The Best Ice Rinks in Paris This Winter
Skating in Paris at Christmas feels slightly unreal! You’re moving over the ice while the city throws its winter show around you – streets lit up, market stalls humming, the scent of warm pastries drifting over from the nearby stands. The rinks appear only for the season, and each one drops you into a different corner of Paris.
1. Grand Palais des Glaces (aka Grand Palais Éphémère)
The big indoor rink returns this season at the Grand Palais Éphémère on the Champ-de-Mars. It runs December 13, 2025 to January 6, 2026, with daytime family sessions and nighttime DJ sessions.
Tickets usually fall between €20 and €25, skates included.
The ice surface is huge with 2700 m2, one of the largest temporary indoor rinks in Europe. The lights and music give it more of an event feel than a simple rink outing.
Families tend to fill the earlier slots, while evenings attract groups of friends and people coming from the Christmas market or the Eiffel Tower area.
Once you’re outside, you’re right on the Champ-de-Mars, so the setting before and after skating adds to the experience.
2. Jardin des Tuileries Ice Rink
This rink fills a corner of the Magie de Noël fair inside the Tuileries Garden. It runs from November 15, 2025 to January 5, 2026 with long hours: 11:00 to 23:45 every day. Tickets are generally €10 for adults, €6 for children, skate rental included.
The atmosphere here is full-on Christmas. You’re skating between fairground lights, food stalls, and the long garden paths that lead toward the Louvre.
Nights feel the strongest: the lights reflect on the ice, the rides hum in the background, and the late crowd spreads out enough to give you room to move.
Food options stretch across the entire fair: chestnuts, churros, flammekueche, fries, hot chocolate, mulled wine, and a rotating mix of regional kitchens. One of the liveliest winter spots in the city.
3. La Défense Ice Rink
The Parvis de La Défense turns into a big Christmas village every year, and the rink sits right at the center of it. It’s already open and runs until January 5, 2026.
Hours follow the market rhythm: 11:00-20:00 on weekdays and 11:00–22:00 on Fridays and Saturdays. Entry is around €7–€8, skates included.
The setting feels busy in a good way. You skate with the district’s high-rise skyline above you, and the sound of the market carrying in the background.
Office workers drop by after work, families show up earlier in the day. The whole plaza lights up once night falls. Food stands sit all around the rink, so the smell of raclette, crêpes, and mulled wine trails across the ice.
Staff keep the surface in decent shape even when the crowd picks up.
4. Galeries Lafayette Rooftop Ice Rink
Galeries Lafayette Haussmann runs a synthetic rink on its rooftop terrace from December 1, 2025 to January 4, 2026.
Hours match store times, usually 10:30–19:00 on weekdays and Saturdays, and 11:30–19:00 on Sundays. Tickets are €16 for adults and €7.50 for children, with a 30-minute skating slot inside a one-hour session.
The draw here is the view. You’re above the boulevard with the Paris rooftops stretching out around you, including the Opéra Garnier dome.
The rink is small but fun for quick sessions. It’s open from age four. Gloves are required, and one supervising adult can enter the terrace for free.
5. Printemps Haussmann “Patinoire du 7e Ciel”
Printemps Haussmann opens its rooftop rink for the season from November 8, 2025 to January 4, 2026. It’s also a synthetic rink, smaller than Galeries Lafayette, and runs daily 13:00-19:00. Access is free with a reservation.
The terrace sits above Boulevard Haussmann with clear views over the 9th arrondissement. The setup feels more intimate, and the store adds a small “gourmand” corner with sweets and warm drinks.
A quick note about Hôtel de Ville
The City Hall rink used to be one of Paris’s winter staples, but it ended after 2019. The square now hosts winter activities without ice, and nothing is planned here for the 2025–2026 season.