Paris Events November 2020 - Things to Do

Top Paris events in November 2020 include Armistice Day ceremonies, lots of wonderful concerts and museum shows, and the chance to immerse yourself in all things chocolate at the popular Salon du Chocolate show packed with demos, tastings, and even a fashion show.

By the second week in November, the big Paris department stores unveil their spectacular holiday window displays and dazzling lights and decorations begin to sparkle across the city.

You may notice the days getting shorter and the air crisper, but November weather in Paris usually offers mellow sunny days for enjoying the changing leaf hues.

Stroll through any of the city's many parks such as Tuileries Garden and Luxembourg Garden to soak up the fall foliage colors and enjoy the last late-blooming flowers.

Want to get a taste of the holiday season? Head to Disneyland Paris where Christmas celebrations begin during the second week of November. Toward the middle of the month, you can even start visiting festive Paris Christmas markets and enjoying the hot mulled wine, regional food specialties, and gift shopping.

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Top photo: Bouquiniste on the Left Bank of the Seine River

Things to Do in Paris in November

Visiting Paris in November? Enjoy these fun activities, including a few indoor choices in case the weather turns chilly:

- Baking & Wine Class Gourmet Package - This special small-group experience combines two gourmet adventures: 1) a fascinating behind-the-scenes bakery tour and demonstration of how master chefs create Paris's famous baguettes and pastries as you learn interesting facts about French culture and cuisine, taste samples warm from the oven, and get a goodie bag to enjoy later, and 2) a visit to a wine cellar where you'll taste wines from 6 different French regions and learn from a master sommelier about the nuances of appreciating French wine. Book now

- Paris Catacombs Skip-The-Line Ticket & Audio Guide - This best-selling experience takes you far below the streets of Paris into an immense maze of tunnels and rooms containing the skulls and bones of about 6 million Parisians. By the time you leave, you'll know all about where the dead go when Paris cemeteries fill up. Perfect adventure for a rainy day! Book now

- Moulin Rouge Show with Dinner Options - Enjoy a delicious dinner (vegetarian and vegan options available) and fantastic performance of the Féerie show at the legendary Moulin Rouge for a quintessential Paris night on the town! Book now

- Paris Christmas Lights Bus Tour - See all the fantastic holiday lights around the city! Starts on November 27. Book now

Paris Christmas Markets

Sparkling lights and decorations, the smell of roasting chestnuts, cups of hot mulled wine, and Swiss-style chalets overflowing with special holiday foods, hand-crafted gifts, and decorations . . . Christmas Markets, a tradition since Medieval times, pop up all over Paris starting in late November.

Check the Paris Christmas Market Schedule for 2020

November Concerts in Paris - 2020

From opera to jazz to rock, you'll find concerts featuring every type of music you can imagine in Paris.

Short days and chilly nights make November an especially good month for classical concerts held in centuries-old churches. Look for candlelight concerts for a special experience!

Paris Opera Hall — Palais Garnier ("Paris Opera House")

More Paris classical concerts, opera, & dance performances during November

More Paris rock, electronic, pop, jazz, & other performances during Novembe

Salon du Chocolat - 2020

Part trade show, part entertainment, the Salon du Chocolat lets you immerse yourself in all things chocolate as over 200 chocolate producers, pastry chefs, candy makers, and artisans from around the world present five days packed with activities and events. You can attend cooking demos by top chefs at the Pastry Show, discover the wonders of chocolate at the Cacao Show, indulge in tastings at the Chocosphere, and enjoy a fashion show with models dressed in chocolate. Kids love the fun workshops - and of course, the chocolate.

When: Oct 28 - Nov 1 (tentative), open 10am-7pm each day
Location: Porte de Versailles, Pavilion 5
Getting there: Metro station and Tramway: Porte des Versailles, 15th arrondissement
Tickets: 14.20€ adults, 6,20€ children from 3-12, free for children under 3 - available at the door
Ticketmaster, and also at the door
More information: Salon du Chocolat website

Christmas at Disneyland Paris Starts in November - 2020

Christmas at Disneyland Paris during November

Enchanted Christmas celebrations start at Disneyland Paris in early November and continue into January with plenty of entertainment and holiday spirit for everyone.

You'll find a spectacular giant tree, entertaining shows, festive Christmas parades, and gorgeous holiday decorations everywhere. Each year brings new holiday features, lights, and shows at both Disney Parks, an immersive nighttime extravaganza, and singing carols with Santa, Mickey, and Minnie for a magical experience you won't forget.

When: November 7 - January 4 (tentative)

Disneyland Paris and Transportation

Take RER A to the Marne-la-Valée station across a small plaza from Disneyland Paris, and buy your tickets at the gate - or check out these options to make your trip faster and easier:

Paris Exhibits - Must-See Shows for November

November weather in Paris can be tricky, and you should always have a few bad-weather day activities in mind. Visit these museum shows when you want to stay warm indoors and immerse yourself in Paris's top cultural treasures:

The Starry Night - Paris Museum Exhibits in October — "The Starry Night"

Van Gogh: The Starry Night

@ L'Atelier des Lumières, through Dec 31- Monumental floor-to-ceiling digital imagery accompanied by original music immerses you in Van Gogh's life and art, followed by two short films in Paris's new immersive Digital Arts Center located in a former iron factory. Tickets 14.5€ online (L'Atelier website)
Where: 38 Rue Saint Maur, 11th arrondissement
Metro: Rue Saint-Maur

Picasso: Magic Paintings

@ Picasso Museum, October 23 - February 2020 - This special exhibit focuses on Picasso's paintings completed between 1926-1930, and explores his experimentation in the context of Surrealism, psychology, and his fascination with magic.
Admission: Exhibit included with museum admission. Get skip-the-line priority tickets online or with a Paris Museum Pass
Location: 5 rue de Thorigny, 3rd arrondissement; closed Mondays
Metro: Saint-Sébastien-Froissart

Leonardo da Vinci

@ Musée du Louvre, October 24 - February 24, 2020 - This highly-anticipated blockbuster show marks the 500th anniversary of the painter's death and brings together 5 core works, includinging the Mona Lisa, plus many more of his paintings and drawings. The show is free, with the cost of regular admission, but you must reserve a date and time-slot ticket in advance online. Book as far in advance as possible to get your preferred date/time.
Location: Rue de Rivoli, 1st arrondissement
Closed: Tuesdays, January 1, May 1, and December 25
Tickets: 17€ (purchased online); includes admission to permanent exhibits as well; free for under 26
Stay nearby: Hotels near the Louvre
Nearest Metro: Palais Royal/Musée du Louvre, Pyramides
More info: https://www.louvre.fr

Interested in a Louvre Museum guided tour? Find out how to choose one

The Figurative Mondrian

@ Musée Marmottan Monet, September 13 through January 26, 2020 - Piet Mondrian is known best for his abstract works featuring blocks of red, yellow, and blue - so don't miss this rare chance to see some of his stunning figurative work. Open Tuesday - Sunday; 10am-6pm. General admission 12€; includes this exhibit
Location: 2 rue Louis Boilly, 16th arr
Nearest Metro: La Muette
More info & tickets: https://www.marmottan.fr

The Alana Collection: Masterpieces of Italian Painting

@ Musée Jacquemart-André, September 13-January 20, 2020 - Over 75 masterpieces by Fra Angelico, Lippi, Tintoretto, and other Italian Renaissance masters from the privately-held Alana Collection will be on loan from the U.S.
Location: 158 Boulevard Haussmann, 8th arr.
Nearest Metro : Saint Philippe du Roule
Open: Daily, 10-6pm, and until 8:30 on Mondays during special exhibitions
Tickets: 14.5€ (includes permanent collection and this exhibition)

Toulouse Lautrec: Resolutely Modern

@ Grand Palais, October 9 - January 27, 2020 - Focus is on Toulouse-Lautrec's artistic ambition to show the many faces of modern society. Closed on Tuesdays. Tickets 16€
Location: Grand Palais, Avenue Winston-Churchill, 8th arr
Nearest Metro: Champs-Élysées-Clemenceau
More info: https://www.grandpalais.fr

Paris Museum and Attractions Passes

Get free admission and skip-the-line access to 60+ museums in and near Paris when you have a Paris Museum Pass for 2, 4, or 6 days. (Access to special shows may require an additional ticket.) More info

Christmas Window Displays in Paris - Schedule - 2020

The four famous big Paris department stores - Galeries Lafayette, Printemps Haussmann, Bon Marché, and BHV Marais - reveal their spectacular decorations in early November, usually during the second week of the month but sometimes as early as November 1. The imaginative Christmas window displays enchant adults and children alike, and become more fantastic and animated each year - and of course draw shoppers inside where more dazzling decorations create holiday cheer.

Galeries Lafayette boasts the most elaborate - and most anticipated - windows, inspired by a different theme each year. For 2019, the theme is bees - you'll see them working in their kitchens, preparing for a holiday party, and conducting a royal procession for the Queen Bee. The traditional Christmas tree inside the cupola will also feature magical bees along with winter flowers. Every half hour, you'll see the tree's lights fade as bees fly around the cupola and put on a spectacular show.

Want to join the crowds of fans that gather for each Parisian department store's annual holiday windows "reveal" ceremony? Here's the tentative schedule for 2020:

Le Bon Marché Rive Gauche (Le Bon Marché Rive Gauche - 24 rue de Sèvres, 7th) - Christmas windows for viewing with 2020's theme of fir trees: November 6
BHV Marais (52 rue de Rivoli, 4th) - Christmas windows "reveal" - November 9
Galeries Lafayette (40 boulevard Haussmann, 9th) - Christmas windows ceremony - November 18
Printemps Haussmann (64 boulevard Haussmann, 9th) - Christmas windows on display: Mid-November

More about holiday window displays and Christmas decorations in Paris department stores

Armistice Day Ceremony in Paris - November 11, 2020

Eternal flame at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier under the Arc de Triomphe in Paris

Pay your respects to those who died or were injured during war - almost 1.6 million French soldiers died during World War I and II combined - on Armistice Day, November 11. Armistice Day was established on November 11, 1918 as combat ended during World War I - the "war to end all wars."

In a somber ceremony at the base of the Arc de Triomphe, the French president inspects the troops and lays a red, white, and blue wreath near the eternal flame at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, which honors all French troops who died in the war.

When: 11am, November 11
Want to know more? Visit the Georges Clemenceau Museum (8 rue Benjamin Franklin, 16e); Clemenceau became France's prime minister in 1917 and orchestrated both France's final assaults on the Axis powers as well as the armistice agreement after the Allied victory. Usually open only in the afternoon; check hours

Visit World War I battlefields - These special small-group and private tours take you to visit the most famous World War I French battle sites, museums, and memorials:

Aisne, Marne and Belleau Wood - Explore sites of these important battles involving American troops, the Museum of the Great War in Meaux, and cemeteries - More
Somme - Visit the famous battleground, Deville Wood cemetery, war memorials, and the Great War Museum in Peronne - More
Verdun and Meuse-Argonne - Tour these famous battlefields as well as the Fort of Douaumont, Château-Thierry, the Romagne War Museum, the Trench of Bayonets, and cemeteries - More