Christmas in Paris Is Something Else
On 26 December, after a cool but sunny day, we left Bruges and reached Paris in the early evening. We had only two hours before checking into our hotel, and because we were near the Champs-Élysées, we explored the area. The light drizzle was irritating, yet the avenue—normally not one of my favourites—looked spectacular under its lights and reminded me that I was in a great city. A much larger and busier Christmas market was operating toward the Tuileries Garden. Another façade that caught our attention was the red Citroën building, which looked like an optical illusion.
Although our hotel was toward the suburbs, we could reach it easily by changing metro lines. A nearby Carrefour let us buy budget-friendly food to eat in the room. Park & Suites had an attractive, simple design, but the absence of certain basics surprised us. There was a lamp we could move anywhere in the room, for example, but no hair dryer. Because the room could also function as an apartment, it included a small kitchen, where we heated pizza and some wonderfully strange microwave meals that were difficult to find in Turkey, then watched popular Hollywood films.
Whatever its flaws—rude encounters or cloudy weather—Paris has always been a city I love and where I feel happy. It is alive and dynamic. Rude people exist everywhere, so perhaps the French should merely be placed in the 'occasionally grumpy' category.
Although our hotel was toward the suburbs, we could reach it easily by changing metro lines. A nearby Carrefour let us buy budget-friendly food to eat in the room. Park & Suites had an attractive, simple design, but the absence of certain basics surprised us. There was a lamp we could move anywhere in the room, for example, but no hair dryer. Because the room could also function as an apartment, it included a small kitchen, where we heated pizza and some wonderfully strange microwave meals that were difficult to find in Turkey, then watched popular Hollywood films.
Whatever its flaws—rude encounters or cloudy weather—Paris has always been a city I love and where I feel happy. It is alive and dynamic. Rude people exist everywhere, so perhaps the French should merely be placed in the 'occasionally grumpy' category.
The next morning we went to Notre-Dame. On an earlier visit we had tried to explore every corner of Paris on foot but never managed to go inside. This time, during a break in the relentless rain, we joined the long queue and entered within about fifteen minutes. The cathedral was closed after the 2019 fire and reopened in December 2024; entry is now free, with an optional free reservation through the official website. After visiting this Gothic landmark, we decided we could not leave without seeing the Louvre Pyramid and took the obligatory tourist photo.
Another memorable sight was the Galeries Lafayette Christmas window display. We stood beside a group of spellbound five-year-olds and watched it for ten minutes, equally enchanted.
Then we escaped into a Starbucks, rested in warm, comfortable chairs and went online. Whatever one thinks of it, Starbucks can feel like a lifeline while travelling abroad; rather unfortunately, that enormous symbol of the American dream can make you feel at home.
After coffee and a rest, we walked around Saint-Germain and looked at the windows of its unusual shops until darkness fell. In a second-hand shop that sold clothes by weight, the dust and the astonishing patterns on the vintage jumpers nearly overwhelmed us. I started coughing so badly that we rushed outside; otherwise you might later have seen me in an enormous knitted jumper covered in skiing Santas. We then took the metro to Montmartre. Paris public transport is convenient, but always travel with a valid ticket: in 2026 a standard Metro–Train–RER ticket costs €2.55, and an immediate fine for fare evasion can be as high as €70.
Then we escaped into a Starbucks, rested in warm, comfortable chairs and went online. Whatever one thinks of it, Starbucks can feel like a lifeline while travelling abroad; rather unfortunately, that enormous symbol of the American dream can make you feel at home.
After coffee and a rest, we walked around Saint-Germain and looked at the windows of its unusual shops until darkness fell. In a second-hand shop that sold clothes by weight, the dust and the astonishing patterns on the vintage jumpers nearly overwhelmed us. I started coughing so badly that we rushed outside; otherwise you might later have seen me in an enormous knitted jumper covered in skiing Santas. We then took the metro to Montmartre. Paris public transport is convenient, but always travel with a valid ticket: in 2026 a standard Metro–Train–RER ticket costs €2.55, and an immediate fine for fare evasion can be as high as €70.
In Montmartre we found ourselves in another huge Christmas market. After patiently climbing dozens of steps, we watched Paris glow at night from in front of the Sacré-Cœur Basilica. Back downhill, we stopped for café au lait at Le Saint Jean, just outside Abbesses station. We had stayed nearby on a previous visit, and the lively café—with its nostalgic décor and classically Parisian impatience from the staff—gave me a strangely pleasant feeling.
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Our second day in Paris followed a deliberately contrasting plan. We searched for the Canal Saint-Martin but somehow missed it and ended up in a Turkish neighbourhood, where people seemed to have built a pleasant life. We then visited Place des Vosges, Paris's oldest planned square, and Victor Hugo's house. I found the dark, wood-heavy interior rather oppressive, but I could not help envying its enormous windows and view over the square. Next came Napoleon Bonaparte's monumental tomb and gardens, whose precisely clipped trees we admired. After that historical route, we took the metro to the almost futuristic district of La Défense.
People describing Paris rarely mention this area, yet I think it is one of the city's most interesting districts. It contains offices, homes and hotels in many different forms. Most importantly, on the same axis as the historic Arc de Triomphe stands the vast modern Grande Arche. We sat on the many steps beneath it and viewed illuminated Paris from this new perspective. After another coffee and rest, we headed to the Centre Pompidou. As an architect I cannot be entirely objective, and I do like the building—but it truly makes little attempt to blend into its surroundings and may, perhaps, be rather ugly.
After this exhausting tour, we returned to our room, heated a ready-made pizza in the microwave and fell asleep watching Mission: Impossible. The next morning, after another of those disappointing European hotel breakfasts, we said goodbye to Paris and set off for Luxembourg.
People describing Paris rarely mention this area, yet I think it is one of the city's most interesting districts. It contains offices, homes and hotels in many different forms. Most importantly, on the same axis as the historic Arc de Triomphe stands the vast modern Grande Arche. We sat on the many steps beneath it and viewed illuminated Paris from this new perspective. After another coffee and rest, we headed to the Centre Pompidou. As an architect I cannot be entirely objective, and I do like the building—but it truly makes little attempt to blend into its surroundings and may, perhaps, be rather ugly.
After this exhausting tour, we returned to our room, heated a ready-made pizza in the microwave and fell asleep watching Mission: Impossible. The next morning, after another of those disappointing European hotel breakfasts, we said goodbye to Paris and set off for Luxembourg.
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