decked out for noel: christmas lights in paris

paris gets ready for the holidays by draping lights over trees, between buildings, and in store windows. the city of light really lives up to its name at this time of year, and if you are visiting during the holiday season, here are some places to visit:

-the champs-elysees (above)- this installation (with over 1 million lights) took over 3 months of work and 850,000 euros to pull off
- the place vendome--decorated with huge chandeliers to add even more glimmer to the so-called "place des bijoux"
- the grands magasins-- check out the windows at printemps and galeries lafayette for animated fun, always a big hit with the little ones

check out the paris illume paris [paris lights up paris] brochure for details on illuminated streets in almost every quartier.