Source: Grand Palais, Le Grand Palais de Glace 2026.
N° 06À réserver
Six products returned in a Viator search for December 1–23, 2026. Durations are the ones on the listings. From-prices are the lowest listed option, in US dollars. The private window walk has no reviews yet, so it sorts as new.
| Tour | Format | Length | Reviews | From | Book |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Christmas Lights Small-Group Walk with Hot Chocolate or Mulled WineDayinTravelers wanting an affordable small-group Christmas lights walk Free cancellation | Walking · small group | 2 hours | 4.7919 reviews | $78.53 | Check |
| Christmas Guided Bike TourHolland BikesTravelers who want the cheapest lights ride and can accept a thin review record Free cancellation | Bike · group | 3 hours | 4.336 reviews | $51.22lowest listed option | Check |
| Private Christmas Illuminations Tour with Hotel PickupWith Love From Paris ToursCouples and families wanting a door-to-door private Christmas lights evening Free cancellation | Mixed · private | 3-4 hours | 5.0047 reviews | $341.45lowest listed option | Check |
| Christmas Lights and Markets Family TourExperienceFirstFamilies who want a private lights walk rather than a shared group Free cancellation | Walking · private | 90 minutes | 5.004 reviews | $147.96lowest listed option | Check |
| Christmas Gourmet Food Walk with a Market VisitMeeting the FrenchFood lovers who want a Christmas-market and gourmet-shop tasting walk Free cancellation | Walking · small group | 3 hours | 4.4418 reviews | $237.88 | Check |
| Christmas Magic Private Tour with Hot ChocolateFriendly Local GuidesTravelers who want the windows and a hot chocolate with a private guide, and can accept a new listing Free cancellation | Walking · private | 3 or 5 hours | New | $161.10lowest listed option | Check |
N° 07Bon à savoir
01
The tourist office lists the avenue from 5pm. Do indoor plans first and come out after dark. Sunset times are on Paris in December.
02
Printemps has a 2026 theme and no day. Galeries Lafayette’s Christmas page is still the 2025–26 season. Walk the boulevard when you are there.
03
Tickets are sold only on the rink site, which says they cannot be exchanged or refunded. The Grand Palais page runs the rink from December 12, 2026 to January 6, 2027.
04
The last published schedule is the 2025 page: Eve Masses at 4, 6, and 8pm, a vigil at 11pm, and Midnight Mass at midnight. Re-check notredamedeparis.fr before you promise a time.
05
France.fr notes that, outside Alsace and Lorraine, December 25 is the only official Christmas holiday. Which museums follow that is in what is open over Christmas.
06
The shared lights walk caps at six, the gourmet walk at eight, and the bike tour at 12. All six list free cancellation. The bike operator can also cancel if too few people book.
N° 08Good to know
The Paris tourist office lists them from November 22, 2026 to January 4, 2027, from the Arc de Triomphe to Place de la Concorde, 5pm to midnight, and all night on December 24 and 31. That listing does not give a ceremony time.
Neither store has posted a 2026 unveiling date. Galeries Lafayette’s page still describes November 12, 2025 to January 4, 2026. Printemps has published the theme “Un Noël bien tricoté” and says the windows are free from the sidewalk, with no day.
The Grand Palais lists the rink from December 12, 2026 to January 6, 2027. Morning adults are €27 and afternoon adults €32, skates included, under 3 free. The rink site adds a 6pm close on December 24 and 31. Galeries Lafayette has not posted 2026 rooftop dates.
Not yet announced. In 2025 the cathedral listed Eve Masses at 4pm, 6pm, and 8pm, a vigil at 11pm, and Midnight Mass at midnight. Check notredamedeparis.fr again before you go.
France.fr describes the réveillon, the long dinner on the 24th, at home or sometimes in a restaurant, finishing with a bûche de Noël. December 25 is the public holiday outside Alsace and Lorraine. Open sights are in the closures guide.
Shared walk: the two-hour lights tour, 4.79 from 19 reviews. Lowest price: the three-hour bike tour, with only 6 reviews. Private evening with hotel pickup: 5.0 from 47 reviews. The windows walk is on sale and has no reviews yet.
Markets, including which 2026 dates are confirmed, are on the Christmas markets page. New Year’s Eve is on its own page. This guide stops at Christmas Day.
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Christmas Lights Small-Group Walk with Hot Chocolate or Mulled Wine