Paris Christmas markets: which to pick, dates and ice rinks
- Published
- 24 October 2026
- Reading
- 5 min read
- Where
- Paris, France
- Prices checked
- 26. Oct 2026.
Paris has three big Christmas markets, at Tuileries, La Défense and Notre-Dame, and each suits a different kind of evening. The Champs-Élysées is back on the list for 2026, so here is who should go where.
Paris Christmas markets are no longer the one on the Champs-Élysées, which sat out nearly ten years and returns in 2026 in a new format. The marché de Noël that opens first this year is the one at La Défense, running 12 Nov – 31 Dec 2026, and Tuileries follows, running 14 Nov 2026 – 3 Jan 2027. Between them, a first-time visitor has two to four December evenings and five places to spend them.
Which markets there are and how they differ
Paris has no single central Christmas market, it has several, and each has its own character. Tuileries is the fun fair, where the rides take up a large part of the garden. Notre-Dame is the craft fair, with about 40 chalets and no rides at all. La Défense is a business district that turns its esplanade into a village of more than 300 chalets, with an ice rink and a tree of 20 m. The Champs-Élysées is the late arrival, announced as a new concept that will not simply reuse the old chalets.
- Tuileries, in the Jardin des Tuileries (1st arrondissement), nearest stations Tuileries and Concorde, open 14 Nov 2026 – 3 Jan 2027
- Champs-Élysées, the lower avenue between the obelisk on Place de la Concorde and the roundabout, nearest stations Champs-Élysées–Clemenceau and Franklin D. Roosevelt. Planned dates: 22 Nov 2026 – 4 Jan 2027
- La Défense, on the esplanade, with more than 300 chalets and free entry, reached by metro line 1, RER A and E or tram T2, open 12 Nov – 31 Dec 2026
- Notre-Dame, in Square René Viviani on Quai Montebello (5th arrondissement), nearest stations Cité and Saint-Michel on line 4, or Saint-Michel Notre-Dame on RER B and C, open 26 Nov – 27 Dec 2026
- Alsatian market outside Gare de l'Est (10th arrondissement), served by metro lines 4, 5 and 7, open 2 Dec – 18 Dec 2026
When they open in 2026
The Advent market season in Paris begins at La Défense, where the village runs 12 Nov – 31 Dec 2026, and Tuileries runs 14 Nov 2026 – 3 Jan 2027. Notre-Dame runs 26 Nov – 27 Dec 2026, the Alsatian chalets outside Gare de l'Est 2 Dec – 18 Dec 2026, and the Champs-Élysées is planned for 22 Nov 2026 – 4 Jan 2027, with the avenue's lights coming on 22 Nov 2026. Hours are the patchy part. The Champs-Élysées has announced none, and Tuileries has not published its 2026 hours yet, so last year's are the only guide: in 2025 it was open 11:00–23:45 (2025). Notre-Dame gives approximate hours only, and La Défense is the one with a full timetable that closes early on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve. Hours at Notre-Dame: 10am–8pm, Fri–Sun until 9pm. Hours at La Défense: Mon–Thu 11am–9pm, Fri 11am–11pm, Sat 10am–11pm, Sun 11am–9:30pm.
What to eat and drink
Most markets in the city sell the same short list: vin chaud, marrons chauds and gaufres, which is mulled wine, roast chestnuts and waffles, and Tuileries adds pain d'épices. The avenue aims higher, with a concept built on certified-label products, French mulled wine prepared by maceration, 100% French beef and organic flour. La Défense puts five restaurants beside a craft village of about thirty makers, so it is the easiest place to sit down properly. Prices for the wine, the waffles and the chestnuts have not been published for 2026, so ask at the chalet before you order.
One evening, in order
Start at Tuileries, getting off at Tuileries or Concorde, and walk across Place de la Concorde to the lower end of the Champs-Élysées, where station Champs-Élysées–Clemenceau on line 1 is waiting. From there the same line 1 runs direct to La Défense, so one evening can hold three markets without a change of train. Notre-Dame belongs to a different part of the day, a morning or an afternoon on Quai Montebello, reached by metro line 4 to Cité or Saint-Michel, or by RER B and C to Saint-Michel Notre-Dame. A single ticket costs €2.55 and covers the ride to La Défense too, since the fare is the same for metro, train and RER.
When it is quieter
Nobody has measured the crowds, so this is a judgement from how the markets are built. Weekday mornings and early afternoons are the calm hours, and weekend evenings are the heaviest, especially the evening the Champs-Élysées lights come on. Notre-Dame, with its crafts and its view of the cathedral, suits the daylight half of a trip. La Défense empties outside the weekend, because it is an office district and the workers go home.
What else Advent brings
Galeries Lafayette Haussmann, at 40 boulevard Haussmann, opens its windows and the tree under the dome on 12 Nov 2026. That date is still only announced. This year's theme is Au cœur de Noël, by Jean-Charles de Castelbajac, the tree has gone up every year since 1976, and looking costs nothing. The store's rooftop rink, with a view across the roofs to the Eiffel Tower, runs 24 Nov 2026 – 3 Jan 2027, and its price has not been published. At La Défense the Le Sommet rink covers 504 m² and runs 12 Nov 2026 – 3 Jan 2027. A skating session for adults there costs €10–12.50, depending on the day and the slot.
Tickets for the hours between markets
The markets fill the evening, so the day needs a roof or a view. Take the terrace for the avenue from above, the Sainte-Chapelle for its glass, and a river boat when your feet give up.
- Arc de Triomphe: the terrace at the top of the Champs-Élysées, by stairs only while the lift is out of service. Price: €16. Hours from October to March: Wednesday–Monday 10 am–10:30 pm, Tuesday 11 am–10:30 pm, last entry 45 minutes before closing. Early closing: 24 and 31 December 2026 at 4 pm.
- Sainte-Chapelle: the royal chapel on the Île de la Cité, with a winter timetable that ends early. Price: €16 for visitors from the EEA, €22 from outside the EEA. Hours: 1 Apr–30 Sep 9 am–7 pm; 1 Oct–31 Mar 9 am–5 pm. Closed: 1 January, 1 May, 25 December.
- Bateaux-Mouches: a boat trip on the Seine from the Port de la Conférence, at the Alma bridge. Price, online or on the spot: €17–20.
Official ticket
- Price
- €16
- Open Oct–Mar
- Wednesday–Monday 10 am–10:30 pm
- Last entry
- 45 minutes before closing
- 24 and 31 December
- closes at 4 pm
Through a partner
- options with a guide or audio guide
- usually costs more than the official ticket
Official ticket
- Price
- €16 (EEA), €22 (outside EEA)
- Open Oct–Mar
- 9 am–5 pm
- Closed
- 25 December, 1 January
Through a partner
- options with a guide or audio guide
- usually costs more than the official ticket
Official ticket
- Price
- €17–20
- Departure
- Port de la Conférence, by the Alma bridge
Through a partner
- options with a guide or audio guide
- usually costs more than the official ticket
Where to sleep and how to get around
Sleep in the 1st or 8th arrondissement and Tuileries and the Champs-Élysées are on foot, or pick any hotel along line 1, which reaches all the big markets except Notre-Dame. For Notre-Dame the useful stations are on line 4 and RER B and C. A single ride costs €2.55, and a day pass for zones 1 to 5 costs €12.30. A three-star hotel averages €81 per person per night over the year, which is a yearly average and says nothing about December.
Paris in Advent is a short list of places, and most of them are one metro line apart. Choose Tuileries if you only get one, add Notre-Dame for crafts, and keep La Défense for a day with children.
Check the same room on both sites: price and cancellation terms can differ.
France, in brief
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