I avoid going to Christmas markets since most of the times they are crowded and feel pretty much all the same despite the fact that there are more and more special ones – in November only I have seen 12 local ones open for a few days to a few weeks – Peruvian (!), Swedish, British.
This year, I decided to challenge myself and give the markets a try to prove myself wrong (or right!).
I am going to reveal three addresses of markets in Paris I visited and a few tips how to make the most of them. If you’re like me and feel like holiday markets are crowded and dull, this article is for you!
Paris is especially pretty when no one is around, which is around 6 a.m. Obviously, the Christmas markets don’t open unitl 10 or 11 a.m., so the earlier you go, the less crowds you are going to experience! Being a tourist in your own city can be fun to see new spots but only when it doesn’t involve getting stuck in a crowd somewhere popular.
Notre Dame market
I looked around and met Giselle, a lady who makes soaps down south in France as Savon et Moi. She has been attending the market for the past seven years, and she is the one packaging the soaps, making them and selling them. Must be tough doing all by herself! Giselle agreed, but said it’s something she has been doing since she was 15 years old, so it doesn’t feel like a chore.
I feel like her story reminded me of how much loving your craft can help you through the less certain of times and it was something I could relate to so, so well. I was particularly charmed by her green tea and puer soap and the fact that every piece was lovingly packed in craft paper of different colours. On the walls of her stand she hung up posters of pictures at work in her workshop which helped me realise even more how much work it takes to produce a tiny soap bar of a hundred grams.
This market showed me how much poetry I was missing in simple city scenes.
Seeing the bigger picture
Zooming out and zooming in my focus, I noticed how colourful the market was, a true kaleidoscope of colours and scents! Stalls, painted in bright stripes of red, green, white, gold, seemed to compete with each other over whose garland and decoration was the prettiest, with polar bears and bells as decoration in the middle of the market.
Turning your head, you could smell freshly baked bread, warm and slightly spiced, mingling with the rich aroma of melted cheese and sweet gingerbread from the raclette stand. On the tables, I saw baskets of vibrant oranges, shiny jars of honey, and little jars of jam and nuts beckoned. It felt like a concentration of flavours, sounds and impressions all in one. Especially for someone from the food industry, like me!
Walking by, I could see a vendor carefully wrapping a soft camembert in paper for the tourists, while nearby someone tied a baguette with a ribbon. Some tourists were laughing as they sipped hot chocolate and mulled wine with children running around, and the lights on the trees twinkled in time with their steps.
It felt like every scent and colour held a little festive story, one you couldn’t help but remember, stories I will never learn and never tell. The Notre Dame market seemed like a safe haven amongst the crowds near the cathedral and in the streets, so a 5 out of 5 on this one and I advise you to give it a try in the days to come. Do come early to enjoy it to the fullest!
The Notre Dame Christmas Market runs from now through Christmas Day in 2025.
Hotel de Ville
The second market that marked my attention was the one near Hotel de Ville. If the Notre Dame market was dedicated to producers from all around France, the one close to the city administration building was dedicated to Parisian creators. The lady vendors I crossed paths with were less friendly than those at Notre Dame, so I only struck one quick conversation with Angie, a creator behind blown glass earrings, rings and hand-painted pictures on aluminium cans.
Having been on the market for eight years in a row, she was happy to hear I would be telling about her in an article. Talking to her, I realised she was modest and had a lot to tell but was shy to do so, and it added charm to how she spoke.
On the whole, the Hotel de Ville market seemed less cosy than the one at Notre Dame, perhaps because there were less lights and fewer food stalls where people would queue. It was also bigger in size without having a clear border between the market and the street. I also found it more elegant and well-thought out, more concise than the Notre-Dame one, which was understandable, it being close to the city administration and reflecting the spirit of Paris itself.
The Hotel de Ville Christmas markets runs through 4 January 2026.
St. Michel Square Christmas Market
I then got to the third market, near St Michel fountain, and this one was the one where I realised exactly why I don’t like Christmas markets. The stalls looked pretty much anonymous – there was barely anything special about them and also barely any people were there to shop and explore.
It was the end of the day, the vendors were tired and every one of them I saw was scrolling through their phones. A stand dedicated to Brittany, to Alsace, cashmere scarfs, jellies and candies, it looked like you could point to a random place around the world and except for the French regional stands, it would be all the same as any other Xmas market there.
The market’s space wasn’t a closed-off part of the square so the atmosphere wasn’t as cozy, despite the lights and garlands that were hanging everywhere. The stalls weren’t forming anything special together, so I didn’t really enjoy being there. If you ever experience a Christmas market like this and it will be your first, you will never believe it could be a completely different experience than simply such copy-paste stalls! Especially considering the fact that the Notre Dame and the St. Michel markets are just a 7-minute walk away from each other.
The St. Michel market runs through 5 January.
Even though I have covered only 3 of the 20-plus markets around Paris, I am sure they can be very, very varied in how they are organised, how you feel there, what you can buy and what overall impression they may have on you. So, if you are skeptical like me, give it a try!
Every market has its peculiarity and charm, especially if you approach them with curiosity. Chatting with vendors is a bonus – you get some inspiration for local insights and activities to do around town if you are local and even if you aren’t.
Do go early and for next year to avoid the crowd, just go before everyone else does date wise – Christmas shopping and gifts in the beginning of December this year did no harm to my friends and family who got them before everyone else.
Maybe next year I can test out some national pop-up markets I missed in November and tell you stories from there!
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You can see a map of all the Paris Christmas Markets here.
See more about Paris here in Dispatches’ archives.
Elena Kalmykova is a pastry chef, gastronomic guide, arts lover and passionate traveller. She’s originally from Moscow, Russia. It was her love for pastry that led Elena to study and then work in a Parisian pastry shop, a 3-star Michelin restaurant, then at a 5-star hotel.
She loves to discover new technologies as well as the latest trends in food, great spots to eat or drink and share her knowledge.
You can follow her on Instagram at elena_kalmykova.
