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Embracing the Magic of Paris during the Holiday Season-Dec 2022



5 days in Paris-Dec 2022


Tips and Hints:

-IF you have a connecting flight in the Schengen zone, leave enough time to clear immigration, or there's a good chance you will miss your connection. I advise a minimum 2-hour connection time in case of delays, luggage transfers ( if switching airlines), and immigration.

-DO NOT get rid of your metro tickets until you exit your last stop (depending on the ticket type). RER tickets are separate tickets from the metro.

-Going to Versailles? Get the earliest available time slot in the morning, and go to the Hall of Mirrors first.

-Eiffel Tower tickets-buy directly from the website. Tickets go on sale 60 days prior to your visit at midnight (CET) and they sell out quickly since there are a limited amount of spots for visitors

-While the Metro is the most effective way to get around, I would suggest if it is less than 25 minutes of walking time to do that. Sometimes transferring metros underground can take as long, not to mention the stairs!

-Take the after-hours tour of the Opera Garnier. It’s a great way to explore with hardly any people.

-Want a great view of Paris and the Eiffel Tower for free? Go to the terrace at the top of Galleries Lafayette. Note: you do have to climb some stairs.

After the last few years of travel restrictions, I was determined to make the most of my holiday break and yearned to go somewhere festive. My first thought was Europe, and the second thought was Christmas markets, but alas most end right around Christmas, though there are a few lingering ones.


So, where should I go? I very rarely go back to the same place more than once, but after 20 years Paris beckoned to me. I was excited to see her and how she dressed up during the holidays.


Next, where do I stay and what do I want to do? While everyone wants to stay close to the Eiffel Tower and have “the view” it is extremely pricey (as expected), and not the most convenient. After researching quite a bit (big shocker lol), I picked the Hotel Joyce Astotel in the 9th arrondissement. It was centrally located, had a close metro stop, and most things I wanted to explore were walkable. Now if you were looking for views, this wasn’t it, but this was one of the best boutique hotels in Europe I stayed in.

I had about 4.5 days in Paris and wanted to make the most of it. Since this was my 2nd time, I decided to skip 2 of the biggest tourist attractions: going up the Eiffel Tower and visiting the Louvre. This was my itinerary:


Day 1

Arrive at CDG in the morning. Luggage left behind in connecting City (NOT in the itinerary lol). Get a taxi from the taxi stand (the approximate price of 55 Euros) and drop my backpack off at the hotel.


With the flight and no sleep, I had kept my itinerary light, yet active for the first day. I walked from my hotel to the famous Angelina’s for their hot chocolate. There are a few locations, but the most iconic one is Paris Rivoli. I knew there was going to be a wait if you wanted to be seated, so I was prepared. I was lucky that the wait was only an hour. Most times it’s a minimum of 2 hours.




After enjoying a warm croissant with cheese, the famous hot chocolate, and a Mont Blanc, it was time to walk around. I was keen on checking out the Christmas Market by the Tuileries Gardens but wanted to wait a bit until it got dark.

This gave me a chance to reacquaint myself with Paris’ iconic Eiffel Tower, Louvre, and Arc D’Triomphe from afar.




Fatigue and jet lag were hitting me, so it was time to hit the Christmas Markets at Tuileries Gardens before heading back. Unfortunately, this Christmas Market was very tailored towards kids’ activities not to mention extremely crowded (I didn’t have to walk, I was being pushed forward!), so I exited stage right and headed back to the hotel.

Day 2

The Place of Versailles. This was one of the only repeat things I did. The Hall of Mirrors was under renovation on my last visit, so this was one activity I was eagerly looking forward to. I had booked the “Passport” ticket, one of the earliest slots available, 9 a.m., and took the RER line from Paris. Note: if you buy a metro pass etc., it is not valid as a separate ticket so please make sure to buy and hold onto your tickets. This goes for every place, do not get rid of your metro tickets until you exit your last stop (depending on the ticket type).


It was a miserable rainy day but a short walk to the Palace. Since I had one of the first time slots, I had no wait, and once inside made a beeline for the Hall of Mirrors.




Tip: this is your best chance of the least amount of people and getting some great pictures. You can download the audio guide for free from the Versailles app to accompany you through your exploration of the Place. With the guide, I would say 2 hours from start to finish is a good gauge of the time you will need. With it being winter and a miserable day, I opted to not go to the gardens since I had seen them previously in springtime on my prior trip.


My ticket included the Estate of Trianon and Gallery of Coaches but they both didn’t open until noon. Additionally, be prepared, the Estate of Trianon is about a 30-minute walk from the Palace. With the weather and the wait, I decided to skip both.


With train delays and the ride time, I had time for a quick bite and power nap before heading to my evening activity. If you don’t get the opportunity to attend an Opera I recommend the after-hours tour at the Palais Opera House. “The Mysteries of the Palais Garnier (after closing)”. I can say this was the highlight of my Paris trip. The Opera House is gorgeous, and even more so with no crowds! While multiple tours were going on we were spread out and felt like we had the place to ourselves.



After the tour, I decided to check out Les Commeres a place I had seen on social media that was a 5-minute walk from my hotel. While the main menu wasn’t anything special to look at, they did a specialty chou and cocktail pairing which caught my interest. Surprisingly the food was also delicious, but the dessert and cocktail pairing didn’t disappoint.

Day 3-New Year’s Eve


I had a full morning/afternoon with a Food tour of Marais. It was about a 4-hour tour with a wide variety of food from cheese, wine, Croque Monsieur, macarons, and meringue. I also recommend a food tour as a great way to see a new neighborhood since you get a bit of a guided tour in addition to the food sampling.


My New Year’s Evening plans were low-key. I was attending a concert at Saint Chapelle. This was one event, where I was 50/50. The performances were great, but for actual performance time, I’m not sure I would do it again. There is a whole lot of waiting for about an hour of performance. Afterward, I walked around and stopped by Hôtel de Ville Market: While it was closed, the dazzling and glittering displays were still up and beautiful to see.


After a quick stop for wine and some delicious bread and cheese, it was back to the hotel in time to bring in New Year’s with the millions of people on TV at Champs Elysees.

Day 4- New Year’s Day!


I decided to check out yet another neighborhood today, Saint-Germain-des-Prés. They had a mini-holiday market going on there, but I was ready to sit down and have some lunch.


After a quick lunch, it was time for my next stop-the Eiffel Tower. Now I was not going up it, but I had to make a stop at the Trocadero to get my obligatory picture LOL.



Back to the hotel for a quick break and to freshen up before my dinner. This was the only place I had made reservations for because they were rumored to have the best onion soup and escargots, and it was indeed delicious despite it catering mostly to tourists.




Bonus I got to check out a new neighborhood. I would love to go back to this area as it looked like a lively and happening place with tons of great restaurants and shops.


Day 5-Last Day


Alas, my last day. After seeing the crowds at Galleries Lafayette twice in the last few days, I waited until January 2nd to go back. I made a beeline for the rooftop along with a few other people to get some of the best views of Paris. After enjoying my time on the roof, I walked back down and got to enjoy all the Holiday decorations and windows that were still up without all the crowds, though I will admit they would be much prettier at night.



I had another tour scheduled in the afternoon in Montmartre with the highly acclaimed Emmanuel Hidden Gems. Another great way to get the history and nuances of the area from a local. While I had been to Montmartre previously it was mainly for Sacre Coeur, and I didn’t explore the neighborhood. It ended at the back of Sacre Coeur so if you do want to go in you still could.





I didn’t get a chance to eat lunch, so I stopped for a quick crepe before heading over to Champs Elysees. Like Galleries Lafayette I was strategic with the timing of my visit here after New Year’s when most of the crowds had dispersed. This was gorgeous with miles of lighted trees (Christmas Illuminations) that twinkled every few minutes. I also walked to the Place Vendome and Pont Alexandre III Bridge which is a great location to get a shot of the Eiffel Tower lighting up at dusk on the hour, every hour, with hundreds of thousands of lights for a full five minutes.








After this very full day of walking, I was ready for dinner and packing for my early morning flight home. I used the G-7 app to book my taxi the day before and it arrived promptly for my pickup. With no VAT to claim, and luckily no lines, I sailed right through to my gate with plenty of time!


Au revoir Paris! Jusqu'à la prochaine fois !


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