Paris in December is a two-and-a-quarter-hour train ride from central London, which makes it one of the easiest festive weekends a UK traveller can book. Once the cold sets in, the department store windows go up, the Champs-Élysées lights come on, and wooden chalets appear everywhere from the Tuileries to the business district. Here are the best Christmas markets in Paris for 2026, with the nearest Métro for each, when they usually open, and how to get there from the UK.
The 6 best Christmas markets in Paris 2026
- Jardin des Tuileries Christmas market
- Paris La Défense Christmas market
- Notre-Dame Christmas market
- Montmartre Christmas market
- Saint-Germain-des-Prés Christmas market
- The Alsatian Christmas market at Gare de l'Est
Also below: two more markets in and near Paris, the 2026 dates, how to get there from the UK, and our Paris Christmas market FAQs.
Paris spreads its markets across the city rather than concentrating them in one square, so you can walk between several in a weekend and get a different atmosphere at each. Wherever you end up, come hungry: you will find raclette and tartiflette melting under heat lamps, galettes and crêpes, saucisson, flammekueche from the Alsatian stalls, and sweet things like pain d'épices (gingerbread), marrons chauds (roasted chestnuts) and bredele (little Christmas biscuits). Mulled wine here is vin chaud, and it is usually served properly spiced.
Good to know: if you would rather stay closer to home, we have a guide to the best Christmas markets in London too — and if you are weighing up French cities, the best French Christmas markets ranks them all.
1. Jardin des Tuileries Christmas market
The Marché de Noël des Tuileries is the city's flagship, and the one most people picture when they think of Christmas in Paris. Around 80 chalets run through the gardens between the Louvre and Place de la Concorde, alongside a funfair, a big wheel and free weekend performances. It is the most central of the lot and the easiest to fold into a day of sightseeing.
The food chalets lean French rather than generic: tartiflette, raclette, vin chaud and Alsatian bredele. The 1,200 m² open-air ice rink is the other draw, and the Ferris wheel gives you the Tuileries, the Louvre and the Eiffel Tower in one turn.
The Tuileries Christmas market at a glance
- What we love: the view over Paris from the top of the Ferris wheel.
- Where: Jardin des Tuileries, 1st arrondissement.
- Nearest Métro: Tuileries or Concorde (line 1).
- Best for: first-time visitors and anyone who wants one market that does everything.
2. Paris La Défense Christmas market
If size is what you are after, this is the one. With over 200 chalets spread across the esplanade beneath the Grande Arche, the Village de Noël at La Défense is comfortably the biggest Christmas market in Paris, and it turns the glass-and-steel business district into something genuinely festive after dark. The scale is the point: there are far more craft and gift stalls here than anywhere else in the city, so it is the market to pick if you are actually shopping rather than just strolling.
There is a Santa's house for photographs, plenty of hot food, and a children's craft workshop that runs on Wednesday afternoons. It stays open later than most of the others, which makes it a good final stop on a Friday or Saturday evening.
The La Défense Christmas market at a glance
- What we love: the sheer number of stalls — the best gift-shopping of any Paris market.
- Where: Esplanade de La Défense, west of the city.
- Nearest Métro: La Défense (Grande Arche) on line 1, or RER A.
- Best for: Christmas shopping and late openings.
3. Notre-Dame Christmas market
Tucked into the Latin Quarter on the Left Bank, the Marché de Noël de Notre-Dame is the most craft-led market in the city. The stalls are given over to makers and small designers from across the French regions, so this is where to come for something that was not mass-produced — ceramics, wool, jewellery, soaps and regional food.
With the main restoration of the cathedral now complete, the setting is back to its best, and the market sits directly across the water from it. Combine it with a walk along the Seine and the bouquiniste stalls, and it makes an easy afternoon.
The Notre-Dame Christmas market at a glance
- What we love: the cathedral view, and the small independent makers.
- Where: Square René Viviani / Quai de Montebello, 5th arrondissement.
- Nearest Métro: Saint-Michel–Notre-Dame (line 4, RER B and C) or Cité (line 4).
- Best for: handmade gifts and a proper Parisian backdrop.
- More information: the official Notre-Dame Christmas market website.
4. Montmartre Christmas market
Montmartre does not do one big market so much as a series of clusters up the hill, which is exactly why it is worth the climb. Start with the chalets on Place des Abbesses as you come out of the Métro, carry on up through the streets to Place du Tertre with its cafes and portrait artists, and finish on the forecourt below the Sacré-Cœur, where you get the whole city laid out in front of you.
The stalls here skew towards independent designers and one-off pieces, so it is another good bet for gifts. Wear proper shoes: the hill is steep and the cobbles get slippery when it is wet.
The Montmartre Christmas market at a glance
- What we love: walking the lit-up streets between Abbesses and the Sacré-Cœur.
- Where: Place des Abbesses, Place du Tertre and the Sacré-Cœur forecourt, 18th arrondissement.
- Nearest Métro: Abbesses (line 12) or Anvers (line 2).
- Best for: atmosphere and photographs after dark.
5. Saint-Germain-des-Prés Christmas market
The smallest entry on this list and the most Parisian in feel. Saint-Germain-des-Prés has hosted a compact Christmas market in recent years, sitting among the galleries, bookshops and cafes of the 6th arrondissement rather than in a park or on an esplanade. It takes twenty minutes to walk round, which makes it a natural add-on to the Notre-Dame market a short stroll east rather than a destination in itself.
What it does well is the neighbourhood: this is the part of Paris to combine a few chalets and a vin chaud with a long lunch and some window shopping. Because it is one of the smaller markets, check locally before you build a day around it — the line-up in this area changes from year to year.
The Saint-Germain-des-Prés Christmas market at a glance
- What we love: pairing it with a café table and watching the 6th go by.
- Where: around Saint-Germain-des-Prés, 6th arrondissement.
- Nearest Métro: Saint-Germain-des-Prés (line 4) or Mabillon (line 10).
- Best for: combining with Notre-Dame in one afternoon on the Left Bank.
6. The Alsatian Christmas market at Gare de l'Est
This is the one to know if you are arriving by Eurostar. The Marché de Noël Alsacien sets up in front of Gare de l'Est, which is about a ten-minute walk from Gare du Nord — so you can be standing in front of a chalet with a vin chaud within a quarter of an hour of stepping off the train, before you have even checked in.
It is also the oldest Alsatian Christmas market outside Alsace itself. A dozen or so producers come up from the region with the real thing: flammekueche, bredele, kouglof, Alsatian wine and charcuterie, with a different speciality featured each day. If you cannot get to the Strasbourg Christmas market or the Metz Christmas markets this year, it is a very respectable substitute.
The Alsatian Christmas market at a glance
- What we love: the Maison Alsacienne du Biscuit stand and its kouglof.
- Where: outside Gare de l'Est, 10th arrondissement.
- Nearest Métro: Gare de l'Est (lines 4, 5 and 7) — a ten-minute walk from the Eurostar arrivals at Gare du Nord.
- Best for: your first or last hour in Paris, and Alsatian food without the trip to Strasbourg.
Two more Christmas markets in and near Paris
The Ressourcerie Créative eco Christmas market
Down in the 14th arrondissement, this is Paris's second-hand and upcycled alternative to the big chalet markets. Stalls sell reworked clothing, jewellery and decorations made from salvaged and fairly sourced materials, and the whole thing is run on a considerably smaller scale than the Tuileries. Worth a detour if you would rather your presents did not come off a production line.
- Where: La Ressourcerie Créative, 14th arrondissement.
- Best for: second-hand, upcycled and low-waste gifts.
The medieval Christmas market at Provins
For something completely different, Provins is a walled medieval town a little under two hours from Paris, and its Christmas market plays the setting for all it is worth. Expect jugglers, knights, costumed craftspeople and a fair amount of theatre alongside the stalls. It runs for a single weekend in December rather than the whole season, so it needs planning around — but if the dates line up it is the most memorable market on this list.
- Where: Place du Châtel, 77160 Provins.
- Getting there: direct trains from Paris Gare de l'Est, journey time around 1 hour 25 minutes.
- Best for: a day trip with children, or anyone tired of identical chalets.
- More information: the Provins medieval Christmas market website.
Paris Christmas market 2026 dates and opening times
Paris does not run its markets to a single city-wide calendar — each one sets its own dates, and they are confirmed market by market during the autumn. As a rule of thumb, the season opens in mid-November, most markets are running by the last week of November, and the biggest ones stay open past Christmas into the first days of January. La Défense is usually among the first to open and the Tuileries follows within a few days.
Typical opening hours across the city are late morning until around 8pm, with two exceptions worth planning around: La Défense runs later into the evening, and the Tuileries is the latest of all, staying open until close to midnight. Several markets close on Christmas Day, and the smaller ones wind up before New Year.
Because 2026 dates are published individually and often not until the autumn, check the market's own page before you book non-refundable travel. The two official sites linked above are the most reliable sources for the Tuileries, Notre-Dame and La Défense.
Getting to the Paris Christmas markets from the UK
This is the part that makes Paris such an easy festive weekend from Britain, and there is more than one way to do it.
- Eurostar runs from London St Pancras International straight into Paris Gare du Nord in around two and a quarter hours, with connections from Ashford and Ebbsfleet on some services. It puts you in the middle of the city with no transfer, and Gare de l'Est — and its Alsatian market — is a ten-minute walk away.
- LeShuttle through the Channel Tunnel from Folkestone to Calais takes around 35 minutes and lets you bring the car, which is worth it if you are combining Paris with Lille, Reims or the Alsace markets on the same trip.
- Ferries from Dover to Calais or Newhaven to Dieppe are the slowest option but usually the cheapest, particularly with a car and a full family.
- Flights from regional UK airports into Charles de Gaulle, Orly or Beauvais can undercut the train if you book early, though once you add transfers into the city the time saving mostly disappears.
Once you are there, the Métro is the only sensible way to move between markets. A carnet or a day pass covers you for the whole weekend, and every market on this list is a short walk from a station — the nearest one is listed under each entry above.
If you are making a longer trip of it, the same short-hop logic works elsewhere in Europe: Bruges in December and the Vienna Christmas markets are both worth a weekend of their own.
Paris Christmas market FAQs
What date do the Christmas markets start in Paris?
Mid-November, generally. Paris La Défense is usually the first of the major markets to open, with the Tuileries following shortly after, and most of the others are trading by the end of November. Exact 2026 dates are set by each market individually and tend to be announced during the autumn, so check the official site for the one you are planning around.
Which is the best Christmas market in Paris?
The Jardin des Tuileries market is the one most visitors rate highest, and it is the easiest to recommend if you only have time for one. Its position between the Louvre and Place de la Concorde is unbeatable, and the combination of chalets, ice rink, funfair and Ferris wheel means it works for couples and families alike. If you are shopping rather than sightseeing, La Défense has far more stalls.
Which is the biggest Christmas market in Paris?
Paris La Défense, with over 200 chalets on the esplanade below the Grande Arche. It is roughly two and a half times the size of the Tuileries market and has the widest selection of craft and gift stalls in the city.
Is it worth visiting Paris at Christmas?
Yes — and arguably more so than in summer. December in Paris is cold but rarely severe, the queues at the major museums and monuments are a fraction of their August length, and the city puts real effort into its decorations: the Champs-Élysées and Place Vendôme illuminations, the department store windows on Boulevard Haussmann, and markets scattered across a dozen neighbourhoods. From the UK it is also one of the cheapest city breaks going once the train is booked.
What are the opening times of the Paris Christmas markets?
Most run from late morning to around 8pm. La Défense stays open later, typically until 9pm or 10pm depending on the day, and the Tuileries market is the latest in the city, trading until nearly midnight. Weekends are longer than weekdays at most markets, and several close on Christmas Day.
Is there a Christmas market at the Eiffel Tower?
Not a permanent fixture, no. The Trocadéro and Champ de Mars area has hosted festive villages in some years, but it is not part of the reliable annual line-up the way the Tuileries or La Défense are. For chalets with a view of the tower, the Tuileries big wheel is the more dependable bet, and the walk along the Seine between the two is worth doing at dusk regardless.
How do I get to the Paris Christmas markets from London?
Eurostar from London St Pancras to Paris Gare du Nord takes around two and a quarter hours and is the simplest option by a distance. The Alsatian market at Gare de l'Est is a ten-minute walk from the arrivals hall, and everything else on this list is a short Métro ride away. LeShuttle, the Dover–Calais ferries and flights from regional airports are all alternatives — see the section above.
Can you pay by card at the Paris Christmas markets?
At most stalls, yes, and contactless is widely accepted. Smaller producers and some food chalets still prefer cash, though, so it is worth having some euros on you. Bear in mind that many UK debit cards charge a non-sterling transaction fee unless you are using a travel card.
Give a Christmas trip to Paris with Experiencegift
If the markets have you thinking about a gift rather than a trip of your own, a festive weekend is a considerably better present than another scarf. With Experiencegift you can hand someone the trip and let them pick the dates and the destination themselves:
- A train journey with Traingift — the obvious one for Paris and the European market cities, Eurostar included.
- A hotel stay with Hotelgift — for the nights in between.
- A flight with Flightgift — if they would rather go further afield.
Every Experiencegift gift card can be personalised and sent as a luxury physical card, a PDF or an email, so it works whether you are organised in November or panicking on Christmas Eve. And because the recipient chooses the where and the when, you are not committing them to a weekend that does not suit — which is the whole point. Have a look at what is on offer in our Explore section, or browse more Christmas gift ideas for the family.