Paris trades on its own name in December. The Eiffel Tower sparkles nightly anyway, but come Christmas the whole city leans in: department store windows, market chalets, oysters, raclette and enough illuminated landmarks to justify leaving the thermals at home. Here's what's on the agenda for 2026.

Start with the shop windows. From November, Galeries Lafayette, Printemps, Le Bon Marché and La Samaritaine all unveil festive displays. This year Printemps has knitted together 160 handmade cats and mice chasing a giant ball of wool, while Galeries Lafayette has handed creative control to designer Jean-Charles de Castelbajac for a pop-coloured display of angels and fantastical characters. Across the Seine, Le Bon Marché is going full Alpine village, complete with wooden chalets and snow-dusted rooftops.

That Alpine theme runs deep this winter. La Fantaisie hotel in the 9th arrondissement has imported a slice of Megève from 18 November — fir trees in the garden, a ski gondola, tartiflette, French onion soup and Thursday-night DJ sets fuelled by génépi and Chartreuse cocktails, running until 7 January. If you'd rather have the chalet to yourself, the Park Hyatt Paris-Vendôme is relaunching Le Chalet du Park in its courtyard: a private-hire wooden hideaway for groups of up to ten, with raclette and Maison Baud charcuterie curated by Michelin-starred chef Jean-François Rouquette, plus an optional truffle menu, from 16 November to 8 February.

On the ice, the Grand Palais hosts the world's largest indoor rink — 2,700 square metres under its glass roof — from 12 December to 6 January, with light shows, DJ sets, crêpe stands and a giant moon suspended above the ice. Tickets start at €27 for adults. The Plaza Athénée offers a cosier version, with an instructor on hand for kids and a festive afternoon tea by pastry chef Angelo Musa in La Galerie.

The Christmas markets are back too, including the Champs-Élysées market, returning after nearly a decade away. The Tuileries chalets and fairground rides are reliably fun, but the Saint-Germain-des-Prés market — wooden huts set against the historic church — remains the pick of the bunch. Others pop up at La Défense, Notre-Dame and Gare de l'Est.

For evening plans: Singin' in the Rain lands at the Théâtre du Lido on the Champs-Élysées until 10 January, with tap routines, 240 costumes, a live orchestra and tickets from €25. Sainte-Chapelle fills December with carols and Bach, Handel and Corelli concerts beneath its stained glass, while Parc Floral's L'Odyssée lumineuse runs a new illuminated trail with a fake Northern Lights display (€13 for adults). And for something properly romantic, a vintage Citroën 2CV tour under blankets will drive you past the lit-up monuments for €229 per group of three.

Luxury lovers can also add a festive afternoon tea at Le Meurice (or a tasting menu at its two-Michelin-starred Alain Ducasse restaurant), and a Sam Wood art collaboration at Le Grand Mazarin in the Marais from 12 November. Cold outside, warm and cheesy inside — that's the brief.