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Is Ice Skating in Paris Worth it? (Le Grand Palais des Glaces Review)

Last Updated on 30th December 2024 by Sophie Nadeau

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If you’ve spent any time searching Paris posts on social media recently, then you’ll likely have come across viral videos about the ‘biggest indoor ice skating rink in the world,’ which is currently being held in the gorgeous Grand Palais in central Paris. In this guide I’m going to break down my honest opinion of Le Grand Palais des Glaces and whether or not I think that ice skating in Paris is truly worth it.

sophie nadeau grand palais ice skating
grand palais des glaces ice skating

Despite the seeming lack of social media posts prior to 2024, this isn’t actually the first time that ice skating has been hosted in the 8th arrondissement. The reason for the lack of posts in recent years is because the Grand Palais has been undergoing extensive restorations and so this is the first time the event has taken place since 2019.

The ice skating rink itself boasts a surface of almost 3000 m². In the day time revellers can admire the stunning architecture of the Grand Palais, while those visiting at night can enjoy a light show complete with a live DJ.

ice skating grand palais
A huge disco ball is suspended above Le Grand Palais des Glaces

How do you get tickets?

There are three sessions per day; morning, afternoon, and evening. All are priced differently:

Morning25€ (adult price)15€ (child price)
Afternoon30€ (adult price)18€ (child price)
Evening36€ (adult price)36€ (child price)

When is the best time to go ice skating?

Unfortunately, due to my schedule, the only time that I was able to go was on a Saturday afternoon, which was probably the busiest time of any time in the week.

I’ve seen plenty of reports that if you want to visit during the quietest time, then you should go between 11 PM and 2 AM during a weekday. Considering that the metro doesn’t run that late into the early hours of the morning and you don’t want to be too tired to explore Paris the next day, this isn’t necessarily a great option for everyone!

ice skating at night in grand palais

A good compromise would therefore be to go in the morning session, or at the very least, any of the mid-week sessions.

In order to experience the event in full, I recommend going in the afternoon because then you get to experience the day time at Grand Palais as well as the DJ set and light show which typically begins between 5 PM and 6 PM.

Something that is also worth considering is that I noticed that the number of people skating went up significantly as our session progressed. When we first got on the ice the crowds didn’t seem too bad, but within a couple of hours, it was impossible to go at the speed you wanted because you were always in a queue!

sophie and antoine ice skating
ice skating grand palais

What do you need to bring?

One common misconception that I saw pretty often when we were queuing is that you can buy tickets at the door. This is not the case. Instead you have to buy your tickets in advance and the only official vendor is the Grand Palais website.

Even if you don’t want t go skating and just want to accompany someone inside, you’ll still need to purchase a full-priced ticket.

It says that gloves are mandatory and I would never go ice skating without them, but this policy didn’t really seem that strictly enforced. Large bags are forbidden. You can bring a small bag and pay for the cloak room but I just kept my cross body bag with me when I was ice skating.

grand palais des glaces ice skating
Le Grand Palais des Glaces gets more and more crowded as the session goes on so I recommend trying to get a slot as early as possible!

Ice skate rentals are included in the price of your ticket and they have everything from a EU size 25-50. You can also bring your own skates but this won’t give you any reduction in the price of a ticket.

There is a special children’s area but I didn’t see any sort of ice skating aids like penguins. You are not allowed to bring your own food or drink inside (even bottled water) and there is a strict bag check at the entrance.

If you are hungry or thirsty then you’ll have to buy food at the café, which sells a variety of hot drinks like teas, coffees and food such as crêpes, waffles, and tartiflette. The queue wasn’t very long but the snacks were on the pricier side so I would personally opt to eat beforehand.

disco ball grand palais
night time at grand palais des glaces

Is the ice skating worth it?

To be honest the beauty of the place is fun for five minutes but you’re also paying a premium to go ice skating and so I’m not entirely sure that the experience is as good as it seems on social media.

For starters the ice is really bad quality and I now understand why it says on the terms and conditions that you’re not allowed to make snowballs on the ice rink! The sheer volume of people meant that the ice became pretty poor quality pretty quickly and there is no resurfacing during a session.

biggest indoor ice skating rink in the world

Next the wait time to get in is pretty extensive. We queued for well over an hour and I saw that at certain times, the queue can last for over an hour and a half. It can get pretty chilly waiting outside and so I recommend wrapping up warm with a hat and scarf.

The rink is really crowded and the amount of people doesn’t really feel safe so if you’re not a very confident skater it’s not really pleasant because you have to go really slowly around the exterior or get intimidated by professionals who don’t really care about the fact that there are less confident skaters around. We saw several accidents. 

All in all I had a fun time, but considering the price, the waiting times, and the number of people allowed on the ice at any given time I probably wouldn’t go again! If you’re interested in more winter activities in Paris, check out my guide to Christmas in Paris.

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ice skating in paris/ grand palais des glaces 8th arrondissement paris france
ice skating in paris france/ le grand palais des glaces review 8th arrondissement

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