{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Article",
  "name": "What Is Open in Paris on Christmas Day 2026? The Eiffel Tower, Not the Louvre",
  "headline": "What Is Open in Paris on Christmas Day 2026? The Eiffel Tower, Not the Louvre",
  "description": "What is open in Paris on Christmas Day 2026, a Friday? The Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe are. The Louvre, Orsay, Sainte-Chapelle and Versailles are closed. Hours from each official page, checked November 13, 2026.",
  "url": "https://gowithcarmen.com/trips/paris-christmas-day-what-is-open",
  "inLanguage": "en",
  "dateModified": "2026-11-13",
  "author": {
    "@type": "Person",
    "@id": "https://gowithcarmen.com/about/adam-nathan#person",
    "name": "Adam Nathan",
    "url": "https://gowithcarmen.com/about/adam-nathan"
  },
  "about": {
    "@type": "Place",
    "name": "Paris"
  },
  "answer": "What is open in Paris on Christmas Day 2026, a Friday? The Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe are; the Louvre, the Musée d'Orsay, Sainte-Chapelle and the Palace of Versailles are all closed. The closure that catches people is the Louvre, because Friday is normally its longest day, open until 9pm. On December 25 its page says it is closed, with no separate Christmas hours.",
  "sections": [
    {
      "id": "answer",
      "heading": "What is open in Paris on Christmas Day 2026?",
      "text": "What is open in Paris on Christmas Day 2026, a Friday? The Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe are; the Louvre, the Musée d'Orsay, Sainte-Chapelle and the Palace of Versailles are all closed. The closure that catches people is the Louvre, because Friday is normally its longest day, open until 9pm. On December 25 its page says it is closed, with no separate Christmas hours.\nSo plan December 25 around the sights you see from the outside or from above, and book the museums for Saturday, December 26, when all four reopen. Each line below comes from the place's own page."
    },
    {
      "id": "table",
      "heading": "Which Paris museums and sights are open on December 25, 2026?",
      "text": "Paris on Friday, December 25, 2026, from each place's own page, checked November 13, 2026\nPlace | Friday, December 25, 2026 | Hours | Source | Checked\nLouvre | Closed | None. Open Saturday, December 26, 9am to 6pm | Louvre hours and admission | November 13, 2026\nMusée d'Orsay | Closed | None. Open Saturday, December 26, 9:30am to 6pm | Orsay admission and opening times | November 13, 2026\nSainte-Chapelle | Closed | None. Open Saturday, December 26, 9am to 5pm | Sainte-Chapelle practical information | November 13, 2026\nPalace of Versailles | Closed. The Gardens and Park are open daily | Gardens 8am to 6pm. Palace reopens Saturday, December 26, 9am to 5:30pm | Versailles practical information | November 13, 2026\nArc de Triomphe | Open. Not on its annual closure list | 10am to 10:30pm, last entry 45 minutes before closing. It closes at 4pm on December 24 | Arc de Triomphe practical information | November 13, 2026\nEiffel Tower | Open. Its rules say every day of the year | From 9:30am. Closes 11:45pm, or 12:45am during the Christmas holidays in the last two weeks of December | Eiffel Tower December guide and visitor regulations | November 13, 2026\nThe Eiffel Tower's page gives its closing time for the Christmas fortnight but does not name December 25 itself, so check the ticket page for the exact hour the week before you go."
    },
    {
      "id": "transport",
      "heading": "Is the metro running in Paris on Christmas Day?",
      "text": "RATP had not posted its December 25, 2026 service when I checked on November 13, so I am not giving hours for it. Look up your own line for that date on the RATP timetable page in the first week of December, and plan the Arc de Triomphe and the Eiffel Tower as one walk or taxi ride if you would rather not depend on it."
    },
    {
      "id": "eat",
      "heading": "Where should you eat in Paris on Christmas Day?",
      "text": "Book a hotel dining room before you land, because that is where Christmas Day tables are. La Réserve Paris has its festive season page up for December 2026 with holiday menus from Chef Jérôme Banctel, but it does not yet name a Christmas Day lunch or dinner, so call +33 1 58 36 60 60 or use the booking link on its page for December 25. I am not naming any other restaurant until its own page states December 25, 2026."
    },
    {
      "id": "next",
      "heading": "What opens on December 26 in Paris?",
      "text": "Saturday, December 26: the Louvre, Orsay, Sainte-Chapelle and Versailles all open. Book the Louvre time slot (recommended on its page) for the morning and Orsay after lunch. Versailles opens at 9am and closes Mondays, so Saturday is the safe day for it. The Paris museums on Monday and Tuesday guide covers what closes next, and the Paris on a Sunday guide covers December 27. The Paris Christmas markets guide has the market dates, and the Rome on Christmas Day guide makes the same call for Rome."
    }
  ],
  "sources": [
    {
      "label": "Louvre hours and admission",
      "url": "https://www.louvre.fr/en/visit/hours-admission"
    },
    {
      "label": "Orsay admission and opening times",
      "url": "https://www.musee-orsay.fr/en/visit/admission-opening-times-tickets"
    },
    {
      "label": "Sainte-Chapelle practical information",
      "url": "https://www.sainte-chapelle.fr/en/visit/practical-information"
    },
    {
      "label": "Versailles practical information",
      "url": "https://en.chateauversailles.fr/plan-your-visit/practical-information"
    },
    {
      "label": "Arc de Triomphe practical information",
      "url": "https://www.paris-arc-de-triomphe.fr/en/visit/practical-information"
    },
    {
      "label": "Eiffel Tower December guide and visitor regulations",
      "url": "https://www.toureiffel.paris/en/news/visit/eiffel-tower-december-what-see-what-do-practical-guide"
    },
    {
      "label": "RATP timetable page",
      "url": "https://www.ratp.fr/horaires"
    },
    {
      "label": "festive season page",
      "url": "https://www.lareserve-paris.com/en/the-festive-season/"
    },
    {
      "label": "Paris museums on Monday and Tuesday guide",
      "url": "https://gowithcarmen.com/trips/paris-museums-monday-tuesday"
    },
    {
      "label": "Paris on a Sunday guide",
      "url": "https://gowithcarmen.com/trips/paris-sunday-what-is-open"
    },
    {
      "label": "Paris Christmas markets guide",
      "url": "https://gowithcarmen.com/trips/paris-christmas-markets-2026"
    },
    {
      "label": "Rome on Christmas Day guide",
      "url": "https://gowithcarmen.com/trips/rome-christmas-day-what-is-open"
    }
  ],
  "citation": [
    "https://www.louvre.fr/en/visit/hours-admission",
    "https://www.musee-orsay.fr/en/visit/admission-opening-times-tickets",
    "https://www.sainte-chapelle.fr/en/visit/practical-information",
    "https://en.chateauversailles.fr/plan-your-visit/practical-information",
    "https://www.paris-arc-de-triomphe.fr/en/visit/practical-information",
    "https://www.toureiffel.paris/en/news/visit/eiffel-tower-december-what-see-what-do-practical-guide",
    "https://www.ratp.fr/horaires",
    "https://www.lareserve-paris.com/en/the-festive-season/"
  ],
  "editorialMethod": "https://gowithcarmen.com/about"
}