Paris Digest
Paris city guide since 1997
New Year's Eve is a great occasion to come to Paris. Spend New Year's Eve in the Champs-Elysées as many Parisians do. The Champs-Elysées illuminations, from November 21 to January 9, and December 31 fireworks are spectacular. Parisians have a party or spend New Year's Eve in a restaurant. Most of them have special menus and dancing. There are great New Year's Eve packages combining cruises, dinner and Moulin Rouge cabaret. Although there are no fireworks there, the Eiffel Tower is nicely illuminated. You can book a restaurant with Eiffel Tower view if you are quick. Trip to Paris.
The traditional New Year's Eve in Champs-Elysées is magnified by the illuminations, the best in town. In 2022, the Champs-Elysées New Year's Eve fireworks around the Arc de Triomphe were back after a two-year interruption.
Before the countdown and the fireworks set off at midnight, Parisians and tourists were invited to gather in the Champs-Élysées from 10pm to enjoy a musical program that gave pride of place to French artists.
The Champs-Elysées are traditionnaly fully packed with people celebrating the New Year making them the largest New Year's Eve gathering place. One million people people watched the fireworks and celebrated 2023 with a bottle of Champagne and drunk it at midnight.
As a once in a life time option, select the magical New Year's Eve package. The welcoming boat-restaurant team will seat you at your table, where you will partake in a festive New Year’s Eve dinner. Head out for five hours of unforgettable partying in the heart of Paris. Information and booking.
You will have a meal specially designed for the occasion, with all of the delicacy and diversity of French cuisine. The New Year's Eve festivities begin with a Champagne aperitif, while enjoying the panoramic view over the Seine. You will discover French gastronomy during an enchanted boat ride. The glass enclosed boat lets you view the superb bridges of Paris and the magnificent illuminated sights that show off the magic of the Holiday Season. You will see the leading sites such as the Louvre, Notre-Dame and the Eiffel Tower. The evening continues with dancing, led by a DJ who will keep the action going all night long! Check list of special new year packages.
Many Parisians spend New Year's Eve in a restaurant in Paris. Most restaurants are open and have special gastronomic menus plus animation and dance. Prices are expensive. Check the restaurant web sites for reservations. Many are fully booked long in advance.
At New Year's, the city is wonderfully illuminated at night, with colors and lights which give the city a magical atmosphere.
Experience a unique New Year's Eve cruise on the Seine River. The crew of the warm restaurant boat will seat you at a convivial table where you can share a festive New Year's Eve dinner with friends or family. Enjoy a meal specially designed for the occasion with all the finesse and diversity of French cuisine. Start the evening with a champagne aperitif while enjoying the panoramic view on the Seine. Discover the French gastronomy during an enchanted stroll with superb views over the most beautiful monuments of the city.
New year's day is quiet in Paris. Most venues are closed. Great time to walk around with so few people out.
It is very difficult to find a good restaurant in Paris open on New Year's day. The brasseries are the exception. They have large and beautiful dining rooms, atmosphere, shellfish, sauerkraut, beer and Alsatian wine. The brasseries are affordable and quite popular with locals. Somehow neglected by foodies, they are at the heart of the Parisian way of life.
La Coupole, Mollard, l'Alsace are three brasseries open 7 days a week, including Christmas day and New Year's day.
Spend New Year's Eve at Moulin Rouge, Opéra Bastille or Opéra Garnier. Check top nightlife venues for a spectacular New Year's Eve in the city of lights.
Special New Years Eve packages
Moulin Rouge package
Opéra Bastille
Opéra Garnier
Shopping Malls and Department Stores are open on December 31, although sometimes they close earlier than on a normal day. Check their web site before going.
The tow famous department stores of Boulevard Haussmann, Galeries Lafayette at 40, and Le Printemps, at 64, are nicely decorated for Christmas and New Year.
Most food shops and markets are open on December 31. During the weeks before Christmas and New Year's Eve, they sell products of very high quality. The traditional dishes for Christmas and New Year's Eve are oysters, turkey, the buche, a desert. Most people drink Champagne.
