We share the 12 best reasons to be in Paris this holiday season.Paris is magical all year round, but the City of Lights becomes truly enchanting during the holidays. If you have the good fortune to visit Paris this December, be sure to:

1. Browse the festive Christmas Markets and take in sparkling holiday lights on the stylish Champs-Elysées.

2. Take a spin on the seasonal 230-foot Ferris Wheel at Place de la Concorde for unbeatable city views.

3. Sip some bubbly on an O Chateau Champagne sipping river cruise on the Seine.

4. Don a pair of ice skates at one of the many ice skating rinks around the city, including in front of the Hôtel de Ville (city hall) and — for the really adventurous — on the first deck of the Eiffel Tower.

5. Warm up with incredibly thick hot chocolate at Angelina’s near the Tuileries garden, a sweet treat for the whole family.

6. Indulge with oysters, a seasonal treat, at l’Écume Saint-Honoré, a centrally located seafood bar between the Tuileries garden and Place Vendôme.

7. Conquer your shopping list at the Galeries Lafayette department store, famous for their out-of-this-world Christmas tree and decorations.

8. Pick out or pre-order your bûche de Noël (yule log) cake at a local bakery, the sweetest of French holiday traditions.

9. Imbibe art and culture at the Louvre and Musée d’Orsay, open Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve, and the Pompidou Center, open Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.

10. Warm up with vin chaud (mulled wine), an ubiquitous Christmas Market treat.

11. Attend a Christmas-themed classical concert at the most unique of venues — Sainte-Chapelle — an outstanding 13th-Century Gothic church famous for its kaleidoscope interior of stained glass windows.

12. Snap a photo of this year’s colorful nativity scene inside Notre Dame Cathedral before midnight mass on Christmas Eve.