Paris: city of - Christmas - light

They call Paris the City of Light, and at Christmas time the name's more appropriate than ever: the whole of the city on the Seine seems to be decked in magic. with glittering tinsel garlands, streams of flickering coloured lights, Christmas trees, Advent markets and nativity scenes... you may even find some snow! Get ready to start looking for your passport and camera: our gallery of scenes around the French capital may well get you itching to catch a flight and see for yourself. The Eiffel Tower, the Champs Elysees, Notre Dame... they're beautiful at any time of year, but Christmas casts its own particular spell.

Paris Christmas lights

Until January 7th, the Forum des Halles has a futuristic display of digital snowflakes that are projected on the glass of the Place Basse, plunging the building into a poetic universe of crystal constellations, with music composed specifically to enhance the effect / © Paris Tourism

Paris Christmas lights

Alongside the Eiffel Tower is the Trocadero Christmas market, where 120 stalls sell gifts, decorations and culinary delights from across Europe; a giant Christmas tree and outdoor skating rink add to the attractions / © Paris Tourism

Champs-Elysees, Paris Christmas lights

This year, the thousands of blue bulbs shining along the Champs-Elysees echo the azure blue of the flag of Europe / © Paris Tourism

Champs-Elysees, Paris Christmas lights

Each year, thousands of lights deck the two kilometre stretch of the prestigious Avenue de Champs-Elysees, from the Place de la Concorde to the Arc de Triomphe / © Paris Tourism

Paris Christmas lights

Outside the magnificent Notre Dame Cathedral, icon of the French capital, stands a huge Christmas tree, decorated with hundreds of blue lights / © Paris Tourism

Champs-Elysees, Paris Christmas lights

During the Christmas period, some 600,000 visitors walk along the Champs-Elysees each day; this is the third year that the street welcomes a traditional Christmas market, installed in pretty white kiosks along the stretch between the Place de la Concorde and the Grand Palais / © Paris Tourism

Champs-Elysees, Paris Christmas lights

The holiday season in the French capital kicked off with the lighting up of 400 trees on the Champs-Elysees, known as the most beautiful avenue in the world / © Paris Tourism

Paris Christmas lights

Across from the Tuileries Gardens, the ferris wheel in the Place de la Concorde offers the chance of a bird's-eye view of just how bright and beautiful Paris is at Christmas time / © Paris Tourism

Paris Christmas lights

The Place Vendome, home to the Ritz hotel and exclusive jewellery stores such as Cartier and Chaumet, sparkles with class at any time, but warrants a special visit when it decks itself with Christmas elegance / © Paris Tourism

Source: hellomagazine