things to do in Paris –
November 2012

• Get a Paris City Pass
  Free entrance to sixty of the city's best museums and monuments plus unlimited rides on the Metro.
  Read Our Complete Guide to Paris City Passes »
• Arrange Your Paris Airport Transfer
  By private car, shuttle van, taxi, train or bus.
  Read Our Complete Guide to Paris Airport Transfers »
• Book Your Activities in Advance
  Don't wait until the last minute, many activities and events fill up quickly.
  Read Our Guide to the Best Museum Tours »

Things to Do in Paris – Activities

NEW! Loire Valley & Mont Saint-Michel 2-Day Tour

Take a two-day cruise to the best of the French countryside. Travel to Mont Saint-Michel on the coast of Normandy, bordering on Brittany, and then journey to the best of the Loire Valley châteaux. All the details of the journey have been planned for you, just sit back, relax and enjoy the ride.
• Loire Valley Châteaux & Mont Saint-Michel Tour »

Eiffel Tower Skip-the-Line Tours

Don't be left out in the cold! There are always long line-ups at the Eiffel Tower and the best way to visit in colder weather is to book a skip-the-line guided tour. We particularly like the sunset tours. Remember, the EIffel Tower is one of those things to see in Paris that you just can't miss. Put it on your list of must-dos and book a guided tour today.
• Eiffel Tower Skip-the-Line Tours – Booking & Information »

• Read Our Complete Guide to The Eiffel Tower »

Eiffel Tower, Moulin Rouge & Seine River Cruise

A Paris Insiders Guide favourite

Spend an evening experiencing the best of Paris nightlife. Start at the Eiffel Tower for dinner at Restaurant 58. Then it's time to take in the lights of Paris, riverside, on an evening cruise on the Seine. Finish off the evening at Moulin Rouge for champagne and the hit cabaret, Feeire. The best part — all the details are taken care of. Remember, you're on vacation!
• Book Your Eiffel Tower, Moulin Rouge & Seine River Cruise »

• Read Our Complete Guide to the Moulin Rouge »

Night Bike Tour & Seine River Cruise

Here's another combination tour that makes for a fabulous evening. You start out with a guided cycling tour to the most famous landmarks of Paris including Notre Dame and the Louvre. On route, stop in for a cone at the city's most celebrated ice cream shop. Finally hop on a bateau for a nighttime cruise along the Seine. A glass of wine is included, of course!
• Paris Night Bike Tour & River Cruise – Book Now »

• Read Our Complete Guide to Paris Tours On Wheels »

Visit a Parisian Market with a Food Expert

A Paris Insiders Guide favourite

Learn all about street markets with our Paris pal and French food expert, Rebekah. Three or four days each week Rebekah leads gourmands (like you!) on an informative tour of one of the best farmers markets in Paris. Choose from a hands-on farmers market tour or the Decadent Gourmet Tour. This is a real Paris Insiders secret, and one we highly recommend.
• Inquiry Form – Rebekah's Farmers Market Tour »

• Read Our Complete Guide to Paris Food & Wine Activities »

Spend A Day In the Legendary Champagne Region

Only an hour from Paris, a visit to the Champagne region makes for a memorable day trip. Your private driver picks you up at your hotel and whisks you off to Epernay and Reims, through rolling hills and world-class vineyards. You'll taste the Grands Crus as well as champagne from small family producers and revel in being in the magical kingdom for adults.
• A Day in Champage – Information & Booking »

• VIPs: Read Our Guide to Private Day Trips to Champagne »

November 2012 Paris Updates

There's a lot to see in France beyond Paris. The good news is that all of it is easily reached in two-, three- and four-day tours from Paris.

A classic theme park, medieval villages, the birthplace of Impressionism, Renaissance fairytale castles, windswept beaches, a jewel-like island and an ancient monastery — these vacation packages take you the places you imagine when planning your dream vacation to France, and return you to Paris when they're done.

• Insiders Complete Guide to Paris France Vacation Packages »
• Review — Mont Saint-Michel & Loire Valley 3-Day Tour »
• Review — Normandy, Brittany, Loire Valley 4-Day Tour »
• Review — Lourdes 2-Day Tour »

Things to Do in Paris – Events

Mobile Photo Paris November 2012

November is Photography Month in Paris and one of the events will be the first exhibit of Mobile phone photos in the City. On display will be some of the most amazing works from the current generation of mobile photographers.
• November 21 to 24
• Bastille Design Center
• Read Our Article for Complete Information »

Bastille Modern Art Fair

Over 500 artists will gather for the annual Grand Marché d'Art Contemporain (modern art show). Browse the extensive art collection, but don't expect art bargains, this is a serious art show. Don't worry, even if you're not an art collector, you'll enjoy the artistic atmosphere.
• Place de la Bastille, 12th arrondissement
• November 1 to 5
• Website »

Disneyland Paris Bonfire Spectacular

Things to do in Paris November 2012. Wrap up warmly and join the party on the shores of Lake Disney. You'll be rewarded with fireworks, laser shows, live music and a floating bonfire for a memorable Guy Fawkes Day celebration.
• Disneyland Paris
• November 3
• Disneyland Tickets »

Orchestres en Fête

The annual Orchestres en Fête classical music festival is nationwide, but Paris is the real center for symphonic sound. Here's your chance to hear classics and lesser-known contemporary pieces performed by orchestras in venues across the city.
• Throughout Paris
• November 16 - 25
• Website »

Things to Do in Paris – Palais Garnier

Cinderella – Opera at Palais Garnier

Experience the dazzling elegance and virtuosity of Jean-Pierre Ponnelle's staging of La Cenerentola (Cinderella) with the Paris National Opera Company. The classic tale is set to music by Rossini. Performed in Italian.
• Palais Garnier
• November 25
• December 1, 4, 7, 10, 13, 19, 23, 26
• Book Your Tickets Online – La Cenerentola »

• Complete List of Classical Music Concerts at Palais Garnier »

Things to Do in Paris – Classical Music

Mozart at Salle Pleyel

Things to do in Paris November 2012 – Mozart. Spend an evening enjoying Mozart's German Dances, Piano Concerto No. 26, and Symphony No. 39. Murray Perahia leads the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields and performs a piano concerto.
• Salle Pleyel
• November 24
• Book Tickets Online »

• Complete List of November Concerts at Salle Pleyel »

Classic Concerts at Saint Ephrem

Catch this concert with works by these great composers — Franz Liszt's Reve d'Amour, Ludwig van Beethoven's Moonlight and Appassionata sonatas and Erik Satie's Gymnopédies.
• Saint Ephrem
• November 1, 9, 11, 23
• Book Your Tickets Online »

• Complete List of Classical Music Concerts in Paris November 2012 »

Classical Concerts at La Sainte-Chappelle

A Paris Insiders Guide favourite

These are the last days of the year to enjoy a concert at this Paris Gothic masterpiece before church concerts end until spring. Grab your chance and put this on your list of things to do in Paris in November.

This magnificent church was first built in 1240, badly damaged during the French Revolution, and lovingly restored in 1855. La Sainte-Chapelle remains one of the most popular music venues in Paris, and no wonder with all the gold-leaf, stained-glass and perfect acoustics. It's important to book your tickets online, in advance, to ensure your place.

• See the Complete List of Concerts at Saint-Chapelle for November 2012 »

Bach, Vivaldi, Pergolesi

Over 100 concerts a year are performed in this breathtaking church. Hear these classic works — Johann Sebastian Bach's Jésus, Que Ma Joie Demeure, Antonio Vivaldi's Nisi Dominus and Giovanni Battista Pergolesi's Stabat Mater.
• La Sainte-Chapelle
• November 1, 4, 7, 8, 9, 10
• Book Your Tickets Online »

The Four Seasons

Vivaldi's masterpiece, The Four Seasons, will be performed by the Orchestre Paris Classik or the Orchestre Les Violons de France. You might also hear other works like Handel's Sarabande or Albinoni's emotional Adagio.
• La Sainte-Chapelle
• Many Dates in November
• Book Your Tickets Online »

Folies Baroques & Renaissance Music

Some of the most beautiful music was written during the Renaissance by composers Vivaldi, Bach, Monteverdi and Purcell. Hear the talented Barok Ensemble perform selected works from these masters.
• La Sainte-Chapelle
• November 5, 9, 11
• Book Your Tickets Online »

A Little Night Music

Founded in 1995 by violinist Frédéric Moreau, the string band Les Violins France is one of the most prestigious orchestras in France. Hear them perform the majestic Eine kleine Nachtmusik by Mozart and other selected pieces.
• La Sainte-Chapelle
• November 17, 24. 6:00 pm.
• Book Your Tickets Online »

Goldoni Quartet

Be mesmerized by the four talented musicians as they perform Schubert's La Jeune Fille et la Mort (Death and the Maiden), Mozart's La Chasse (The Hunt) and other favorite classics.
• La Sainte-Chapelle
• November 17, 24. 7:30 pm.
• Book Your Tickets Online »

• Complete List of Classical Music Concerts in Paris November 2012 »

Things To Do In Paris – Opera de Paris

Puccini's Tosca

A Paris Insiders Guide favourite

A dizzying melodrama tells the story of a jealous singer in love, an idealist romantic painter and an ambitious police chief with a lust for power, blood and flesh. Puccini artfully combines the ingredients to create a rich opera. It was originally written for Sarah Bernhardt in 1900. Performed in Italian.
• Opera de la Bastille
• November 7, 9, 17, 20

La Fille du Regiment

The Daughter of the Regiment. Donizetti created this fast-paced comedy from the story of regiment of grenadiers who adopt a young girl. The opera is full of tenderness, centering on a classic love story that reaches across the years. Performed in French.
• Opera de la Bastille
• November 8, 11

Things to Do in Paris – Museums & Exhibitions

Art in Wartime, 1938-1947

A Paris Insiders Guide favourite

Nearly 300 works by 80 artists are presented, including masterpieces from Picasso during that era: the Têtes de Mort et Livre (Head of Death with Book), Tête de Taureau (Bull's Head) and his Le Désir Attrapé par la Queue (Desire Caught by the Tail). This exhibit shows how artists evolved in France from 1938 to 1947 during the time of shortages, war, Nazi occupation and liberation. This is a City of Paris museum and entrance is free to the permanent collection, however there is a fee for temporary exhibits.
• Modern Art Museum of the City of Paris

Photography Month in Paris

November is the official Month of Photography in Paris. With forty exhibits to choose from, photography lovers will have plenty to look forward to. The hub of the activity is in the Marais in the Maison Européenne de la Photographie and at the Paris Photo 2012 exhibit held at the Grand Palais.
• Paris Photo 2012 – Grand Palais
• Paris Photo 2012 – November 15 to 18
• Maison Européenne de la Photographie Website »

Victor Baltard – Iron and Paintbrush

Victor Baltard, the architect behind Les Halles, the original food market of Paris, created one of the most symbolic Parisian landmarks made of glass and metal. That structure inspired Gustave Eiffel in his work, and in his creation of the Eiffel Tower. This exhibit brings together architectural drawings, models, engravings, photographs, paintings, and stained glass to illustrate Baltard's influences.
• Musée d'Orsay »
• Entrance to Musée d'Orsay is free with the Paris Museum Pass »
Extra cost for some special exhibits

Van Cleef & Arpels: The Art of Fine Jewelry

Thanks to the use of special dating technology, Van Cleef & Arpels retrospective will be the first exhibition to trace the jeweler's designs in chronological order from their 1906 beginning. Over 400 pieces will be on view, including a rare 1924 Egyptian-style bracelet set with rubies, emeralds and other gems. The exhibit also brings together archival drawings, and many pieces of valuable jewelery.
• Les Arts Décoratifs (The Museum of Decorative Arts)
• Free Entrance with the Paris Museum Pass or 9.50€ at the door.

• Read Our Complete Guide to the Paris Museum Pass »