What to do in Paris in December Despite the cold, wind and rain, hibernation is out of the question. The editors of Paris Secret have braved the elements to concoct a list of activities and cultural outings for the more adventurous among you, far more energizing than an evening under the comforter. An unusual exhibition, a festival of lights, solidarity evenings, a party in a museum, a Christmas market… Follow our schedule, you won’t be bored!
Visit Notre-Dame de Paris
After 5 years of renovation, discover Notre-Dame Cathedral like never before. Completely restored, the edifice has regained its former beauty. To visit it, you’ll need to reserve a time slot. But it’s well worth it!
Relive the adventures of FRIENDS™
The FRIENDS™ Experience: The One in Paris instantly puts you in the holiday spirit! The experience has converted Galeries Montparnasse into a festive venue with new Christmas-themed sets so you can recreate the series’ most iconic episodes. In December, it’s the perfect way to get a taste of the festive season in Paris.
📍Location: Les Galeries Montparnasse, 22 rue du départ (Paris 15), 75014
📅 Date: multiple dates
Don’t miss Keith Haring’s new exhibition
Discover the never-before-seen, entirely free exhibition by the brilliant American artist Keith Haring. The artist is currently on view in two Paris galleries until December 14. An event not to be missed!
📆 Until December 14
📍 Galerie 75 & Galerie Gradiva
🎫 Free
The Gate VR, the new virtual reality experience
It’s a veritable revolution in the world of entertainment: The Gate VR! Equipped with VR headsets and state-of-the-art connected weapons, players move freely through three spacious virtual reality arenas, in free motion, and are propelled directly into worlds as spectacular as they are immersive, at the gates of reality. Zombie shooting games, escape games, children’s games… You’re spoilt for choice, you just have to push the right door! Info and reservations here.
📍Address: The Gate VR, 93 rue d’Amsterdam, 75008 Paris
📆 Date: multiple dates
🎟️ Admission: from €29.90
Marvel at the Parc de Saint-Cloud
For lovers of bucolic strolls. A fairytale-like experience awaits you in the heart of the Domaine National de Saint-Cloud. Following the resounding success of previous editions, Lumières en Seine is back in the spotlight with a new illuminated itinerary featuring paintings, sculptures and other works of art. Bonus: to fully immerse you in the magic of the festive season, young and old alike can enjoy the warm atmosphere of the gourmet chalets!
📍Location: Parc National de Saint-Cloud, Grille Clémenceau – Saint-Cloud, 92210
📅 Date: multiple dates until January 12, 2025
Explore the Ravel of Bolero
A surprise! For its next exhibition, the Philharmonie de Paris will be exploring a musical work, and not just any musical work: Ravel’sBoléro! This masterpiece will be deciphered on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the composer’s birth! Genesis of the score, portrait of the artist… Find out all about Maurice Ravel and his cult work!
📍 Venue: Philharmonie de Paris, 221, avenue Jean Jaurès, 75019 Paris
📆 Date: December 3, 2024 – June 15, 2025
🎟️ Admission: €11 full price
Let yourself be electrified by PULSE, the new exhibition at La Gaîté Lyrique
From December 12, the Gaîté Lyrique, an emblematic Parisian cultural center, will be the stage for a new immersive exhibition featuring installations, each more hypnotic than the last, that transcend the limits of technology. 18 light and sound installations, a monumental immersive installation, 4 interactive video games, a soundtrack spanning the entire history of electronic music, an arcade, a bar area… Get ready to enter a new dimension!
📍 Location: la Gaîté Lyrique, 3 bis, rue Papin, 75003
📆 Date: from December 12
Treat yourself to an enchanted interlude at the Musée des Arts Forains
If there’s one event capable of immersing us in the atmosphere and magic of the festive season, it’s the Festival du Merveilleux! The Pavillons de Bercy – Musée des Arts Forains is cooking up a special “guinguettes” edition of its annual festival! Garlands of lights, performances by artists of all kinds (acrobats, musicians, dancers and even hypnotists), rides on old and beautiful attractions… Step back in time and enjoy the party!
📍 Location: Musée des Arts Forains, 53, avenue des Terroirs de France, 75012 Paris
📆 Date: from 27/12/2024 to 05/01/2025
🎟️ Admission: €22 full price / €14 to €16 concessions
Spend a clubbing evening at the Cité des Sciences with Bagarre and Kiddy Smile
Have you heard of Les Éclatantes? This electro party offers the chance to dance at the Cité des Sciences and visit the permanent and temporary space exhibitions by night. For this 10th edition, on Friday 13th, Bagarre, Kiddy Smile and Nathalie Duchene are in charge of the music. Suffice to say, it’s going to be a heavy one. See you on the dancefloor?
📍 Venue: Cité des Sciences et de l’Industrie – 30 Av. Corentin Cariou, 75019 Paris
🗓️ Date: Friday December 13, 8pm to 1.30am
🎟️ Price: 21 euros / 18 euros before November 24
Take part in a Question pour un champion on a stage
Desks, buzzers, special lighting… In this interactive game, everything is designed to make you feel like you’re on a TV set. Imitate your favorite TV shows, like the famous ” Question pour un champion”, but without Julien Lepers. With friends, challenge yourselves with quizzes on a variety of themes: music, general culture, everyday life, society… Guided by a voice-over, the immersion is total!
📍Locations: Paris Odéon, 9 Rue Guénégaud, 75006 / Paris Opéra, 76 Rue de la Victoire, 75009 / Paris La Villette, 30 Av. Corentin Cariou, 75019 / Paris Bonne Nouvelle, 38 Rue d’Hauteville, 75010
🗓️ Date : multiple dates
Celebrate for a good cause with La Mère Noël est un Amour du Rosa Bonheur
Every year before the festive season, the Rosa Bonheur in Buttes Chaumont organizes “La Mère Noël est un Amour”, an evening of solidarity in aid of Secours Populaire and disadvantaged children. This year, the fun is doubled with two events: December 13 and 14. And the line-up is a real treat, with Laurent Garnier, Busy P, Juliette Armanet, Fishbach, Barbara Butch and more. From glitzy pop to top-notch clubbing, we’re all in.
📍Location: Rosa Bonheur des Buttes – 2 Av. de la Cascade – 19e
📅 Dates: December 13 and 14, 2024
Test the best macaroons in Ile-de-France, freshly elected
At the gateway to Paris, in Sannois and L’Isle-Adam, you’ll find two La Pelle & la Toque stores, which have just stood out in a recent macaroon competition. If you’d like to try something other than the great classics Pierre Hermé or Ladurée, you should know that this brand, run by Anthony and Laurine Ragaine, has been racking up bakery and patisserie awards in recent months. Their chocolate and lemon-mint macaroons won a regional first prize in November 2024.
📍Locations: 2-4 Rue du Lieutenant Georges Keiser, 95110 Sannois or 41 Grande Rue, 95290 L’Isle-Adam
Discover the musical Madagascar
On the stage of the Théâtre du Gymnase Marie-Bell, the favorite heroes of the Madagascar saga (Alex, Marty, Melman and Gloria) await you to relive their adventures in a breathtaking musical comedy. The script: they’ve spent their whole lives happily captive in front of an admiring public, with regular meals provided for them. Dissatisfied with his life alone, Marty lets his curiosity get the better of him and escapes – with the help of some phenomenal penguins – to explore the world! Full of twists and turns, this theatrical epic promises to enchant the whole family for an evening of anthology.
📍Location: Le Théâtre du Gymnase Marie-Bell, 38 Boulevard de Bonne Nouvelle, Paris, 75010
📆 Date: multiple dates
Turn off the lights, turn on your taste buds. Dining in the Dark is an unusual culinary experience where sight is replaced by taste. It’s a well-known fact: 80% of people eat mainly with their eyes. Once you’ve put that option aside, you’re in for a whirlwind of sensations as you take in the flavours of each bite. For the occasion, two of Paris’s finest addresses will be concocting an ephemeral menu for you to discover blindfolded. On December 13, you’re invited to L’Envol – Philarmonie. Ready to take a bite out of the unknown?
📍Location: Restaurant L’Envol – Philharmonie, Parking Nord Q Park, 221 Avenue Jean Jaurès Inside the Philharmonie, 6th floor, 75019
📅 Date: December 13, 2024
Treat yourself to a good laugh
Tired of long, boring winter evenings? La Scène Barbès, the official purveyor of giggles, can vouch for an unforgettable evening. This New York-style comedy club offers three options. La Nouvelle Vague: a flurry of jokes by 5 rising stars of the stand-up scene. La Comedy Night: an evening led by 5 top names on the comedy scene. Finally, La Scène Ouverte: open to all, with no selection required, comedians take to the stage to test their sketches exclusively.
📍Location: La Scène Barbès, 11 rue d’Oran, 75018 Paris
📅 Date: multiple dates
A feast for the eyes (and ears)
As the festive season approaches, our candlelit concerts are decked out in their finest lights to immerse you in the magic of the festive season to the sound of the most beautiful Christmas music. Let It Snow, Mon beau sapin, We Wish You a Merry Christmas, It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas, All I Want for Christmas Is You… Getready for a magical experience !
📍Location: multiple venues
📅 Date: multiple dates
Go to a Christmas market
During December, we love strolling through the most beautiful Christmas markets in Paris.The Jardins des Tuileries is undoubtedly one of the most popular. During this enchanting stroll, young and old alike can indulge in gourmet delights or buy a few Christmas gifts, thanks to the wooden chalets showcasing French crafts and specialties. But that’s not all. The enchantment is in full swing, as visitors can also dream away on top of the Ferris Wheel, enjoy rides like the Phantom Train, or take to the ice on the 1,200 m² skating rink. Dreaming of adding a touch of Christmas magic to your everyday life? Come to the Jardin des Tuileries.
📍Location : Jardin des Tuileries, 75001 Paris
📅 Date: November 16 to January 1, 2025
Book a Christmas tea time
It’s cold, it’s gray… why not cheer yourself up by booking a Christmas tea time? And just in time, many exceptional hotels are offering gourmet tre ats to warm you up. It’s a bit like Christmas before time, after all?
See a free exhibition in Paris
In Paris, cultural life is in full swing, and there’s clearly no shortage of exhibitions. But did you know that there are also many free exhibitions to see? Photos, paintings, sculptures… you’re in for a real treat!
Admire the Christmas windows of department stores
Every year, it’s a bit of a ritual to admire the Christmas window displays. Department stores are decked out in a thousand lights to enchant young and old alike. The themes get crazier and crazier, and the staging gets more and more elaborate! So don’t miss this free show for the whole family.
Get out your ice skates
With the holidays just around the corner, what better way to make the most of winter sports? Paris may not be known as a ski resort, but it’s still home to some great skating rinks! A great way to spend time with friends and family.