What’s On In France In January

January in France is a busy month so here are some of what we think are the highlights of what's on in France in January. With a mixture of activities experienced by ourselves and others on our 'must do' list, there will be something for everyone. Enjoy France in January...

Last year I arrived in Paris on New Years day. It was raining as the taxi driver unloaded our suitcases onto the shimmering pavement outside our hotel. There is nothing like coming in out of the rain into a warm hotel foyer, with lamps glowing gold and glinting off of polished surfaces. We quickly made our way to the nearest bistro for a light dinner of French onion soup. Think hot buttery onion, crusty bread, and melted gruyere!

It was Gil, played by Owen Wilson, in the film Midnight in Paris (2011) who praised Paris in the rain; “Can you picture how drop dead gorgeous this city is in the rain?” 

We searched in vain on January 2^nd for an ice-skating rink but instead found ourselves delighted by a Christmas market on the Champ des Mars. There was a line of people waiting in the muddy ground at the barrier to enter the magical Christmas wonderland of smells and sounds. A light drizzle fell as we drank mulled wine and discovered the Alpine Raclette stand. Apline Raclette is a semi hard cheese fashioned into a wheel of about 6kg. It is produced on both sides of the French and Swiss Alps.

Why not visit France in January to try your chances at finding markets overflowing past the festive season, or seeing snow fall? For more of what’s on around France in January keep reading and check out the linked further resources for more information.

After Paris we made our way to Val Thorens for a week of skiing. The skiing season in the Northern Hemisphere lasts a lot longer than in Australia. Despite its length, January lies in the middle of the season and guarantees high quality snow (fresh powder every day!). There are many ski resorts to choose from at different altitudes and with unique character. In Val Thorens we climbed over our log-cabin-apartment’s balcony, clipped in our skis, and away we went. Visit the slopes this January for a skiing holiday you won’t forget!

Le Grande Odyssée Savoie Mont Blanc is one of the longest and most challenging dog sled races in the world. Over eleven days and 170 kilometers the world’s best mushers and dogs race through 22 ski resorts. One of the most challenging features is the change in altitude of over 15,000 meters.

In 2019 the race dates are January 12^th– 23^rd. Each musher has a crew of 14 sled-pulling dogs of the highest caliber and training. The race is one of endurance, speed, and gritty determination. Thousands of spectators gather at the start line of each leg of the journey and festivities abound in the participating ski villages; fireworks, markets, igloo building, and hunter’s workshops.

If you’re planning a skiing trip in January why not coincide with the Grande Odyssée dog sled race to witness the spectacle of a lifetime. Remember to book accommodation early because the resorts fill up.

Every year in mid-January the French town of Sarlat celebrates the culinary delight that is la Truffe. On the weekend of the 19-20^th of January 2019, French and international connoisseurs gather in Sarlat to taste, buy, and learn about truffles.

There are so many activities including truffle identification workshops, conferences, truffle hunting demonstrations and there is also a public market of truffle sellers so you can take your own home for cooking.  There are cooking courses and demonstrations on how to prepare and cook with truffles and the Jean Rougié Award cooking competition is a highlight.

At the market you’ll find every truffle related product imaginable! From detailed books to specialty truffle infused cooking oils, there is something for everyone. Fete de La Truffe is a very niche festival to visit in January!

Angoulême calls itself the Comic Strip Capital. Home to an annual international festival since 1974, Angoulême has put itself on the map and grown into it’s name.

Home to The Comic Strip Museum, the city features unique quirks: some street names on signs are contained by speech bubbles, buildings showcase ‘Painted Wall’ murals of comic strips, buses are decorated with colourful depictions of comic book characters, and letterboxes take the opportunity to deviate from the norm.

The creator and artist of Tintin, Herge, appeared at the festival in 1976. Thousands of amateurs, professionals, and fans flock to Angoulême in January for the four-day event of talks, signings, exhibitions, and competitions. 

La Folle Journee is a classic music festival held annually in Nantes. The festival lasts five days and offers over 250 short, separate, and affordable classical music performances for the purpose of promoting renewed appreciation of classical music.

The festival aims to offer a wide audience access to high quality classical music from all around the world. The festivals are themed each year. The theme either takes the form of a tribute to a composer, eg. Beethoven, or relates to a universal subject, eg. Nature.

If you want to catch the festival this January, it opens on January 30^th and goes till February 3^rd. 

​If you happen to be in Paris in January, snag the tail end of this exhibition at the Louvre. Titled ‘Love’, the exhibition of 250 artworks tells the story of how we love, spanning techniques, civilizations, history, and romantic relationship.

“It shows how, starting from a stigmatization of the feminine, each era has successively liberated women, love, relationships, pleasure, and feeling, culminating in the invention of free love.” (Louvre)

And on a lighter note, remember that January is the perfect time for shopping.

The winter sales offer wonderful bargains, with savings of up to 70%. They typically run from mid-January through mid-February. So see what French bargains you can pick up in France in January. 

​Don’t neglect France in the month of January, there’s no time like New Years for a palette cleanse in a new place.

Steaming French Onion Soup is sure to help the palette! Not to mention Raceltte if you can find an Apline themed restaurant: ward away the chill in the air and the snow on your hair with a hot plate against melted cheese and roasted potatoes.

Anyway, I get very distracted thinking about food. There are plenty of wonderful events to join in on in January around France. Above, we’ve explored just a few. Comment below if you’ve spent New Years in Paris, or visited France in January, and share your story with us at A French Collection.