France in December: what to expect

December is winter everywhere in France, but the gap between north and south is wide. Paris and the north run grey and damp, with highs near 7 °C and lows around 3 °C, and frost on clear nights. The Atlantic west — Brittany, Normandy, Bordeaux — is milder but wetter, with rain on roughly half the days.

The centre and east, including the Loire, Burgundy, Lyon and Alsace, is colder: Strasbourg and Colmar sit near 5 °C by day and around freezing at night, and fog can settle in the river valleys for days. The Mediterranean south is the outlier: Nice and the Riviera reach about 13 °C by day and 6 °C at night, with more sun than anywhere else in the country, though November and December are the wettest months there.

In the mountains, snow arrives through the month and the ski season opens mid-December; resorts above about 1,500 m are usually skiable by the Christmas holidays, lower ones less reliably. Daylight is short: roughly 8.5 hours in the north and 9 in the south around the solstice, with dark by 17:00.

Crowds are uneven rather than high. Alsace is the busiest part of France in December: Strasbourg and Colmar Christmas markets draw visitors from across Europe, hotel rooms sell out months ahead and prices there peak for the year. Paris is moderate — museums and shops are busy at weekends, but hotel rates outside Christmas week are among the lowest of the year.

The coast is the quiet end. Many Riviera and Atlantic hotels, campsites and seasonal restaurants close from November, and some stay shut until February or March; Nice keeps more open than most. Ski resorts fill for the Christmas school holidays and again at New Year, with quieter weeks in between.

Expect two pinch points: the Christmas school break, when French families travel and trains and resort beds tighten, and 25 December itself, when most shops close and many restaurants shut. Book TGV seats and any Alsace or ski accommodation as early as you can.

The month's anchor is the Christmas market season, which runs from late November to just before Christmas. Strasbourg's markets are the largest and oldest in France, spread across several squares; Colmar, Metz, Reims, Lille and Paris all run their own, usually with an ice rink or a light trail attached. Most close on 24 or 25 December.

Christmas itself is a family holiday in France: 25 December is a public holiday, shops and many restaurants close, and the big meal is on Christmas Eve. New Year's Eve brings fireworks and street gatherings in Paris and larger cities, with public transport running late into the night.

The ski season opens mid-December, so resorts such as Chamonix and the Savoyard valleys switch into winter mode. Elsewhere, December is a strong month for what stays open year-round: Paris museums and exhibitions, Lyon's food scene, and the opera and concert calendars in the big cities.

For a first trip, Paris is the easy answer: low-season hotel prices, short queues at major sights, and enough indoor material — museums, galleries, covered passages, cafés — to fill a wet week. Add Strasbourg or Colmar by TGV if you want the market atmosphere, but book beds early.

If you want sun, head to the Riviera. Nice stays open through winter, with mild days, a seafront promenade and day trips to Menton, Antibes and Monaco; it is the most reliable warm-ish corner of mainland France in December. Lyon works well as a city break with food as the main event, and it is a short TGV hop from Paris.

For snow, base yourself in a resort rather than a valley town: Chamonix, the Savoyard resorts and the higher Alpine villages have the best chance of good cover around Christmas. Avoid planning a coastal Provence or Atlantic beach trip this month — many hotels and restaurants are shut.

Pack for cold and wet rather than deep winter, unless you are heading to the Alps. A waterproof shell with a warm mid-layer, a hat, gloves and a scarf cover Paris, Alsace and the Atlantic coast; add thermal base layers, waterproof boots and proper snow gear for the mountains. The Riviera needs a lighter jacket, a sweater for evenings and an umbrella — rain there often arrives in short heavy bursts.

Two practical items matter more than usual: shoes you can walk in on wet cobbles, and a small umbrella or hood you will actually carry. If you plan to eat out on 24 or 25 December, check opening times and reserve ahead, and note that many shops close on 25 December and 1 January.

November is wetter on the Mediterranean and quieter everywhere, with many coastal hotels already closed; December trades a little more cold for markets, snow and Christmas lights. January is the cheapest month of the winter for Paris, with the winter sales (soldes) starting early in the month, but the Alps stay busy with school ski holidays and the coast stays shut.

If markets are your reason for coming, late November and early December give you the same stalls with thinner crowds. If you want the south of France, wait for spring: March and April reopen the coast and warm the Riviera first.