12 Great Things To Do On New Years Day In Paris – January 1, 2025

You're in for a treat when you can be in Paris on New Years Day. It's so much fun to begin a brand new year here, walking the historic streets, viewing the holiday decorations. But, as you might expect, many museums, monuments, and restaurants are closed for the holiday. So, it's vital to plan in advance for the dawn of 2025. Let's take a look at the best things to do on New Years Day in Paris 2025. Be sure to check back often for updates.

New Years Day 2025 – Romantic Dinner Cruises

Bateaux Parisiens Dinner Cruise

Bateaux Parisiens Dinner Cruise

Let's set the scene — you on the Seine River on New Years Day, drifting past 2,000 years of history, with holiday lights illuminating the monuments of Paris. Chef and the kitchen team have been preparing a classic multi-course menu for you. We love the dinner boats of Bateaux Parisiens, and we strongly recommend that you opt for the Service Premier Menu, which gets you VIP treatment, a table at the front of the boat, a better menu, and more champagne! If this is what the first day of the year is like, imagine what's to follow in 2025 !

Bateaux Mouches Evening Dinner Cruise with Live Music

New Years Eve Dinner Cruise

On the first evening of the year, you are welcomed aboard one of the specially-built, glass-walled dining boats of Paris cruise company Bateaux Mouches for a spectacular introducing to 2025 featuring a multi-course classic French meal, champagne, and live music. There's nothing for you to do but dine in pleasure as iconic sights of Paris drift by, all aglow for your enjoyment. For the best experience choose the Dinner-Cruise Excellence option.

Lunch on the Eiffel Tower at Madame Brasserie

Madame Brasserie

One of the best ways to enjoy the Eiffel Tower is to dine at its newest restaurant, Madame Brasserie. As you sip champagne, with all of Paris beneath you, you can truly understand the magnificence of the tower built by Gustave Eiffel. We recommend the Grande Dame menu option, which includes a few extras like prestige wines and extra courses. This is available on Christmas Day, but not for long.

New Years Day 2025 – The Best Paris Activities

New Years Day Classical Music Concerts

New Years Day Classical Music Concerts

Start 2025 with a memorable concert in Paris. You won't want to miss the special performance of Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker at Opera Bastille or perhaps a ballet at the beautiful Palais Garnier. There are also concerts at La Madeleine, at Église Germain des Prés, and even on the Eiffel Tower! Book now as these New Years Day tickets will sell fast.

Start the Year on the Top of the Tower!

Eiffel Tower, River Cruise & Sightseeing Tour

It's not only the most popular attraction in the world, the Eiffel Tower is also one of the few Paris monuments open every day of the year. The thing about being so popular, though, is that the line-ups are always long, even on holidays. To avoid waiting in line do what we do — sign up for a guided skip-the-line tour that gets you quickly to the top of the Tower! Here are priority-access tours running on New Years Day.

Moulin Rouge + Dinner Cruise + Eiffel Tower

Moulin Rouge

Celebrate the first night of the year in style with a trip to this classic French cabaret. Treat yourself to champagne at the world-famous Moulin Rouge cabaret. But first of all, visit the Eiffel Tower (skipping the lines of course) and take a dinner cruise along the Seine. Go ahead — kick back, relax, watch the show, and think about all the good things to come in 2025.

Wander Through Pere-Lachaise Cemetery

Pere-Lachaise Cemetery, photo by Mark Craft

Bundle up and wander through the haunting and beautiful cemetery searching for the final resting spots of Frederic Chopin, Edith Piaf, Oscar Wilde and of course, Jim Morrison of The Doors. Located in the 20th Arrondissement, the cemetery is free of charge and it's open on New Year's Day. There's also a private tour that's available on January 1.

Take a Ride on the Grande Roue de Paris

Grande Roue de Paris

The giant Ferris wheel dominates the Jardin des Tuileries during the holiday season. The original Grande Roue de Paris was built for the 1900 Paris World Fair; an updated model reappeared in the year 2000 for the millennium celebrations. The sparkling ferris wheel has become a welcome addition to Christmas in Paris celebrations ever since.

Oysters! Oysters! Oysters!

Oysters! Oysters! Oysters!

Oysters are an integral part of the culinary landscape of French holiday foods. Head to one of the many large brasseries that will be open on January 1 and tuck into a platter of fresh, Brittany oysters washed down with chilled Sancerre. We've had many a fine meal at Le Bar a Huitres and are especially partial to the location in the Marais, near to Place des Vosges.

5 Paris Restaurants Open on New Years Day

Restaurants Open on New Years Day

Paris Museums Open on New Years Day 2025

Musée d'Orsay

Van Gogh, Starry Night

According to its own information, Musée d'Orsay is only closed on "Mondays; and May 1 and December 25". So, January 1, 2025, here we come Manet, Monet & van Gogh.

Musée Montmartre & Renoir Gardens

Musée Montmartre

Explore the former artistic enclave of Paris in the winding streets of Montmartre. The good news is that the Montmartre museum still claims it will be open on New Years Day. (But check the museum website for updates.) The museum is open from 11 AM to 6 PM; tickets include entry to the Renoir Gardens, named for the Impressionist master who lived here in the 1870s. The collection will immerse you in the history of Montmartre and its stormy past

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