When it comes to sheer beauty, it’s hard to beat Paris in the spring, but Paris in December comes pretty close. Streets around the city are strung with lights and tasteful illuminated decorations. Shops string Christmasy garlands around their doors and awnings. Some areas, like the swanky streets around the Faubourg Saint-Honoré, go all out, with entire storefront facades dressed up like expensive presents. Christmas markets abound, and the trees along the Champs-Élysées glitter with fairy lights.
But the most stunning examples of Christmas decorating magic in Paris are without a doubt the Grands Magasins, the large department stores that dot the city. The first grand magasin in Paris opened in the late 18th century, but the 19th century is when they exploded in popularity, even inspiring Émile Zola’s novel Au Bonheur des Dames.
Today, the grands magasins are a one-stop location for luxury shopping, and to draw in customers, many also rely on their stunning historical architecture, as well as temporary art exhibits and installations. The winter holidays are when they really shine. A Paris department store worth its salt will have whimsical window displays (vitrines), usually featuring elaborate scenery and animated figures and marionettes. Inside, you’ll find Christmas lights, trees, and other baubles that give a festive air to the place while you shop. Some grands magasins also offer holiday crafting events and photos with Santa Claus, alongside their stunning displays.
The holiday decorations of the grands magasins aren’t always traditionally Christmas-themed. In fact, creativity is de rigueur. Every year, each one has a new and different theme. Sometimes, Christmas tropes and characters are included, other times not. But one thing that’s a constant when it comes to holiday décor at the grands magasins is whimsy and beauty.
I’ve visited Paris’s five most famous grands magasins to see this year’s holiday decorations. Here’s what I discovered, ranked from magical to must-see.
The Best Department Store Holiday Displays in Paris
La Samaritaine
Founded in 1870, and later relocated to its current location near the Pont Neuf in 1910, La Samaritaine is a Paris icon. Shut down for renovations for a whopping 16 years, it reopened in 2021 with its stunning Art Nouveau architecture still stealing the spotlight.
Interestingly, of all of Paris’s grands magasins, La Samaritaine seems to be doing the most advertising for the holidays this year… but when I went to check it out, its holiday décor didn’t live up to the hype.
What you’ll see at La Samaritaine this December is undeniably gorgeous. The store’s Art Nouveau iron and glass storefront on the rue de la Monnaie is illuminated with large plant and animal sculptures. But the windows on the ground floor aren’t the typical whimsical holiday displays you’d expect of a grand magasin. Inside, the store’s beautiful staircases and railings are decorated with garlands and fairy lights, and there are pretty Christmas trees on each floor, but there’s no single showstopper or unified theme. It’s kind of like spending Christmas at a pretty old hotel, rather than a place looking to put on a bit of a show.
If it’s easy for you to stop by La Samaritaine in December, you’re sure to appreciate its décor, but if you’re craving Paris department store Christmas magic, it’s probably not going to do it for you.
Le Bon Marché
Le Bon Marché is Paris’s oldest grand magasin still in operation. Opened in 1852, it’s also the only one today that’s located on the Rive Gauche, in the quiet upscale intersection of the rue de Sèvres, rue du Bac, and boulevard Raspail. Although the store’s interior is more Art Deco than Beaux-Arts, it feels smaller and more human in scale than the other grands magasins, almost cozy.
This year’s holiday decorations at the Bon Marché made me think of the store’s general vibe. Its famous gold and white criss-crossing escalators seem to have inspired the sketch-like décor in the display windows, which feature typical Haussmannian-style buildings in miniature cardboard cutouts. The whimsy comes in when you see who the buildings are inhabited by: bunnies, sea creatures, and exercising flamingos are the most notable residents. Most of these move when the windows turn on every few minutes. In each window, a giant Eiffel Tower with eyes also slides through the scene.
Things stay whimsical inside the store. Large illuminated clouds and black and white three-dimensional Eiffel Towers are suspended from the ceiling. It’s definitely a surprising sight (and makes for some great photo ops, too). Overall, the Bon Marché’s holiday décor is pretty unique this year, though still a bit muted when it comes to Christmas magic.
Le BHV Marais
Short for le Bazar de l’Hôtel de Ville, Le BHV Marais opened in 1856, making it Paris’s second-oldest grand magasin still in operation. As its name suggests, it is located beside Paris’s Hôtel de Ville (City Hall). Despite its central location, it’s less famous than fellow grands magasins like the Galeries Lafayette, but still holds its own with the major players.
This year’s Christmas decorations at the BHV are colorful and fun. In the window displays, brightly colored home interiors are populated with mischief-making elves. The funny figures move and cause trouble, opening cabinets, balancing precariously on clothes racks, messing up the kitchen. Inside, the store’s decoration is pretty much limited to the occasional pretty Christmas tree, but the elves are there, too, in the form of life-sized (well, for elves) paper cutouts. It’s sort of fun to be doing holiday shopping and come upon one of them.
The BHV gets bonus points during the holidays because, as far as my family is concerned, it’s the store with the best Santa. Store Santas are an American tradition that’s becoming more popular in France, and several of the grands magasins have their own Santa. The setup tends to be informal. You’re usually allowed to take your own photo with your phone, or if there is a professional picture that’s taken, it’s usually free or very affordable. But what makes the BHV’s Santa stand out from the crowd is that although he has a special chair, he often strolls around the small toy department on the store’s 5th floor and takes time to talk to every kid who approaches him, genuinely seeming interested in what they have to say.
Le Printemps
Located on the Boulevard Haussmann, Le Printemps is one of Paris’s best-known department stores, and it has an impressive history dating back to 1865 – its founder, Jules Jaluzot, actually invented the concept of les soldes, the bi-annual sales that take place throughout France today. Despite this, Le Printemps is often overshadowed by its neighbor, the famous Galeries Lafayette.
Still, Le Printemps shines during the holidays. The store’s window displays usually have a real sense of beauty and fun, and almost always end up being my family’s favorites. This year was no exception. Each window is the wagon of the Printemps Express, an imaginary Christmas train. Human doll-like figurines and their mischievous pets populate the wagons, alongside the promotional products you’ll find in the vitrines of every grand magasin. The displays have an impressive amount of detail and number of puppets, and you can spend a lot of time taking them all in. In fact, it will probably take a lot longer than you’ve expected, once you’ve wrestled your way through the impossibly thick crowds who’ve also come to have a look.
In addition to the classic window displays with moving characters, this year Printemps did something pretty neat, by having their store Santa sitting inside one of the window wagon displays, waving to onlookers and passersby as he occasionally stops for a photo with people inside the store.
Inside the store, the decorations are more muted, although there are two small train wagons just inside one of the entries. Kids can sit in the front car and pretend to drive the train. Apart from this, though, you’ll see the occasional Christmas tree (including a two-storey one sponsored by Mont Blanc, climbing an inner wall). But the shop’s general setup of individual storefronts for each of its featured luxury brands makes it all feel a bit isolated.
Galeries Lafayette
Located beside Printemps on the Boulevard Haussmann, Galeries Lafayette is probably the Paris department store most people know by name, and it really lives up to its reputation during the holidays.
This year’s window displays are pretty and shiny and a bit strange, with sparkling figures frolicking with glittery birds, and a Santa Claus cleverly made of gift ribbons and a pair of sunglasses. In fact, it turns out the displays were made with recycled materials, though the glitz and glamor may not make you realize this at first.
Clever as the window displays are, what really makes the Galeries Lafayette a must-see during the holidays is the Christmas tree located below its famous glass-ceilinged cupola. Towering several storeys past the cupola’s ornate balconies and carvings, the totally unique Christmas tree-shaped art installation whose theme and color changes every year makes for a sight that’s almost overwhelming for the senses.
This year, Galeries Lafayette is celebrating its 130th anniversary, so I figured the tree would be especially spectacular. But my family and I were surprised to discover what looks a bit like a tree skeleton made of white curlicue cutouts. It does look a lot more magical every half hour or so, when the store puts on a short short light and music show. Then, the tree’s white limbs are bathed in different colored lights, and the long strands of suspended lights around it shimmer. It’s a reminder that even in years when the tree has a simpler style, there’s still nothing like it in Paris.
Tips for Visiting the Grands Magasins at Christmas
One great thing all of the grands magasins have in common when it comes to holiday decor is that you can visit them all for free. There’s no admission or any other fee, although some stores may charge for a photo with Santa, if you choose to get one.
One major downside you should know about is that most of the grands magasins are crowded during the holidays, especially Printemps and the Galeries Lafayette. So if you don’t like crowds, try to get to them at off-peak hours, for instance early on a weekday.
The grands magasins are usually decorated for the holidays starting around mid- to late-November, although some might start earlier in the month. This year, the Galeries Lafayette’s decorations and magnificent tree will be on display until December 31, 2024. The windows and decorations at Le Printemps and BHV will also be on display until December 31st. La Samaritaine and Le Bon Marché will keep their displays and decorations up a little longer, until January 5th.
Alysa Salzberg is an American writer, worrier, teacher, travel planner, and cookie enthusiast who’s lived in Paris, France, for nearly two decades. Author of Hearts at Dawn, a historical fantasy novel set during the 1870-1871 Siege of Paris, she often shares things she loves about life and history in the City of Light on her blog at https://alysasalzberg.medium.com/ and on Instagram @lamarquisedecarabas.
