France truly shines at Christmas! Every town and village is lit up with beautiful decorations. Shops and streets are decorated with charming window displays and the best of French cuisine is available no matter where you go. Oyster, foie gras, champagne and gourmet chocolates are part of local traditions as well as charming Christmas markets, local festivals and many other attractions for children as well as adults.
When organizing a trip to France around the Christmas holidays here are our top 3 hot spots:
Christmas Celebrations in Lyon
The Festival of Lights (Fête des Lumières) takes place in the beautiful city of Lyon from Thursday 6th of December to Sunday 9th. Starting from 8pm you will be able to admire beautiful light and sound installations all around the city.
This Festival is a rendez-vous you can’t miss if you’re around: started in 1850, it now showcases nearly 80 artistic projects with 184 artists, and 76 places that are completely made up with new lights, stories and ambiances.
Guess which is our favorite one? It’s called Luminex and it’s placed just round the corner from our stunning Radisson Blu Hotel Lyon. It consists of a huge (4.5 meters high) light tower, made by 420 lights; which change in color, frequency and pattern to create thousands of different experiences.
Christmas Magic in Paris
When talking about Christmas lights, Paris is definitely a must see. Christmas lights and Christmas markets spread all over the city in December., and become a real attraction for tourists but also for locals. Strolling around the markets you could find the perfect French gifts or enjoy a yummy break.
Paris is also famous for its shopping center’s Christmas decorations. Galeries Lafayette or Printemps windows will charm both kids and parents. Animated dolls, a magical atmosphere and twinkling Christmas light, will transport you into the French Christmas feeling.
Our Radisson Blu Hotel Champs Elysées and the Radisson Blu Hotel Paris Boulogne are the perfect places to relax after a day of Christmas shopping in Paris.
Christmas Light Show in Nantes
This year again Nantes’ cathedral will be the scene of a dazzling transformation. The last edition in 2016 called "l'Odyssée des rêves" attracted more than 150 000 visitors.
For 2018, the LumiNantes association has announced the new show project for this year called "Lucia". The sound and light show finds his inspiration in paintings from artist Alain Thomas representing mostly winter scenes in Russia. This colorful theme promises to illuminate with very bright colours the Saint-Pierre square in Nantes.
Before leaving, don’t forget to do some Christmas shopping: Nantes, Lyon and Paris will offer you the best of the French style… and of course of the French cuisine!