Four iconic Christmas experiences in Paris that you cannot miss

Tips for some incredible experiences in and around the City of (Christmas) Light.

Well I must say, Paris has outdone itself for Christmas this year. And without planning it, I ended up doing four iconic Christmas things this week.

Here’s how you can do it all too. Number three and four will become the next two podcast episodes, incidentally.

1. Ice Skating at the Grand Palais

I’ve lived in Paris for ten years and I’ve never been inside the Grand Palais - though not for lack of trying! I couldn’t get my hands on tickets for the Olympic or Paralympic events. And of course, it has been closed for renovation since 2021.

So I was especially excited when we secured tickets for the annual ice-skating rink inside. We were whisked past the hundreds-strong queue to the entrance (thank you baby Astrid!) and we stepped into a winter wonderland.

The interior was epic. A delicate mix of glass and iron letting dancing light shine on a gaggle of tipsy Parisians on skates below. Perfect Paris. Lifetime memories. Get your tickets here, they say it’s the largest indoor ice rink in the world.

2. Visiting Notre Dame during a mass

After my Monday morning tour of the Marais (117 five-star reviews in a row - back on January 13th), I popped over to Notre Dame to see if you can simply stroll in, yet. And it was indeed possible. Again, a huge line. Again, we skipped it with the pram. I’m beginning to think it’s worth it to have a pram in this city, even if you don’t have a baby. What a time saver :)

Inside Notre Dame, and the interior was breathtaking. Dazzling white, fresh paint, and a certain hope in the air. What a time to be in Paris, as Our Lady triumphantly rises from the ashes.

Our Monday visit coincided with a mass, so there was music, praying, and wide-eyed spectators with dropped jaws. It was a truly moving experience, and all you need to do is show up. No tickets, no worries.

3. Seeing the incredible decorations at Vaux le Vicomte

For next week’s podcast episode, we visited my favourite chateau in France; Vaux le Vicomte. I knew that they took Christmas seriously out there (50km south east of Paris), but I had no idea the lengths they went to. Every chateau room was like the Galeries Lafayette window display on steroids. There was something striking about the decadent walls and ceilings, beautifully complemented by the tasteful Christmas decorations.

And to make it even more picturesque, all the visitors opted to wear the crimson capes on offer at the entrance. Seeing them all ambling about looked like a scene from that new Conclave movie, but instead of cardinals at the Vatican, we were humble tourists in the French countryside.

I can’t wait to show you the videos and pictures from the day trip, organized by My Private Paris (following our trip to Champagne and Versailles). And yes, the charming chateau owner, Jean Charles de Vogué, made a podcast appearance too. This episode has it all. Off camera, Jean Charles was quite amenable to the idea of the 2025 Earful Tower Christmas party at his chateau. Wouldn’t that be something…

For a Vaux Le Vicomte refresher, here are the pics, pods, and videos from my 2021 lockdown visit (including bonus videos for members).

4. A cocktail (or dinner) at the Shangri-La hotel

And lastly, I was invited to dine at the Michelin-star restaurant Shang Palace at the Shangri-La Hotel. There’s a new chef sharing his take on French/Chinese cuisine, with meals like sweet and sour foie gras, for example.

I interviewed the chef, Tony Xu, in his kitchen (and we filmed it for YouTube too). We’ll release it in a week. After the chat, Lina and I went for dinner and it was an evening of discrete elegance. The hotel has gone all-in on Christmas decorations too. A light show on the facade, a beautiful Christmas tree in the foyer, and more.

Of course, dinner here should be reserved for a very special occasion. If you’re travelling on a budget, stick to just the lobby (which is free to enter, as with all the fancy hotels in Paris). And if you’re somewhere in between big budget and low budget, the cocktail bar was wonderful, and makes for a great special occasion drink.

That’s it for Christmas. I should point out that this week’s podcast episode was all about Paris museums. You can read what I wrote about it here. If you’re a member, you can read the full list on Substack here or Patreon here. Did you know you can gift Patreon memberships now? You can even gift them to me and I can hand them to listeners who have been wanting to join. As for Substack, we have 96 paid members. I wonder if it’s possible to hit 100 by Christmas… ?

And lastly, it wouldn’t be Christmas without our Christmas card to you, as painted by the talented left hand of my wife Lina. Here it is.

Merry Christmas and thanks for being here for another year. Oliver