The streets of Paris light up, the shop windows are adorned with a thousand lights, and a festive atmosphere envelops the City of Light. The end-of-year period in Paris is enchanting for the senses, offering a plethora of captivating experiences to discover. Whether you are an art lover, a gourmet enthusiast, or simply in search of magical moments, our exclusive guide reveals the must-visit addresses to fully enjoy this enchanted season. From captivating exhibitions to refined restaurants, and activities that will enchant both young and old, follow us on this festive journey through the heart of the French capital as we wait for the 24th of December.

Exhibitions & Art

“Sculpting the Senses”, from November 29, 2023, to April 28, 2024. The Museum of Decorative Arts pays tribute to the Dutch fashion designer Iris van Herpen, now recognized as one of the most avant-garde figures of her generation. Conceived as a true immersive and sensory exploration into the designer’s universe, this retrospective merges fashion, contemporary art, design, and science. It revolves around eight themes that encapsulate the very essence of her work.

📍 Musée des Arts décoratifs – 107 Rue de Rivoli, 75001 Paris

“Parfums d’Orient” from September 26, 2023, to March 17, 2024. The Arab World Institute invites you to a fabulous journey to discover the scents of the Orient and their history. Through a course spanning over 1000 m2, blending ancient and contemporary works, punctuated by surprising olfactory devices and scents specially created by the perfumer Christopher Sheldrake, an invitation to see – and smell – how, from the High Atlas to the shores of the Indian Ocean, fragrances have always been an essential dimension of Arab culture.

📍 Institut du Monde Arabe – 1 Rue des Fossés Saint-Bernard, 75005 Paris

The Fondation Louis Vuitton presents the first retrospective in France dedicated to Mark Rothko (1903-1970) since the exhibition held at the Musée d’Art moderne de la Ville de Paris in 1999. The retrospective brings together some 115 works from the largest international institutional collections, including the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C., the Tate in London and the Phillips Collection in Washington D.C., and from international private collections, including the artist’s family collection.

Displayed chronologically across all of the Fondation’s spaces, the exhibition traces the artist’s entire career: from his earliest figurative paintings to the abstract works that he is most known for today.

📍 Fondation Louis Vuitton – 8 Av. du Mahatma Gandhi, 75116 Paris

“Visions Chamaniques” from November 14, 2023, to May 26, 2024. The exhibition explores contemporary issues related to the relationship between hallucinatory images and iconographic productions, focusing on the case of ayahuasca.

The exhibition provides an overview of various contemporary modes of representation of these “visionary images” induced by ayahuasca. From the geometric and refined iconography of the Shipibo-Konibo people to literary works (William S. Burroughs, Allen Ginsberg) and audiovisual productions (Jan Kounen) of the 20th and 21st centuries, it offers a true immersion into an art under the influence.

📍 Musée du quai Branly – 37 Quai Branly, 75007 Paris

From September 15, 2023, to January 21, 2024, the Museum of Modern Art in Paris dedicates a major retrospective to Nicolas de Staël (1914-1955), a prominent figure in the French post-war art scene. Twenty years after the exhibition organized by the Centre Pompidou in 2003, the show offers a fresh perspective on the artist’s work, drawing on more recent thematic exhibitions that have brought to light certain overlooked aspects of his career (Antibes in 2014, Le Havre in 2014, Aix-en-Provence in 2018).

📍 Musée d’Art Moderne – 11, avenue du Président Wilson, Paris 16e

Juergen Teller is internationally recognized for his candid portraits of celebrities, provocative fashion editorials, and iconic campaigns for designers such as Saint Laurent, Marc Jacobs, Vivienne Westwood, and Loewe.

Since rising to prominence as a photographer in London in the early 1990s, Teller has also produced significant series of personal works in which he reflects on himself, his family, his roots, and his identity.

The exhibition “i need to live” is, to date, the most significant dedicated to his work. Bringing together personal and commissioned works, instantly recognizable images, and new series of photographs, complemented by videos and installations, this extraordinary spectacle invites viewers to discover Teller’s direct and realistic style as he confronts significant moments in his life and celebrates the value of human existence.

📍 Grand Palais Ephémère – 2 Pl. Joffre, 75007 Paris

“MIKE KELLEY, Ghost and Spirit”. Until February 19, this retrospective dedicated to the American artist, one of the most influential figures of the late 20th and early 21st centuries, offers a new perspective on this major and unclassifiable body of work, showcasing its most important pieces, some of which are part of the Pinault Collection. The exhibition is organized by the Tate Modern (London), in collaboration with Pinault Collection, K21 — Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen (Düsseldorf), and the Moderna Museet (Stockholm). It is initially presented at the Bourse de Commerce in Paris during the fall and winter of 2023 before continuing its tour.

📍 Bourse du commerce – 2 Rue de Viarmes, 75001 Paris

Experiences

The Christmas Market of the Tuileries Garden returns to Paris from November 18, 2023, to January 7, 2024. The program includes nearly 80 wooden chalets set up in the exceptional setting of the garden, between the Louvre and the Concorde, just a short distance from the Champs-Élysées.

📍 Le Jardin des Tuileries, 75001, Paris

Craving unique fashion gifts for Christmas 2023? Perfect timing! The pop-up store “La Hotte des Créateurs” is back in an even larger space, just steps away from La Samaritaine. Sixty creators showcase the finest selections from their collections, from November 27 to December 24, 2023!

📍 18 Rue de Turenne, 75004 Paris 4

The Christmas window displays of the Parisian department stores offer an essential winter stroll, enchanting both the youngest and adults alike. Since 1909, every year, Parisian department stores enlist the talents of the most eminent decorators to captivate crowds with their animated window displays. These spectacles, with constantly refreshed décors, evoke an indescribable fairy-tale atmosphere and constitute one of the must-do free walks during a Christmas in Paris.

📍 Galeries Lafayette, Le Printemps, Le Bon Marché, Le BHV, La Samaritaine, Rue du Faubourg Saint Honoré…

The Ami ice rink, the activity to discover in Paris this winter. Head to the Cour d’Honneur of the Palais-Royal in Paris, nestled in the heart of the 1st arrondissement. This is where the Ami brand has chosen to open its ice rink, where tourists and Parisians alike can experience a unique adventure, gliding and slaloming on the ice. The best part? Everyone can go there for free, as all it takes is to sign up on the official website of the brand starting today at 1:00 PM. Skaters can admire the decor inspired by the capsule collection created by Ami especially for the holidays: sparkling barriers, luminous garlands, and above all, the Ami de Cœur emblem in the center of the ice rink, symbolizing uniqueness and love.

📍 Cours d’Honneur du Palais Royal, 75001 Paris

“Nutcraker” from December 8, 2023, to January 1, 2024. On Christmas Eve, young Clara receives an inanimate puppet, a nutcracker, as a gift. As she holds it in her arms, she falls asleep and dreams of a whimsical world where toys and fears come to life.

📍 Opéra Bastille – Place de la Bastille 75012 Paris

Experience the heart of Les Invalides. AURA INVALIDES is a monumental immersive experience to be enjoyed in the evening in Paris, within the Dome of Les Invalides. By enhancing the core of this historic monument with light, video mapping, and music, AURA INVALIDES invites you to (re)discover the richness of its architecture and heritage. A spectacular show worthy of its setting!

📍 Dôme des Invalides – 2, Place Vauban, Paris 75007

“Lumières en Seine” is returning to the Domaine national de Saint-Cloud for its third edition, and invites you starting from November 17, 2023.

A must-attend event for winter evenings for the past two years, this enchanting experience is back with a completely new route to conclude 2023 and kick off 2024 in the most beautiful way. Embark on a nocturnal journey of over two kilometers, punctuated by illuminated tableaux, sculptures, and other works of art. Immerse yourself with family or friends in the magic of the holiday season. To enhance this unforgettable sensory spectacle, both young and old gourmets can enjoy the warm and comforting atmosphere of the food court, where they can indulge in hot drinks, sweet treats, and savory delights.

📍 Domaine national de Saint-Cloud – Grille Clémenceau, 92210 Saint-Cloud

For the first time, the renowned Shanghai Dragons and Lanterns Festival will be in Paris at the Jardin d’Acclimatation! This exceptional and unprecedented event in Europe is hosted for the first time in Paris at the Jardin d’Acclimatation in collaboration with the Shanghai Yuyuan Garden. It will be open to the general public from December 15, 2023, to February 25, 2024, after nightfall, every day from 6:00 PM to 10:00 PM. A must-attend event for all lovers of dazzling and magical shows, at the heart of the Christmas magic!

📍 Le Jardin d’Acclimatation – Bois de Boulogne, Rte de la Prte Dauphine à la Prte des Sablons, 75116 Paris

From Tuesday, November 28, 2023, to Sunday, January 7, 2024, welcome to the world of the “Odyssée Lumineuse”! As night falls, a secret and wonderful world unfolds for strollers. People of all ages find themselves embarked on this dreamlike stroll, revolving around multiple enchanted and enchanting scenes.

Right from the entrance, they pass under a massive dinosaur skeleton. The stage is set. Have you always dreamed of experiencing the magic of the Northern Lights? No need to go all the way to the Finnish Lapland or Iceland to admire them; the floral park will allow you to witness this fabulous spectacle and unravel the mystery of this natural and ephemeral phenomenon! You will be amazed by this kind of fairy-tale sound and light show, witnessing a fluorescent green tornado ignite the dark sky or orange glows dancing in the air… more dazzling than a rainbow! More fascinating than a fireworks display!

📍 Parc Floral Paris – Rte de la Pyramide, 75012 Paris

From November 22, 2023, to January 21, 2024, as night falls, the Jardin des Plantes transforms into a true jungle! Embark on a discovery of the fauna and flora of tropical forests… Spread across four continents – Asia, Oceania, South America, Africa – these forests would harbor more than half of the known animal and plant species in the world.

“Jungle en voie d’illumination” provides an overview of this richness through a lush journey, featuring characteristic, spectacular, or unusual species: formidable felines, astonishing frogs, giant flowers, and other wonders.

📍 Jardin des Plantes – 57 rue Cuvier 75005 Paris

Food

• Breakfast, Brunch & Snack

Just a few steps from the Grands Boulevards in Paris 9, Bon Bouquet welcomes you into its tropical haven to take you on a journey to Bali without leaving Paris! Here, you feel like you’re by the beach, under the palm trees, in a warm and colorful atmosphere.

📍 Bon Bouquet – 29 Rue de Trévise, 75009 Paris

Kafkaf is a gustatory and immersive experience in the land of a thousand flavors, in the heart of the 11th arrondissement of Paris near Bastille! A brunch inspired by the unique colors and scents of Marrakech: Majorelle granola bowl, fluffy pancakes with pistachio mascarpone, sunny avocado toast with red pepper hummus, orange blossom lemonade…

📍 Kafkaf – 7 Rue Keller, 75011 Paris

Since 1996, Paul Boccia and his family have welcomed you to this unique and charming place in the heart of the Marais.

The origin of “Le Loir dans la théière” comes from “Alice in Wonderland,” with its mural presented in the midst of a decor that is part flea market, part bohemian, featuring furniture collected over time and posters of shows, fashion, exhibitions, and theater.

The menu, prepared daily, offers a family-style cuisine based on fresh and seasonal products. The dishes and desserts are cooked on-site. The kitchen provides a delightful blend of savory and sweet from 9 am to 7:30 pm, every day of the week.

📍 Le Loir dans la théière – 3 rue des Rosiers, 75004 Paris

Ritz Paris Le Comptoir embodies the elegance and renown of the Ritz Paris, combined with the creative flair of the talented Pastry Chef François Perret. A contemporary gourmet boutique, symbolizing sharing and conviviality for all gastronomes in search of the best of French pastry and the excellence of the Ritz Paris. Immerse yourself in a world of delights where eyes and taste buds marvel…

For Christmas, François Perret has imagined a cake adorned with intertwined madeleines, a reference to his favorite pastry but also to Marcel Proust, an emblematic figure of the Ritz Paris.

📍 Le Comptoir du Ritz – 38 Rue Cambon, 75001 Paris

Crème is a dessert shop specialising in really big cookies, soft-serve ice cream and coffee. Inspired by the sweet things we have enjoyed on trips to New York, our menu puts a French twist on american classics with no holding back on the butter and sugar.

Everything is baked, blended and brewed daily, at our shop in Le Marais.

📍 Crème – 61 Rue du Temple, 75004 Paris

W³ is a fusion tea salon and event workshop based in Paris. Drawing inspiration from three key symbols representing vitality (wheat), imagination (water), and support (wind), at W³, we are inspired by various cultures from around the world, inviting you on a journey of flavors infused with sweetness and creativity.

📍 W³ – 79 Bis Rue Monge, 75005 Paris

• International Cuisine

Jolia is an ode to the nocturnal pleasures of the Middle East and pays homage to its most festive years, at the heart of the disco era. The opulent decor, in contrast with large windows, makes Jolia a living space that is as bright as it is warm. In the 11th arrondissement, the venue shines during the day and becomes rebellious in the evening. You’ll find an exclusive menu, with characterful creations inspired by Oriental and Levantine traditions, enjoyed on beautiful communal tables.

📍 Jolia – 79 Bis Rue Monge, 75005 Paris

A simple mission: to export popular Japanese culture worldwide! With this idea in mind, Miyo and Alban return to Paris after 3 years of living together in Japan. As avid fans of Japanese cuisine and the friendly atmospheres of Izakaya, it’s only natural to kick off this project with a focus on dining. Niigata rice, teas from Shizuoka, Hokkaido Azuki beans… after touring Japan and collaborating with the best suppliers eager to export their products to France, the project was launched!

📍 Jinchan Shokudo – 154 Rue du Faubourg Saint-Antoine, 75012 Paris

In Paris, the couscous restaurant Chez Omar is an institution. Inaugurated in 1979 on Rue de Bretagne, in the Marais, next to a cinema, the establishment has never been empty since then.

📍 Chez Omar – 47 Rue de Bretagne, 75003 Paris

Zapi is the name of the new Italian restaurant that has opened just steps away from Avenue Montaigne and the Champs-Élysées.

The doors of this welcoming place, adorned with the colors of Italy where tiles and wood blend, are open. On the agenda, around thirty seated places for a delightful moment of conviviality.

📍 Zapi – 7 Rue du 29 Juillet, 75001 Paris

• French Touch

MonBleu, a homemade menu featuring cheese and quality seasonal products. You can nibble, devour, share, depending on your appetite of the day and at any time. Don’t forget the cheese brunch on weekends.

And to accompany it all: craft beers and an extensive wine list.

📍 MonBleu – 37 rue du faubourg Montmartre, Paris 75009

This year again, Le Chalet du Park reopens its doors at the Park Hyatt Paris-Vendôme. This Parisian gem sets up from Monday, November 13, offering an exclusive and timeless gastronomic experience. From lunch to dinner, savor menus crafted by our Michelin-starred Chef Jean-François Rouquette. Let yourself be carried away into a unique and intimate winter culinary experience, in the heart of Paris. As night falls, Michelin-starred Chef Jean-François Rouquette invites you to enjoy a delicious mountain raclette accompanied by a selection of charcuterie from the best French producers.

📍 Le Chalet du Park – 5 Rue de la Paix, Paris 75002

The Best Sauerkraut in Paris. Located between Place de la Bastille and Place des Vosges, the iconic Parisian brasserie Bofinger has managed to traverse the ages while preserving its soul in an exceptional historical setting.

In this institution known as one of the most beautiful brasseries in Paris, the chef prepares Alsatian specialties that have made the place famous: Kougloff in the style of French toast, Grand Marnier Soufflé, and “the best sauerkraut in Paris,” homemade according to tradition.

📍 Bofinger – 5-7 Rue de la Bastille, 75004 Paris

Fine dining with a plant-based twist: a sauce-based cuisine that renews the genre.

We are creating the cuisine of tomorrow. Starting today. Without renouncing the past. This new plant-based cuisine, shaped like a return to the future, is a timeless tribute to nature, sensuality, and culinary heritage. It is the cuisine of tomorrow because we craft gastronomy deeply conscious of the ecological, societal, and ethical challenges of the 21st century. Our cuisine is driven by sustainability and respect for life, in response to the industrialization of food chains that harm both the planet and the well-being of living beings.

📍 Faubourg Daimant – 20 Rue du Faubourg Poissonnière, 75010 Paris

Located on the Seine River, facing the Grand Palais and just a few steps from the Alexandre III Bridge, Riviera Fuga is the third establishment of the Fuga Family group. Thanks to the creativity of Chef Daniel Ortiz Maldonado, this floating restaurant will transport you to an innovative culinary universe.

📍 Riviera Fuga – 10 Port des Invalides, 75007 Paris

Mieux Paris, family bistro with instinctive cuisine. Jean-Baptiste, Thomas, and Giulian, three childhood friends trained in traditional restaurants in the French and Canadian provinces, open “Mieux”: an inn in the heart of Paris, as welcoming as it is comforting.

📍 Mieux Paris – 21 Rue Saint-Lazare, 75009 Paris

Maslow, a vegetarian restaurant, low impact, on the banks in the heart of Paris with a large terrace and a view of the Seine!

They want to prove that they can do better for the planet without compromising on pleasure. They start with an ultra-sexy and generous vegetarian menu, but they haven’t stopped there. They have tried to improve everything: sourcing of products, quality of life for the teams, restaurant design, waste management, and reduction of waste.

📍 Maslow – 14 Quai de la Mégisserie, 75001 Paris

• Festive Bars & Restaurants

Vecchio, the new Italian restaurant at Le Perchoir Ménilmontant in Paris. A new Italo-New York culinary residence orchestrated by Chef Gianmarco Gorni and Hubert Niveleau.

Time to open the cocktail menu, which brings together classics of the genre: espresso martini, dirty martini, and a selection of negronis (including one reimagined with mezcal), to be sipped while nibbling on green olives, roasted almonds, and parmesan topped with balsamic cream.

📍 Vecchio – 14 Rue Crespin du Gast, 75011 Paris

It’s at 3 Rue Royale, somewhere between the Seine and the Eiffel Tower, that Maxim’s is reborn and unveils this restaurant and bar. Maxim’s revives the charm of a grand Parisian house, with classics of bourgeois gastronomy on the plate. A decor from yesteryear, reimagined classics, a bar, and music. At Maxim’s, one dines first, dances soon, sometimes both at the same time. The nightlife suits it so well. The celebration even better.

📍 Maxim’s – 3 Rue Royale, 75008 Paris

MISTINGUETT welcomes guests in her restaurant at the Casino de Paris. A table in homage to its star, an exceptional revue leader, a new address for day and night, where one can celebrate French cuisine, toast to life, and revel in the party.

📍 Mistinguett – 16 rue de Clichy, 75009 Paris

What is stronger and more invaluable than the love of a grandmother? Boubalé is the tender nickname for saying ‘my little doll, my little darling’ in Yiddish, the favorite expression of Ashkenazi grandmothers. The entire soul of Boubalé is there, magnified by the Michelin-starred chef Assaf Granit.

Boubalé touches your emotions and takes you on an unforgettable journey in the footsteps of a lesser-known Ashkenazi culture, swirling like a violin tune, light as an impromptu party among friends. Boubalé is the new beating heart of the Marais, a heart beating to the crazy rhythm of the joy of living and the happiness of sharing real emotions. More than a restaurant, it is a place dedicated to the pleasure of being together above all.

📍 Boubalé – 6 Rue des Archives, 75004 Paris

GALA is conceived as a Mediterranean, festive, and nostalgic residence. Inspired by the grand receptions held in the seventies, it is an ode to grand, modern, and convivial cuisine, a true celebration of freedom.

📍 GALA – 6 Rue Arsène Houssaye, 75008 Paris

The Peclers Paris teams wish you a wonderful holiday season in Paris and around the world.