Shopping for Christmas gifts at Louis Vuitton on the Champs Élysées – that’s definitely NOT our idea of a Christmas vacation in Paris. On the contrary, we prefer to give it a wide berth and focus on the city’s small, but lovely and most importantly eco-friendly features. After all, the French capital has ambitious plans to become one of the greenest cities in the world within the next few years. We will show you where to discover the first results of this commitment and how to celebrate Christmas in Paris 2024 in a sustainable way.

Paris targets carbon neutrality by 2050

According to the United Nations, cities are responsible for about 70 percent of the world’s CO2 emissions. Why? Industry and large concentrations of people require enormous amounts of energy. As a result, cities are critical for solving the global climate challenges. In 2018, Paris adopted the Climate Action Plan containing more than 500 measures. These include:

• Reducing energy consumption
• Transitioning to renewable energy (e.g., by 2030, Paris aims to equip 20 percent of its rooftops with solar panels)
• Promoting environmentally friendly mobility (elimination of parking lots, creating bicycle lanes, etc.)
• Creating new green spaces (within a 7-minute walk, all residents should be able to reach a cool island or a walkway).
• Improving the quality of air
• Improving the quality of the water (By 2025, people should be able to swim in the Seine).

As you can see, Paris has a lot of big goals.. As a sign of your support, you can already be part of the city’s green tourism efforts.

Green Christmas in Paris 2024 – Our tips

#1: Travel in an eco-friendly way

If you’re planning to spend Christmas in Paris this year and travel eco-friendly, we suggest you start by avoiding planes and cars. Logical, isn’t it? You can get to Paris from almost any European city by train or coach. Within Paris, there is a well-developed metro network. This is much less stressful and cheaper than the constant search for a parking space and the sometimes exorbitant parking fees…

#2: Ecological Christmas Markets

Paris has the biggest Christmas market in Europe. It’s in La Défense. But if you’re like us and prefer smaller, alternative markets to food stalls and plastic decorations, pay attention now:

La REcyclerie Christmas Market Paris

83 Bd Ornano, 75018 Paris | Dates (not confirmed yet – last year’s market took place on weekends from late November to late December) | Website

Located in a former train station ticket hall, La REcyclerie is an alternative cultural center with a farm, repair workshop and café. The Christmas market takes place on disused train tracks and, according to insiders, has an almost “festival character”. You’ll find many original and sustainable gifts, such as upcycled products.

Notre-Dame Christmas Market 2024

Square René Viviani – 2 rue du Fouarre | Date: November 29 to December 25, 2024,

The sustainable Green PearlsⓇ Hotel Le Pavillon also recommended the “Marché de Noël de Notre-Dame” Christmas market, describing it as “particularly beautiful”. Here you can buy a lot of sustainable products made by local artisans.

#3 Sustainable holiday gift shopping in Paris

Secondhand

Away from the Christmas markets, look for sustainable gifts at Second Lieu (58 rue du Château d’Eau near the Gare de l’Est). There’s nothing new here, just second-hand! In addition to clothing, you will also find home accessories and toys.

Honey

Honey and other bee products such as honey gingerbread or royal jelly are available at La Famille Mary. This family-run business with its own apiary has been in operation since 1921 and focuses on the health benefit of honey. The staff is very knowledgeable and will be happy to advise you.

Jewelry made from recycled amber

If you are looking for something more elegant, the jewelry from Amber Paris might be of interest to you. What makes it special is that it’s made from recycled amber. Each piece of fossilized tree resin is unique and often contains old stems or air bubbles.

#4: Seeing city lights instead of Christmas lights

Christmas lighting – even with LEDs – is unfortunately not very sustainable. It has to be said that the ambitious energy saving measures have not yet been felt here. On the Champs Élysées, at the Cathedral des Invalides or in the district of Montmartre, you will find more than just an abundance of Christmas lights. Moreover, “Lumières en Seine”, launched in 2020, will present its third gigantic light show with huge, illuminated sculptures along 2 kilometers.

Tip: Butte Chaumont is a landscaped garden with a waterfall and suspension bridge located just east of the city center on one of the highest points in Paris. From here you have a wonderful view of the Sacre Coeur and the lights of the city – without the aid of artificial light shows.

Insider tips to discover Paris in a sustainable way – Not just for Christmas

Furthermore, we have a few alternative tips and addresses for a sustainable Paris city trip:

Bicycle routes through Paris

Paris may not yet be as bike-friendly as Amsterdam or other European cities, but the Paris Tourist Office has created four routes for you to discover Paris by bike.

Climate Emergency Exhibition

At the Cité des Sciences et de l’Industrie, you can see an exhibition on the current state of the world’s climate. The three-part tour shows why there is a need for change and where opportunities for ecological justice lie.

La Villette Park

The aforementioned Museum of Science and Industry is located in La Villette Park. It consists of 35 hectares of green space and 300 square meters of ecological gardens. Throughout the year, the park hosts a variety of events, theatrical performances, concerts and fairs. An open-air film festival is held in the summer.

La Caserne: Sustainable clothing and food

La Caserne is a “Sustainable Fashion Hub” and also houses a vegetarian restaurant.

Food market: Marché des Enfants Rouges

The Marché des Enfants Rouges is the oldest food market in Paris and is open from Tuesday to Sunday. Regional products are sold directly from local farmers.

The “eco” district of Clichy-Batignolles

The Clichy-Batignolles neighborhood in the northwest is being rebuilt and will be one of the first neighborhoods in Paris to be completely carbon neutral. You’ll find vintage shops and alternative cafes and cabaret.

Palais de Tokyo – Center for Contemporary Art and Creativity

The Palais de Tokyo is certainly not an insider tip, but it has a young, dynamic flair that you certainly won’t find at the Louvre or the Palace of Versailles. It has been called the “anti-museum” and is a place for contemporary art. The Palais de Tokyo is also home to the MoMA (Museum of Modern Art) and has been increasingly committed to sustainability recently.

Going out green in Paris: Bar/Restaurant Comptoir General

The Comptoir General is many things: a café, bar, restaurant, second-hand shop, antiquarian and cultural center (with a special focus on the relationship between France and its former colonies in Africa). The menu features only regional products. According to the owners, they know the fishermen and farmers personally and buy only from sustainable producers.

Flea market de Saint-Ouen (Clignancourt)

Flea markets or “Marché aux Puces” have a long tradition in Paris. On Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays, at the Clignancourt metro station, you will find a huge flea market or a whole area with several flea markets side by side, where more than 1700 vendors sell their goods.

Sustainable hotels to spend Christmas in Paris 2024

Naturally, for a green city trip you also need the right accommodation. With the “Green Spirit” hotels, we have three Green PearlsⓇ partners! These small budget hotels are located right in the 7th arrondissement, from where you can reach all the sights mentioned above and of course the Eiffel Tower and the Seine River (sometimes even on foot).

These are the hotels:

Hotel Le Pavillon, 54, rue Saint-Dominique,

the Hotel Marlar, 29, Rue Malar,

and the Hotel Amélie, 5, Rue Amélie

Sleeping well in Paris

Although the hotels are located right in the center, between cafes and shopping streets, the interior is designed for a quiet and good quality of sleep. All rooms are equipped with orthopedic mattresses and there is a small, quiet courtyard at the back of the hotel. In addition, “Weber Bio-Technology” is used in many rooms and areas of the hotel to protect against electro-smog. There are special indoor air filters and vitalized water. For breakfast, you will enjoy fair trade and organic products.

Green Christmas in Paris – our conclusion

The sustainable aspect of a city trip is that you can usually get to the big cities in an environmentally friendly way. Combined with a green accommodation, you can experience the capital of France in an authentic way, away from the mainstream. But you don’t have to miss out on the festive atmosphere.

During the Christmas season, many people want to do good and think more about togetherness, social responsibility, and the next generations. We hope we have given you enough information in this sense and look forward to your feedback in the comments.

No chance of Paris this Christmas? Then save this article for next year!