Winter in Paris

Soft, dove grey skies .. gentle drifts of snowfall .. hot chocolate sipped on cobblestone terraces and snuggly woollen attire.  What's not to love about Paris in winter ? 

January and February in Paris are an underrated and beautiful time to spend in the city of love.  Christmas has passed, but the twinkling street lights and spectacular store window displays remain.

One can wander forever in cobblestoned rues and grand boulevards without hordes of summer tourists.  Generally I walk up to 10 kilometres a day, traversing multiple "arrondissements". 

I usually stop for lunch - a bowl of steaming "moules et frîtes" with a crisp white wine - or sometimes savour an afternoon hot chocolate, velvety smooth and richly decadent, at Angelina's. 

Why Paris is so beautiful in winter

Here's what I love most about Paris in January and February :

• No long queues at the Eiffel Tower or Louvre 
• Decadent hot chocolate at Angelina's
• When snowfall suddenly arrives, it transforms the entire city and it's gardens into a hushed, fragile snowscape of pure beauty
• Ice skating at many rinks in the city including the courtyard inside Plaza Athenée
• The sculptural beauty of lacy, leafless branches of trees reaching towards grey, wintery skies 
• The cold is the perfect excuse to ensconce yourself with a glass of pinot noir by a fireside
• Wearing woollen coats, leather gloves and boots, hats and scarves 
• Le Soldes (the annual sales) where goods are marked down by 30-70%

Bon journée !