Victor Hugo, the Interior Designer – Paris exhibition.
Explore Victor Hugo’s lesser-known talent as a decorator at the exhibition “Hugo décorateur” in Paris. Visitors will see how the great French writer transformed his homes into living works of art. The exhibition commenced on 13 November 2025 and continues until April 26, 2026.
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Paris Winter Sales 2026: 7 January to 3 February.
The Paris Winter Sales have begun, with bargains over four weeks from 7 January to 3 February. The sales (Les Soldes) range from 30% to 70% reductions in the price of many goods, from department stores and malls to individual shops, elite to general brands, international and French brands, and traditional to new brands.
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Five Scents That Smell Like Paris (to wear in 2026).
I was gifted a bottle of Yves Saint Laurent’s Libre perfume which I’m looking forward to wearing in 2026. In 2025, Parisian fragrance shifted away from excess and moved toward a feeling of confidence.
Here are five scents that smell like Paris, ready for the 2026 New Year.
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200 years of Le Figaro newspaper, French fashion, and beauty.
On 15 January 2026, the French newspaper Le Figaro will mark 200 years of continuous publication. Founded in 1826, the newspaper has survived revolutions, empires, republics, wars, occupations, technological upheavals, and the relentless churn of modern media.
To celebrate, Le Figaro has released two commemorative projects: 1) a landmark book, “Le Figaro, 200 ans de liberté” (“Le Figaro, 200 Years of Freedom”) by Étienne de Montety, and 2) a collector’s edition of the supplementary insert lifestyle magazine Madame Figaro titled “200 Years of Fashion & Beauty.
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2025 Year in Review by an Australian in Paris.
As the year 2025 closes, Paris ice rinks, festive lights, and gift markets attract locals and tourists alike.
This has not been an easy year, globally or personally. History has continued to unfold in complicated ways. There have been conflicts, losses, and uncertainty, but one thing remains: creativity doesn’t disappear in hard times — it becomes necessary.
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Renoir, art, and murder in Belle Époque Paris.
Revenge Among the Renoirs by Jennifer King (2024) is a historical art history whodunit mystery with time travel. It is set in Paris in the 1880s – Belle Époque Paris.
It is the first book in Jennifer King’s Art History Mysteries series, introducing Jade Beckham, an art restorer whose life is changed when she enters a time portal and lands in the world of Pierre-Auguste Renoir and his circle of family and friends: Edmond Renoir, his wife Aline Charigot, Edgar Degas, Emile Zola, and the Impressionists. Here she becomes tangled in a series of murders targeting female Parisian artist models in Montmartre.
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Paris 2025: A City Ready to Welcome the World Again.
Paris has been optimistic in 2025. After several years of global uncertainty, the City of Light has renewed energy as tourists make their return by the millions.
By the end of this year, 37.4 million visitors are expected to explore the Grand Paris region. It’s a sign that Paris is edging back to the “normal” numbers before the pandemic.
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New green havens open in Paris.
From rooftop gardens to rainwater parks, Paris is rewilding. Paris is creating eco-friendly spaces for walks, swimming, and relaxation outdoors. The city may be dense, but it’s growing greener every year.
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The art of John Singer Sargent Returns to Paris at the Musée d’Orsay.
The John Singer Sargent exhibition in Paris 2025 at the Musée d’Orsay marks France’s long-overdue celebration of one of the most brilliant portrait and landscape painters of his time. This exhibition brings together Sargent’s luminous portraits and breathtaking travel scenes, offering visitors an intimate look at the artist who once called Paris home.
For the first time ever, France is hosting a major exhibition dedicated to artist John Singer Sargent (1856–1925), one of the most celebrated portrait painters of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, from 23 September 2025 to 11 January 2026.
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Square Saint-Lambert: the park’s past.
Square Saint-Lambert in Paris is more than just a district park. It’s a peaceful green space with an industrial past, once the site of the Vaugirard gasworks factory. The site was a sprawling six-hectare industrial complex that once produced coal gas for the lamplights of Paris since 1835, but it was notorious for its pollution and smoke-filled air. During the Siege of Paris in 1870, the gasworks were the launch site for the hot-air balloon Céleste, that used to carry mail and passengers out of the besieged city.
When the factory was decommissioned in the 1920s, the grounds were cleared and reimagined as a public park.
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