During the Christmas period, Paris takes on a very special charm and New Year’s Eve is the height of the festivities. The cold, and often snowy, weather perfectly matches the Christmas decorations and illuminations that you will still find at the end of the year, transforming the city into a very special place.
Celebrating New Year’s Eve in Paris is certainly one of the most popular choices for many tourists, even if prices rise considerably compared to other times of the year, both for accommodation and catering. The French capital is not only the home of romance, it is also full of nightlife and nightclubs in which to wait out the end of the year.
Whether you are with your family, friends or travelling as a couple, you can celebrate New Year’s Eve in many different ways: wait for the countdown on the Champs-Élysées in the middle of the crowds, spend a romantic evening on a night cruise on the Seine, attend a party, go wild in a trendy club, attend a cabaret show or even treat yourself to a magical New Year’s Eve fantasy at Disneyland Paris.
You will be spoilt for choice to celebrate your New Year’s Eve in Paris.
If you’ve decided to spend New Year’s Eve in Paris but still don’t know what to do, here you’ll find a number of hints and ideas to make your celebrations truly memorable.
It’s a permanent fixture for Parisians: the citizens flock to the grand boulevards of the Champs Elysees for a magical night of fun, music and dancing well into the night. From 11 p.m. until well into the night, every year there are plays of light and images projected onto the Arc de Triomphe. This is made even more unmissable by a dazzling fireworks display that illuminates and colours the city at the stroke of midnight.
Remember to arrive in the area well in advance, preferably in the late afternoon: after a certain hour, in fact, the streets and entrances are barricaded and there are big traffic jams on the metro. You will have the same problem on your return: be prepared for long waits to get on public transport.
The Eiffel Tower is lit up with lights dancing to the rhythm of music: a dazzling spectacle awaits you, visible from every corner of the city. Projected skywards, the lights colour the city, turning the evening into pure magic.
If you want to celebrate New Year’s Eve like a true Parisian but without the crowds on the Champs-Elysee, you can head to the nearby Champs de Mars: it offers a spectacular view of the Eiffel Tower and you can mingle with the locals in an equally entertaining way.
If you want to celebrate New Year’s Eve without the exaggerated crowds of the city centre but also without sacrificing romance and fun, you can choose the Montmartre district. The heart of the Belle Epoque period, it still exerts a great charm today, offering spectacular views and romantic spots: from the top of the hill you have a memorable view over all of Paris and can even admire the lights of the Eiffel Tower.
New Year’s Eve is also celebrated here in the square, but with far fewer crowds. To start the evening you could choose a romantic dinner in one of the many quaint little restaurants offering menus of oysters, caviar, duck breast, lobster and prawns. Afterwards, the fun continues in the cabaret or jazz clubs.
The famous Michou cabaret and its transformist artists offer an evening of laughter and excitement, enhanced by a special New Year’s Eve dinner. The historic and legendary cabaret Lapin Agile also celebrates New Year’s Eve with its show to be enjoyed while sipping a glass of champagne.
Finally, if you’re not tired yet, once the midnight celebrations are over, you could move on to the nightclubs of nearby Pigalle.
If you are in the company of your sweetheart and want to celebrate in the most romantic way, you can opt for an atmospheric dinner on the Bateaux Mouches: the cruise on the Seine will take you on a tour through the glittering city, complete with champagne and musical entertainment. You can choose from several options including dinner on board, dancing and various types of entertainment.
The costs are obviously quite high but will guarantee you a special New Year’s Eve by avoiding the crowds in the squares and clubs: a more intimate and cosy way to welcome in the New Year.
If you really want to feel part of the bohemian atmosphere in Paris, you can spend New Year‘s Eve at the Moulin Rouge, one of Pigalle‘s icons.
The Moulin Rouge, the capital’s famous cabaret, offers a fine dinner with a themed show, usually the famous can-can dancers. Late at night, it continues to the rhythm of disco music with a DJ set.
We recommend that you book your tickets and dinner well in advance: seats sell out quickly many months in advance, despite the rather steep prices, which are much higher than at other times of the year.
As an alternative to the Moulin Rouge, you can try the Lido, Paradis Latin, Crazy Horse or Les Folies Bergère. All offer glittering evenings with parties, magazines in incredible costumes and champagne. On the other hand, at Bel Canto (a cabaret just a stone’s throw from the Hôtel de Ville), guests are left speechless when opera singers go from table to table, bringing the show to the audience.
Finally in Versailles, the restaurant-theatre Reminisens organises a dinner show with a realistic historical immersion in the 17th century.
Celebrating New Year’s Eve 2023 at Disneyland Paris is a must for all families with children: an exceptional evening that will amaze young and old alike.
If you book tickets for this unique evening, you will be able to stay inside the park until 2 a.m. to experience an absolutely unique evening: on the evening of 31 December, after a gigantic parade, you will witness an incredible fireworks display in the enchanting setting of Sleeping Beauty’s Castle, followed closely by an evening of dancing until late into the night.
Disney characters will of course be present for unforgettable moments and the attractions will remain open until 2am. Special tickets for this evening sell out quickly, months in advance, so we recommend you buy them as soon as possible. Also book a table for dinner on 31 December, in one of the many places inside the park, so you don’t have to risk dining in the cold and standing up.
If you plan to spend New Year’s Eve in Paris, we advise you to book accommodation well in advance to find the best solutions at acceptable prices and in strategic locations: proximity to a metro station or accommodation adjacent to the area where you plan to spend New Year’s Eve can be strategic elements.
The choice of a hotel on New Year’s Eve is not so trivial: some areas on 31 December are absolutely deserted (and more dangerous), often in very crowded places and in the metro there are fights and scuffles, and you need to plan your movements very well, to avoid getting caught up in the crowds that flow in at the end of the evening.
If possible, therefore, we recommend sleeping in the more central districts, which are clearly taken by storm and for which you need to book well in advance, especially to keep costs down.
During Christmas and New Year’s Eve, the main attractions in Paris are taken by storm. With the occasion of New Year’s Eve celebrations, many tourists take the opportunity to visit the capital and its many museums. It is therefore worth buying tickets to museums and attractions online and well in advance to avoid the risk of selling out and avoiding long queues.
Keep in mind, however, that on 1 January many attractions are closed (e.g. the Louvre) or operate with reduced opening hours. If the attraction you are interested in is open, it is certainly a good idea to visit it on 1 January: while most people are resting after a night of partying, you can enjoy the sights of Paris in peace.
The most important museums and attractions open on 1 January are the Eiffel Tower, the Centre Georges Pompidou, the Musée d’Orsay, the Musée de l’Orangerie (unless it falls on a Tuesday), the Grand Palais, the Museum of Natural History, the Musée Grévin and the Tour Montparnasse.
Below is the complete list of Paris museums open on the 1st of the year.
For many years, the city’s public transport system has been operating throughout New Year’s Eve: subways, buses, trains, trams and RER run from 31 December at 5pm to 1 January at noon.
We advise you to choose an area in which to spend New Year’s Eve and avoid travelling by public transport as much as possible. Although they operate regularly, they are packed and you may find yourself bottled up or waiting a long time.
Until 02.15 am, the network operates in its entirety. After this time, some metro lines will operate until 05.30 am, but will not stop at all stations.
From 02.15 a.m. only lines 1, 2, 5, 6, 9 and 14 will operate. Please note: not all stations are open. We advise you to consult the updated map.
Trains and all RER lines A, B, Ce D will operate without interruption throughout the night. On the other hand, the Noctilien network, operating from 00.30 to 05.30, will remain active as a classic weekend night.
City Card allow you to save on public transport and / or on the entrances to the main tourist attractions.
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