Must-do activities in Paris this weekend (December 7 – 8, 2024)

Every Friday evening, it’s the same old story: say darling, what are we doing this weekend? Look no further: every weekend, Paris Secret finds the weekend’s must-sees! Exhibitions, festivals, free events, bars & restaurants in the capital… All you have to do is pick from this list of must-do activities. Thanks who? Thank you Paris Secret!

Visit Notre-Dame for its reopening

After 5 years of interminable waiting, Notre-Dame Cathedral finally reopens this Saturday, December 7. More sparkling than ever, the cathedral has been restored to its former splendor. An event not to be missed!

Have a coffee in one of Paris’ most beautiful hidden addresses

The magnificent Café des Bernardins, nestled in the heart of a former 13th-century monks’ college, is breathtaking in its splendor. A magical place to see at least once in Paris, at teatime.

📍 Address: Table des Bernardins at Collège des Bernardins
20, rue de Poissy, 75005 Paris
10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (lunch from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m.)
🎟️ Admission: free

Spend an evening with Mylène Farmer

Attention Mylène Farmer fans! This weekend, you can dance and sing your heart out to the French artist’s greatest hits! Les Effets secondaires is an evening 100% Mylène Farmer, with a special playlist, and for the next edition, see you at Belushi’s Canal bar!

📍 Location: Belushi’s Canal
159, rue Crimée, 75019 Paris
📆 Date: December 7, 2024
🎟️ Admission: free

Pamper yourself in one of Paris’s finest hotel spas

How about taking a little more time for yourself this weekend? Treat yourself to a moment of pure relaxation in one of the spas nestled in some of Paris’s finest hotels. A little Christmas present before your time!

Decipher Ravel’s masterpiece in an exhibition

Maurice Ravel forever! The composer of the Bolero, one of the world’s most famous classical music scores, is honored with a fine exhibition! The Philharmonie de Paris puts the spotlight on this work, recounting its genesis and the journey of its creator!

📍 Location: Philharmonie de Paris, 221, avenue Jean Jaurès, 75019 Paris
📆 Date: December 3, 2024 – June 15, 2025
🎟️ Admission: €11 full price

Admire the illuminated Champs-Élysées

There’s a touch of Christmas in the air this November! Between the department store windows and the Christmas trees, the capital is ready for the festive season… well, almost! Yes, Christmas in Paris wouldn’t be quite the same without the famous illuminations on the Avenue des Champs-Elysées , inaugurated on November 24.

📍 Location: Avenue des Champs-Elysées
75008 Paris
📆 Date: from November 24, 2024 (and probably until early January 2025)
Admission: free

Enjoy the most beautiful Christmas markets

Christmas means Christmas markets! And in the run-up to the festive season , we’re particularly fond of strolling through them. You’ll discover the work of craftsmen, as well as stalls selling sweets to share (or not).

Relive the history of black music, from yesterday to today!

Beyoncé, Ray Charles, Tina Turner or Nina Simone… These are just a few of the many personalities who have embodied (and continue to embody) Black American music with passion and talent! A musical comedy is currently paying tribute to them at the Théâtre Bobino. Black Legends is an exceptional show featuring artists (singers, actors, dancers, musicians) who will take you back to the unforgettable hits of US popular music!

📍 Address: Théâtre Bobino
14-20, rue de la Gaîté, 75014 Paris
📆 Date: November 14, 2024 – March 05, 2025
🎟️ Admission: from €29

Hallucinate with a museum of illusions

Here, nothing makes sense anymore. Literally, because at any moment you could find yourself in an upside-down room and not know where you’ve been or where your head is! Between the Paradox Tunnel that makes you whirl, the kaleidoscope and its psychedelic patterns, the Paradox Sofa that dislocates you, or the “camouflage” effect room that has the power to make you disappear… You won’t be bored at the Paradox Museum, the museum of all possibilities!

📍Address: Paradox Museum Paris, 38 boulevard des Italiens, Paris 9
📆 Date: multiple dates

Marvel at Printemps’ Christmas window displays

Once again this year, Printemps Haussmann’s window displays will sparkle for the holidays. This time, we invite you to board the Printemps Express, with Christmas as its only destination! You’ll be able to admire the train’s magnificent animated carriages from November 7.

Experience a fairytale event in a castle!

The Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte gets into the spirit of Christmas! Treasure hunts, illuminations, tours in period costume, projections on the building’s facade, fairy-tale-themed events… Le Grand Noël de Vaux-le-Vicomte offers a grandiose and enchanting program to delight young and old alike at the end of the year!

📍 Address: Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte
77950 Maincy
📆 Date: November 16 to January 5, 2025
🎟️ Admission: paying

Stroll through an abandoned Paris

Passionate about urbex for some twenty years, a duo of photographers have had fun using AI to create a series of disturbing images of a deserted, half-ruined Paris. The exhibition Paris en ruines (Paris in ruins) leaves us alone to face these images, which are both beautiful and frightening. They represent a fantasized, apocalyptic future, but perhaps not all that distant!

📍 Address: Polka Galerie
12, rue Saint-Gilles, 75003 Paris
📆 Date: November 8, 2024 – January 18, 2025
🎟️ Admission: free

Experience thrilling adventures on the big screen

With its latest Ciné Kids cycle, Mystère et boule de gomme, the Forum des Images invites young audiences to discover a genre full of intrigue and populated by thieves, detectives and spies of all kinds! Until the end of the year, 3-9 year-olds can enjoy this special program and fill up on adventure!

📍 Address: Forum des Images
2 rue du Cinéma, 75001 Paris
📆 Date: until December 22, 2024
🎟️ Admission: €5.80 for children / €7.20 for adults

Order a pavé with pepper sauce and chocolate mousse from Paname’s best bistros

A bistro in the heart of Paris has just been awarded the Trophées Pudlo, the annual prize for the best establishments of its kind! Which is the “best bistro of the year” 2024-24? Which other restaurants have been awarded prizes such as “chef of the year” or “conviviality”? We’ll reveal the Trophées Pudlo des Bistrots winners (and their best addresses) right here!

A magical trip to Thoiry Zoo

Discover the largest light trail in the Paris region at Thoiry Zoo. Along a 2 km path, admire over 2,500 light sculptures in an enchanting setting. Immerse yourself in a dreamlike journey inspired by Jules Verne, crossing skies, oceans and subterranean worlds. An immersive show not to be missed by the whole family!

📍 Location: Wow Safari Thoiry 78770 Thoiry
🗓️ Date: from 27/10/2024

Admire Keith Haring’s work exhibited in two Paris galleries

American artist Keith Haring is currently on show in two galleries for a fantastic tribute. Discover 70 astonishing and creative works imagined by the artist: sculptures, paintings, pottery… A free exhibition to discover until December 14!

📆 Date: Until December 14
📍 Venues: Galerie 75 & Galerie Gradiva
🎫 Price: Free

Dive into vintage with the Iconic Festival

For a few days, the Carreau du Temple will be unrecognizable. For an event that’s part-exhibition, part-party, the cultural venue will be redecorated vintage-style. Iconic ” 80s-90s-00’s festival “ offers an immersion in these decades and a tribute to its pop culture!

📍Address: Carreau du Temple
4 Rue Eugène Spuller, 75003 Paris
📆 Date: from 10/11 to 01/12/2024

Book a table in an immersive restaurant

For this three-day long weekend, why not try something new? We recommend booking a table at one of Paris’s best immersive restaurants. In addition to delicious cuisine, you’ll be totally immersed in a unique universe! So, would you rather take a leap into space? Eat in the jungle or savor delicacies under the ocean?

Immerse yourself in the world of Asterix

The event of the weekend and the weeks to come is undoubtedly the arrival of the irreducible Gauls at the Atelier des Lumières. The Parisian digital and immersive art center is dedicating its new exhibition to the Asterix comic strip and its universe. Meet up with the characters from the famous comic strip and follow them on their latest adventure….!

📍 Location: 38 rue Saint-Maur, 75011 Paris
📆 Date: 18/10 to 5/01/2025
🎟️ Admission: €17

Go to the ephemeral pop-up store dedicated to the Ghibli universe

Ghibli fans will be delighted by the opening of a pop-up store in the Marais district, offering a range of never-before-seen and collectors’ items. This ephemeral store is a veritable Ali Baba’s cave, offering music boxes, figurines and much more. Don’t miss this opportunity to immerse yourself in the magical world of Hayao Miyazaki.

📍 Location: 37 rue de Rivoli, 75004 Paris
🗓️ Dates: October 19 to December 24

Treat yourself to a FRIENDS™ marathon!

We previewed it for you: The FRIENDS™ Experience has set up its mythical orange sofa and other iconic sets within Galeries Montparnasse. This immersive experience invites you to spend a memorable moment in the universe of the FRIENDS™ series. Rachel and Monica‘s apartment, the unmissable Central Perk Café, Joey’s recliner… It’s so realistic you’ll think you’re hearing Phoebe sing “You stink like a cat!”.

Admire Dior creations through the lens of a famous photographer

Dior as seen by the great fashion photographer Peter Lindbergh! Galerie Dior looks back on its collaboration with the German photographer, which gave rise to sublime shots of outfits signed by the house’s various artistic directors! This Dior / Lindbergh exhibition showcases some of Dior’s creations opposite their black-and-white photo versions!

📍 Address: La Galerie Dior
11, rue François Ier, 75008 Paris
📆 Date: until 04/05/2025
🎟️ Admission: €14

Immerse yourself in the work of Caillebotte and his men at Orsay!

© Gustave Caillebotte – Perissoires sur l’Yerres -Courtesy of the National Galleryof Art, Washington

This autumn, the Musée d’Orsay is devoting an exhibition to Gustave Caillebotte, a key figure in the Impressionist movement. Until January 2025, visitors will be able to explore his work and the figure of masculine representation that fueled so much of his work!

Location: Musée d’Orsay, Esplanade Valéry Giscard d’Estaing, 75007 Paris, France
🗓️Dates : October 8, 2024 – January 19, 2025

Get ready to laugh at the Sebastopol Comedy Club

Take the crème de la crème of Parisian stand-up comedy, add an unusual venue and some good humor, and you’ve got the recipe for Sebastopol Comedy Club ‘s magical evenings! Every weekend, in the heart of a private cinema in Paris, you can enjoy stand-up evenings as unusual as they are hilarious. All that’s missing is you to spice up this spicy cocktail, so get your diaries ready!

Venue: Sebastopol Comedy Club – 123, boulevard de Sebastopol, 75002
🗓️Dates : Every Friday and Saturday

Discover the best addresses for a chai latte in Paris

Discover the best places in Paris to enjoy a delicious chai latte. This Indian drink, a black tea sweetened with spices and hot milk, has become very popular in Parisian cafés. Explore these must-visit addresses for a moment of comfort over a creamy, fragrant chai latte.

Have a coffee in Paris’ very first dog-friendly café

Discover the Bone Appart café, a unique space for dogs with croissants and drinks specially designed for them. Located in the 4th arrondissement, this café offers hot drinks like Puppicino and treats in the shape of croissants. Owners can also enjoy a variety of coffees. A place where your four-legged friends will be pampered like kings.

📍 Location: 9 rue de Birague, 75004 Paris
🗓️ Opening hours: Mon Wed – Fri 8/17h, Sat 9/17h, Sun 9/15

Test Paris’ festive restaurants

Paris, the City of Light, offers a thousand opportunities to celebrate life and friendship over a drink or a meal. Night owls and epicureans can discover splendidly decorated restaurants where they can feast with friends.

Get recruited by the Legends Bureau

New to the Legends Bureau? Be careful, you’ll have to pass a few tests and solve a few riddles before you’re accepted on a permanent basis! Part immersive theater, part escape game, the Bureau des Légendes experience transports you into the world of the French spy series! It’s your turn to play!

📍Location: 20 Rue Monsieur le Prince, 75006 Paris
📅Date : Anytime

Fly over France like a bird

Who hasn’t dreamed of taking flight like a bird? If you can’t transform yourself into an eagle, Fly View will let you fly like one! Thanks to our virtual reality experiences, visit France and its most emblematic sites! Special effects and thrills guaranteed for this truly impressive activity!

📍Location: 30 rue du 4 septembre, 75002 Paris
📅Date : Whenever you like

Taste the best croissant of the year in the 12th arrondissement

In the morning, there’s no substitute for a good croissant… Except an excellent pain au chocolat! If you’re on the croissant team, this bakery in the 12th arrondissement is a must. La Maison Doucet was singled out for its croissants, voted the tastiest of 2024. Lightly crisp and buttery to perfection! A real treat!

📍Location: 234 Rue du Faubourg Saint-Antoine, 75012 Paris

Improve your English with How To Become A Parisian In One Hour

This one-man show has been a huge hit since its debut! If you’re not one of the 1 million people who have seen it, don’t delay in seeing Olivier Giraud ‘s How to Become a Parisian in One Hour. He’ll reveal to you, in the language of Shakespeare, all the tips and tricks you need to become a good Parigot (from expressions to style of dress). And I promise, even the Parisians will get a kick out of it!

📍Location: 24 Boulevard Poissonnière, 75009 Paris
📅Date : Anytime

Dream in Paris’s street art districts

Paris is one of the capitals of street art, so if you’re looking for a shot of creativity, color and talented artists, you’ve come to the right place! From north to south and east to west, here’s a compilation of must-see Paris street art spots! Belleville, the 13ᵉ arrondissement or the Canal de l’Ourcq, you’re in for an eyeful!

Go behind the scenes at the Grand Rex

This is one of Paris’s most beautiful cinemas, and it’s opening its doors to you for a very special visit! With your audioguide, discover its nooks and crannies, learn all about the Art Deco building’s rich history, and even learn about the projectionist’s job!

Slip into the shoes of Arsène Lupin

Come to the Palais Garnier, we need you to solve an investigation! This immersive game will take you into the nooks and crannies of the palace, where you’ll have to unravel the mystery of the Count of Cagliostro. For 1h30, wander through the marvellous décor of the Palais Garnier, gleaning clues to reach your goal like a true Arsène Lupin!

Unusual: discover a Speakeasy dedicated to rum in a chapel

Remember, last November, we took you just south of Paris, to Issy-les-Moulineaux, to show you around the Domaine de la Reine Margot. But the big surprise was the famous speakeasy hidden in the former chapel. Renamed the Monastic, the place has retained all its old-world beauty to take our breath away even today. In this completely restored building, the bar specializes in rum, offering 400 references from 35 countries and the world’s finest distilleries.