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Winter Events in Paris

Winter is considered to be the off-season in Paris, so you can enjoy some bits of pieces of the city without the bustling warm-weather crowds. The chilly temperatures, frequent rainfall, and dark skies are the perfect weather to curl up and take in some literature at Shakespeare and Company, sip coffee and brood for a bit at any of the cafes in the Latin Quarter, or spend some extra quality time lingering over the famous artwork at the Musee Louvre or Musee d'Orsay. The weather is also the perfect excuse to don a beret without looking like a tourist.

Christmastime in Paris

Christmas is a high-class affair in Paris--with decorative displays and buildings decked with holiday lights, the city of lights becomes downright magical during the holidays. Avenue des Champs-Elysées is lined with lit Christmas trees, making the walk to the Arc de Triomphe a little more festive. Imagine the postcard-perfect photo ops while strolling down the streets of Paris, lit by the soft glow of the street lamps.

Shopping in Paris during Christmas is a delight, with luxurious holiday displays. Galeries Lafayette, Bon Marche, and Au Printemps all feature holiday light displays, as do many of the boutiques around the city. Disneyland Paris becomes a winter wonderland beginning in November.

Christmas Markets

Borrowing from the German tradition, vendors and craftsman take to the city streets in stalls to show off their wares for Christmas Markets. Find unique and handmade holiday trinkets, ornaments, and decorations. Also popular are French gourmet food items prepared specially for the holidays.

Small Christmas Markets pop up all over Paris, so it's likely you'll run into them all over town as you tour. One assembles in front of Tour Montparnasse, the skyscraper where you can get a 360-degree view of Paris from 689 feet up. A small village of booths in St. Germain des Pres makes the already enjoyable city strolling a little more jolly. Not only will you find over 350 vendors at the Jardins du Trocadero, you'll also find an outdoor skating rink in full view of the Eiffel Tower.

While you're sure to bump into plenty of Christmas Markets throughout any Paris winter visit, if you really want to knock your stockings off, check out the tremendous offerings that pop up at Avenue des Champs-Elysées to the Place de la Concorde.

Antique Books Fair

If you aren't all shopped out by the time you get to February, be sure to get yourself to the Antique Books Fair. Rare book collectors and enthusiasts from around the world gather at Halle Freyssinet on the left bank of the River Seine. You can stroll around Halle Freyssinet and find more booths and vendors with historic finds. You'll find antique books in all languages, though there is an obvious emphasis on Francophone dialects.

Before going to the fair, be sure to sharpen your negotiating skills. Haggling is an integral part of the book buying process.

Circus of Tomorrow Fair

French circuses are some of the most famous and glamorous in the world, and so it is only fair that the most famous circus-performer exposition take place in Paris. The Circus of Tomorrow Fair takes place every year in January. The competition is held at Cirque Phenix at Jardin du Reuilly on the right bank, located about one mile south of Pere Lachaise cemetery.

Acrobats, contortionists, jugglers, and trapeze artists from around the world come to the Circus of Tomorrow Fair, or Cirque de Demain, to test their performance level against the famed Parisian performers.

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Winter Events in Paris