Paris Christmas Lights 2025: 10 Best Locations

Dazzling Paris Christmas lights begin to appear all over the city in mid-November and continue to fill the City of Lights through early January.

The Paris Illuminations, as they are called, take many forms: lavish displays on Champs Élysées, along other famous avenues, in hidden passages, and magnificent plazas, sparkling decorations on 150+ more streets throughout the city, elaborate creations in department store windows, spectacular over-the-top light shows at Disneyland Paris, and cheerful strings of lights at the famous Paris Christmas markets.

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Paris Christmas Lights Bus Tour - Snuggle under a warm blanket as you see thousands of sparkling lights in iconic Paris locations
Paris Christmas Lights Small-Group Walking Tour - See beautiful lights at Paris's most beautiful historical location, & visit a festive Christmas market
Private Christmas Tour of Paris with a Ferris Wheel Ride - A local professional guide picks you up at your hotel (and takes you back at the end) for this special tour of the most famous Paris holiday lights and decorations. Book now

The number of illuminated locations grows and expands each year - so whether you're visiting Paris for the first time during this special season, or returning, as we do almost every year, to enjoy this beautiful city during the Christmas holiday season, you'll find a seemingly endless number of brilliantly lit spots around the city to bring you joy.

During the past few years, the always-lovely lights and decorations around Place Vendome, Rue Saint-Honoré, Rue de la Paix, and Rue Royale have grown even more lavish, creating their own enchanted neighborhood to rival the decorations along Champs-Elysees.Champs Elysees in Paris.

This couple slipped out of their wedding reception at the nearby Ritz to dance for a few moments by the illuminated Christmas trees in Place Vendome - a priceless memory!

Not surprisingly, Christmas Markets put on their own extravagant displays across the city.

Check out the brightly lighted attractions and Ferris Wheel at the Tuileries Christmas Market and the special light shows at the Hotel de Ville Christmas Market where you can also stroll through sparkling forests, buy artisan products with the Made in Paris label at the market's chalets, and, just for children, enjoy free rides on the vintage carousel.

The brightly lighted Ferris Wheel and Champagne Bar at the Tuileries Christmas Market

You'll find more lights at Place de la Bastille, Place de la Concorde, Rue des Abbesses in Montmartre, Saint-Germain, and along the banks of the Seine River - and of course, plenty of other spots around Paris.

For some of the loveliest, although more subdued, Christmas decorations and lights, go inside Paris churches.

Or, for a completely different type of experience, take one of the evening Seine River cruisesand see the Illuminations of historic buildings and monuments while you enjoy a gourmet dinner or Champagne and perhaps dancing to live music.

In addition to being beautiful, Paris Christmas lights are environmentally "green."

A combination of LED bulbs and solar power generation means the energy usage and cost for the spectacular displays are almost zero, which leads to even more streets displaying holiday lights each year.

In this article, we share our favorite places to find the most brilliant extravaganzas of Christmas Lights, Illuminations, and decorations in central Paris where you can celebrate the exciting holiday season.

Top photo: Holiday lights along Champs Elysées in Paris, with Arc de Triomphe in background; (c) Paris Discovery Guide®

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1. Christmas Lights along Champs Élysées

Christmas lights along Champs Elysees in Paris

To see the most lavish display of Christmas lights and decorations in Paris, head straight to Champs Élysées, where a million (yes, literally!) sparkling lights cover the hundreds of trees lining both sides of the famous avenue between Place de la Concorde and the Arc de Triomphe.

To keep the display fresh, the light colors often change from one near to the next so that the display each season will be different. We've included photo from several of our favorite years in this section.

As you walk along the sidewalk, you'll also see festive decorations and even more lights in most of the stores.