Notre Dame Christmas Market – the Cutest Christmas Market in Paris 2024
Notre Dame Christmas Market is a must-see during any trip to Paris at Christmas time. It is one of the best Christmas Markets in Paris and is also one of the locals’ favorites, who, year after year, vote it as the cutest Christmas Market.
Located in the Latin Quarter and with the silhouette of Notre Dame Cathedral in the background, don’t miss the small but charming Notre Dame Christmas Market for unique gifts and perhaps a glass of mulled wine.
Here’s a quick guide to Notre Dame Christmas Market 2024, which includes some fun things to do nearby.
Notre Dame Christmas Market 2024 Dates and Hours
The Notre Dame Christmas Market 2024 dates are from Friday, 29 November 2024, to Wednesday, 25 December 2024, which means you have 27 days to enjoy this beautiful market!
Notre Dame Christmas Market Hours
The Notre Dame Christmas Market is open from 10 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. on weekdays and from 10 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. on weekends.
If possible, visit the Notre Dame Christmas Market during the week before 5 p.m. It’s definitely less crowded!
How to Get to Notre Dame Christmas Market
The best way to get to Notre Dame Christmas Market is by metro. The closest metro stations are Cluny-La Sorbonne (line 10) and Saint-Michel Notre Dame (line 4). Saint-Michel Notre Dame is also an RER B and RER C station.
To use the Paris metro, you can buy a carnet de 10 (a set of 10 individual tickets) that you will charge on a plastic card (Navigo Easy) or your mobile. If you plan on using the metro often, check out the different Paris metro tickets for a cheaper option.
Notre Dame Christmas Market – Things to Do
1. Unique Christmas Shopping
Organized by L’Art et la Seine, the Notre Dame Christmas Market is all about French arts and crafts.
Compared to the Tuileries Christmas Market, the Notre Dame Christmas Market is tiny but worth a visit! It features 30 wooden chalets where artisans sell precious, hand-made items, including jewelry, handbags, house ornaments, and more.
The stalls sell items made in France. Some of them feature products “made in Paris” from workshops not far from the market.
There are a couple of stalls selling upcycled products. Upcycling is the same process of reusing old materials, but it creates something different from its former use, which is more valuable or of higher quality. For example, one of the stalls used buttons from old, high-couture dresses (which could not be used anymore) to create beautiful jewels, while the other stall (@atelierdetoree) used old ceramic cups to create beautiful candle holders.
If you have an eye for style, this market is the ideal place to spot awesome high-quality accessories embodying French chic essence that will make for lovely gifts.
2. Food & Drinks
One of the fun things to do at the Notre Christmas Market is to sample local food specialties. Here, you will find sweet and salty specialties to eat on the spot (there are a few tables and chairs) or bring home.
Some of the foods you can find in the Notre Dame Christmas Market are homemade crêpes and gauffres, candied fruits from Provence, all kinds of sweets and chocolates, cold cuts from different regions of France (to take home), hot chestnuts, and raclette and jam sandwiches.
To wash down all this delicious food, you can choose from various drinks, such as hot chocolate, coffee, grog (a drink made from hot water, lemon, honey, and rum), and the famous vin chaud (mulled wine).
Things to Do Near Notre Dame Christmas Market
The Notre Dame Christmas Market is fun but very small, so I thought adding some things to do nearby would be useful. You are in the Latin Quarter here, but you just need to cross the Petit Pont to be on Ile de la Cité.
- On the same Square Viviani, don’t miss the oldest tree in Paris (a black locust that belongs to the Fabaceae family). This remarkable tree native to the US was introduced and planted by Jean Robin in 1601! There’s also a medieval well and the 13th-century Saint-Julien-le-Pauvre Church – the oldest church in Paris – dedicated to the Melkite Greek Catholic cult.
- Take the Batobus (the Paris hop-on, hop-off river cruise). The Batobus stop “Notre Dame” is a few meters from the market (21 Quai de Montebello)
- Find the perfect book to bring back home at Shakespeare & Company (37 Rue de la Bûcherie)
- Visit Notre Dame Cathedral, which reopened on 9 December after five years of reconstruction work. The general visit is free, but you must book a date and time slot. Check out how to visit Notre Dame Cathedral.
- Visit the Archaeological Crypt (access in front of Notre Dame) to learn more about Roman Paris.
- Find your way to the Caveau de la Huchette, “Paris’ famous temple of swing,” for some good jazz. This iconic place on 5 Rue de la Huchette has been open since 1946!
