By Gary Walther
Call me contrary: I like going to St. Barth in July and to northern Europe for the holidays,
inevitable gray skies not withstanding. In New York, where I live, I put myself under house arrest for New Year’s Eve, content to watch the frigid celebration in Times Square on television. But the year I went to Venice for that holiday, I found myself drinking and dispensing Dom Perignon (and making a lot of friends as a result) in St. Mark’s Square in the run up to midnight, and the year I went to Paris, I was streaming up the Champs Elysèes as the year turned, borne along by a tide of rowdy but civilized humanity. “There’s no cure like travel,” as George Gershwin wrote.
This year you can join the celebration on the Champs Elysèe, too, thanks to the incredibly good Business Class fares offered from the U.S. to Paris at Christmas and New Year’s—and fly on the A380 to boot if you opt for Air France from New York or Washington.
The Deal
Straightforward. Holiday First and Business Class fares from many major U.S. cities to Paris on many major airlines, among them Air France, American, Continental, Delta, Lufthansa, SWISS, United, and US Airways.
The Fine Print
First and Business Class: 60-day advance purchase required. Travel window: outbound, Dec. 19 through Jan. 6; return, Dec. 25 through Jan. 10, 2012. First Class fares are only valid on Lufthansa and United.
Where to Stay
There are scores of hotels to suit every pocketbook. Here are a few on the higher end that I can recommend from experience. Four Seasons Georges V: A perfect combination: Grand French setting, great American-style service. Hotel le Bristol: Sharpen your credit card as this hotel is on the rue Faubourg Saint Honore just up from a gantlet of luxury shops. Book a room in the new wing. Hotel du Aubusson A Left Bank hideaway, a stone’s throw from the Île de la Citè. Hotel InterContinental Paris Le Grand: Looks and acts every inch the Belle Epoque part and is the heart of Paris.
What to See
There’s a cascade of information online, so here are five smaller museums and sites that seem quintessentially Parisian to me. Nissim de Camondo Museum: The furniture and decorative arts of the 18th century beautifully displayed in the mansion of Moise de the Parisian banker who amassed it. La Saint-Chapelle: Louis IX’s jewel box of a chapel with ravishing stained glass windows. Musèe du Luxembourg: A small space for changing exhibits—the curators have a knack for the interesting show—tucked into a corner of the Luxembourg Gardens. Place Saint Sulpice: In my mind a nearly perfect Parisian square. I even admire the behemoth Church of Saint Sulpice. Musèe National Gustave Moreau: The home and studio of the important Symbolist artist and teacher whose work was a harbinger of modernism.
Sample of Special Promotional Fares to Paris over New Year’s
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