Regent Street vs. Champs-Élysées: Where to see Europe’s best holiday lights

Sparkling angels floating above the London buses versus rows of glowing trees leading to the Arc de Triomphe. 

Both London’s and Paris’ holiday lights are beautiful, iconic, and magical, and both turn on this month. But if you only have time to visit one European city, how do you choose between the two?

Read on for a side-by-side comparison of Regent Street vs. Champs-Élysées at Christmas. Plus, we’re sharing a plan for squeezing both into one trip if you can’t pick just one.

Regent Street vs. Champs-Élysées at a glance

In 2026, London’s Regent Street festive lights will switch on November 5, followed by Paris’s Champs-Élysées illuminations on November 22. Here are the key details for both holiday lights:

Regent Street: Angels floating over London’s West End

London’s holiday lights have been adored for decades, but Regent Street’s ‘Spirit of Christmas’ angels have become the West End’s signature display over the past decade.

The illumination features 30 huge angel figures suspended over the road, with cars, cyclists, and iconic red London buses passing beneath them.

Together, the angels use 300,000 LED lights, making their twinkle instantly eye-catching as you turn the corner into Regent Street.  

Organizers have teased a new twist this year, though they’re keeping details under wraps until the launch. 

The angels stretch across Regent Street, Jermyn Street, and St James’s Market, with additional displays on nearby streets like Glasshouse Street. Organizers have promised a new twist for 2026, so expect a few surprises on switch-on night.

The lights will switch on Thursday evening, November 5. For the event, Regent Street will close to traffic, and it’s expected to be very crowded. If you’re traveling by London public transport, get off at Oxford Circus or Piccadilly Circus.

Best viewing spots: 

• Oxford Circus (for the longest view)
• The Quadrant curve by Piccadilly Circus
• St James’s Market

Champs-Élysées: Glowing trees from Concorde to the Arc de Triomphe

From November 22, Champs-Élysées transforms into a Christmas wonderland. 400 trees line Avenue des Champs-Élysées from Arc de Triomphe to Place de la Concorde, covering nearly 2km.

The avenue will be closed to traffic on the evening of November 22, when the lights are officially switched on. After the launch, they light up every evening until midnight. The 2026 start time hasn’t been announced yet, but last year they came on at 5 PM.

What makes the 2026 Champs-Élysées light display extra special this year is the return of the Champs-Élysées Christmas market. 

The historic European Christmas market returns after a decade of absence. It kicks off on November 22, during the lights switch-on event, and will be open every day until January 4. You’ll find around 200 chalets in the gardens on the lower avenue near Place de la Concorde.

Best viewing spots

• In front of Arc de Triomphe
• Place de la Concorde (for the longest view)
• Jardin des Champs-Élysées

Which one should you choose?

Choosing between the Regent Street and Champs-Élysées holiday lights is as hard as choosing between London vs. Paris at Christmas. 

Both offer an unforgettable, magical Christmas experience and are free to visit, yet their displays and atmosphere differ.

Regent Street’s display feels compact and immersive, while Paris offers a grander, more sweeping spectacle.

Choose Regent Street if you want:

• A cozy, distinctly London Christmas atmosphere
• A complete family-friendly experience with lights, toy shops, and festive window displays

Choose Champs-Élysées if you want:

• A dramatic backdrop for photos
• An elegant Parisian setting combining Christmas lights with designer boutiques

Of course, both London and Paris are full of great sightseeing and other festive activities that you can pair with the Christmas lights. So whichever you choose, you won’t be stuck for things to do.

Can you see both in one trip?

If you’re traveling after November 22, it’s totally possible to combine London and Paris into one trip. Plus, with both displays running into early January, if you can’t make it before the holidays, you still have time to squeeze in a visit after New Year’s.

You won’t have to deal with packed airports and flight delays either. 

The Eurostar makes it easy to travel from London to Paris, with a direct route from St Pancras to Gare du Nord. The high-speed train takes just over two hours, with trains running every hour or two.

So for a London-Paris weekend trip, you could:

1. Arrive in London on Friday
2. See Regent Street on Friday evening 
3. Take the Eurostar to Paris on Saturday
4. See Champs-Élysées on Saturday evening
5. Travel back to London on Sunday to catch your flight home or book your return flight from Paris

If you’re traveling during the Christmas Holidays, especially between Boxing Day and New Year’s Eve, book Eurostar well in advance as this is a peak travel period and seats sell out fast. Also note that the Eurostar does not run on Christmas Day.

When to go: Timing your Christmas lights trip

If you’re attending the switch-on night or visiting during a December weekend (especially the last two before Christmas), expect big crowds. For a more relaxed experience, visit on a weekday evening. 

During the week, Regent Street and Champs-Élysées get the busiest after 6 PM when most people finish work. But as December sees Europe’s earliest sunsets, you can arrive just after dusk to enjoy the lights at their best before the peak-time rush. In mid-December, London’s sun sets just before 4 PM, so the lights look their best soon after.

If you don’t mind the crowds, Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve are extra special in Paris, with the avenue lit all night, creating an incredibly festive atmosphere. 

Staying connected across two countries

Did you know that a regional Europe eSIM covers both the UK and France? This makes your dual-country trip easier as you don’t have to find a new mobile data solution in each place. 

If you’d rather use a physical SIM card in London, you’ll find kiosks at the airport.

It’s also a good idea to download offline maps before you travel, as well as the relevant transport apps for each city:

• Citymapper or TfL Go for navigating London
• Bonjour RATP for getting around Paris 
• Uber for ride-hailing in both cities
• The official Eurostar app for accessing tickets and checking departure times and travel updates

Stay connected from Regent Street to the Champs-Élysées with Holafly

Chasing Christmas lights across two cities means a lot of maps, train tickets, and photos you’ll want to share right away. With a Holafly eSIM for Europe, you get unlimited data, 5G speeds, and 24/7 customer support from the moment you land, without surprise roaming fees or the hassle of hunting down a local SIM. Install it before you fly, and it’s ready when you are.

What’s more, every Holafly eSIM comes with Always On, 1 GB of monthly backup data at no additional cost. It activates automatically as long as the eSIM stays installed on your phone, renews every month, and works in 150+ destinations. So if a spontaneous Eurostar hop to Paris turns into one more night under the lights, you can still check your route or book a room without scrambling for Wi-Fi.

Planning more than one festive getaway this winter? Holafly Plans gives you pay-monthly coverage in 160+ destinations with a single eSIM.

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Michaela Park

Travel & Events Writer

Hi, I'm Mika, a South Korean writer living in the US. I cover travel and live events, focusing on the practical stuff that makes your trip smoother, whether you're navigating a new city or heading to a major international event.I'm also the founder of Search SEOul, South Korea's leading SEO conference, bringing together search marketing experts and speakers from around the world.

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