Guides · 6 min

Christmas and New Year in Paris: What to Delegate, and When

For Christmas and New Year in Paris, secure the réveillon tables and the performances in November, decide the family programme in early December, and hand everything that requires a telephone call in French to someone in Paris: gifts, the caterer, the chauffeur, the doctor on the 25th. The season rewards whoever planned it two months earlier — and whoever has one person on the ground when the plan changes.

November: the things that close first

Paris restaurants publish their réveillon menus in October and the best rooms are full by mid-November. The same is true of the Opéra, the ballet and private visits during the school holidays.

Secure: Christmas Eve, Christmas Day lunch and New Year's Eve tables, with the menu, allergies and seating confirmed in writing.
Secure: performances and private visits for the week between the 24th and the 1st.
Secure: chauffeur availability for arrivals and the evening of the 31st — the one night of the year when cars are genuinely scarce.
Decide: who is coming, for how long, and what the one non-negotiable moment of the week is.

Early December: the programme and the gifts

With the anchors in place, the week can be built: one moment a day, meals that work for three generations, and quiet afternoons that nobody will regret.

Delegate: the gift list — chosen from a conversation about each person, wrapped, engraved where possible, delivered to the hotel or abroad.
Delegate: the hosting — caterer or private chef, florist, tableware, extra hands, the tree delivered and collected.
Delegate: appointments that need French — the hairdresser on the 24th, the tailor for the dinner jacket, the paediatrician who speaks English.
Keep: the afternoon in the Marais, the chocolatier you want to choose yourself, the walk along the river when the lights come on.

The week itself: what changes, and who answers

Flights are late, children fall ill, a guest arrives a day early, the restaurant moves your table. The value of a private concierge in December is not the plan — it is the person who answers on the 26th when the plan has changed. Pharmacies open on the 25th, a doctor who comes to the hotel, a car in twenty minutes, a second table because the party grew: these are telephone calls in French, made by someone who knows whom to call.

New Year's Eve without the nonsense

The 31st in Paris is a table, a view and a way home. Some rooms charge three times their worth that night; some are worth every euro. A good concierge tells you which is which, books the lunch on the 1st that nobody has thought about, and makes sure the car is actually waiting at 1:00. Our Christmas and New Year concierge page describes what we arrange for the season; our guide to last-minute restaurant reservations explains why the 'complet' notice online is rarely the final word.

FAQ

Is it too late to plan Christmas in Paris in December?

No — but the choice narrows. The best réveillon rooms are gone; good ones remain, cancellations happen, and gifts, hosting and cars can be arranged until the 23rd.