The start of December brings with it another feeling: Christmas is little more than three weeks away and the need to buy presents for family and friends becomes ever more pressing by the day.

Of course, the difficulty with present buying is relative: it is easy to find something common which your friend will thank you for but not remember in a few weeks time. But if you want something rare, unique, and authentic, then a visit to Paris is necessary.

But not just to any area of Paris. The historic Ile Saint Louis is the perfect place to visit for shopping for Christmas presents – Ile Saint Louis is one of two natural islands in the middle of the river Seine running through Paris and has a deliberately artisan and romantic feel.

With its charming and relaxing vibe, the Ile Saint Louis is almost tailor-made for Christmas shopping: its boutique shops sell everything from vintage clothes to antique watches and gadgets – they truly have something for even the most hard to please.

If you buy a present for a friend, sibling, parent or partner, it makes sense to buy it from the Ile Saint Louis: they will treasure it and remember it for years to come. For just this reason, a trip to Paris would definitely add greatly to your Christmas shopping.

Photo The Shopping Festival is Coming by Prakhar

The French do classy better than any people on earth. With winter being the perfect time to look demure and elegant, this could scare you away from a trip to Paris at this time of year. Don’t let it! If you did it would mean you would miss out on the Paris Christmas Markets.

While there is a certain ubiquity to Christmas markets – there is one in almost every major world city – this should not detract from the brilliance of the Paris Christmas market.

Situated between Boulevard Saint-Germain and Place Saint-Sulpice and lasting from the 5^th until the 31^st of December, this really is a terrific event: the market features products ranging from traditional French favourites – clothes, food, wine – to the more obscure such as artisan nutcrackers.

What’s more, one can stroll around the market while enjoying a class of Vin Chaud (how much more classy does that sound than ‘mulled wine’) and if one is looking for stocking fillers for children, help is at hand: children can visit Père Noël and reveal their wish-list – this is useful for present-buying – and it gets rid of them for a while if you wish to buy an extra-secret present.

With the quality of produce on show, this outcome is very likely. But that shouldn’t put you off visiting the Paris Christmas Markets – they truly are a sight to behold.

Photo St Germain Paris Christmas Market by Visitingeu

Les Sapins de Noël des Créateurs : a long name in a foreign language. Surely this is an event which you have no wish to be in any way associated with ? Wrong. Plain wrong.

Because LSNC (I’ve shortened the name for obvious reasons) is about both art and fashion.

Picture the scene: the most prominent designers from the Paris fashion scene – people like Jean Paul Gaultier, Hermes, Gucci, as well as our very own Paul Smith, create their own ‘Christmas tress’ which are then displayed  – this year at the Cité de l’Architecture from the 8^th until the 14^th of December – and after this, auctioned off for Christmas.

LSNC is worth going to because it isn’t just a series of trees. Rather, the Sapin de Noël (Christmas tree) tends to turn out to be anything but a Christmas tree.

Past entries have ranged from haute couture dresses inspired by the shape of firs – and surprisingly beautiful these were as well – to high heels decked out in baubles and tinsel. In other words, these are metaphorical Christmas trees.

It is for this reason that LSNC is so worth a visit: the element of surprise with what will be on show is immense and what’s more, some truly brilliant designs have emerged in the past.

With the only cost that of voluntary donations to Sol en Si, an AIDS charity, LSNC can be part of an enjoyable break to Paris.

Photo Christmas Tree by Tamburix

Last month we ran a competition to find 40 singletons to whisk away to Paris for the day in the hope of finding love.

Last Saturday at 6.30 in the morning I stood under the clock in St Pancras and greeted the guys as they arrived. After a few suspicious looks I quickly had to explain that the girls had an alternative meeting point and they would be meeting them in Paris. The women were met by Camille and Sandrine at the other end of St Pancras and were actually slightly less concerned about the lack of men on arrival.

Traveling in separate carriages the excitement began to grow as everyone had breakfast and discussed what the day might have in store, as well as what the other half of the group would be like. Although there were quite a few guys throughout the journey wandering through the girls carriage and visa versa trying to get a look at the other group!

On arrival in Paris we jumped on our coach and went to a little Cuban bar in Bastille where we had some lunch before the afternoons activities. As the group was quite large and this was a singles trip the afternoon was spent taking part in a spot of speed dating so everyone had a chance to get to know each other.

After bonding over cocktails we then made our way to the Eiffel Tower where we had a cruise down the river Seine with champagne while the most gorgeous sunset set in the background.

As night fell Paris became alive and we regretfully began to head back to Gard du Nord while passing some of Paris’s well known sites such as the Arc du Triomphe and the Moulin Rouge which are even more impressive by night.

So was there any romance? Well that would be telling! But watch this space for future announcements to make sure you will have enough time to buy your hat!

A big thank you to an absolutely lovely group of people that joined us on the day and helped make the day as much fun as it was. Photos from the trip can been seen on the Little Break Flickr account.

The first exhibition dedicated to French actress Brigitte Bardot has opened in Paris. Opened on the 29th September – the day after Brigitte’s 75th Birthday it has been taking Paris by storm.

‘The Carefree years’ the Paris show of some 2,000 photos, films and mementos — few of them hers — spans Bardot’s life from her teens, when she rocketed to stardom, to her retirement aged just 39 in 1973.

Including portraits by Andy Warhol on loan from her third husband, millionaire German playboy Gunter Sachs, and the gingham wedding dress she wore for husband number two, Jacques Charrier, which made pink gingham stylish worldwide.

Unable to cope with life as a celebrity, she retired from films to pose on icebergs with baby seals as she switched from sex symbol to savior, selling off everything she owned to fund her animal rights foundation.

“Brigitte Bardot: Les Annees Insouciance” runs until January 31 at the Espace Landowski in Paris. Details at www.expobrigittebardot.com

Photo Bridget Bardot by Mirririr

Dedicated fashion followers flock to Brussels’ Tour & Taxis to bag a bargain at the huge Modo Bruxellae designer sale. So there really is no excuse for not having something to wear as the Christmas party season looms!

Young Belgian fashion designers sell their one-off creations at reduced prices during this two-day shopping frenzy. The designers selling their wares have included pieces by Azniv Afsar, Caroline Foulon, Eric Beauduin, Max & Lola, Sur ta tête, Tomoko Furusawa and Xavier Gigot.

Taking place on the 12th – 13th December if you have an eye for a bargain, this weekend is definitely the best weekend to being planning a trip to Brussels.

Photo Is there a Sale on? @Lowestoft, Suffolk by Tim Parkinson

With the end of summer we thought that if would be nice to spread a little happiness and see if we can get some love in the air with a Little Singles Break, and so where would better than to go to the city of love itself – Paris.

On Saturday, 10th of October we’re are going to be taking a group of singletons from the UK for a day of fun and potential match making in Paris. The details of the day are going to be kept as a surprise until nearer the date but if you fancy doing something different and want to join us then here’s what you have to do…..

Leave us a comment telling us either a) the most romantic thing you’ve done for someone b) Your worst date ever or c) complete this sentence ‘You know its love when…’

We will then pick the best/ funniest/ original entries to join us for a Little Singles Trip to Paris.

THIS COMPETITION IS NOW CLOSED

* participants have to be UK residents, between 25 -40, single and able to travel on Saturday, 10th October. No cash alternative. These tickets are non refundable. This offer is not available to members of Eurostar or its associates.

Paris’ Musée de la Poupée marks the 50th anniversary of Mattel’s famous export with an exhibition of Barbies through the ages. The 500 dolls stand testament to changing fashions, from Sixties Barbie in her miniskirt to the Seventies disco diva.

Hundreds of fully original vintage dolls and accessories, chosen among the best French private collections, together with a selection of the latest Barbie dolls provided by Mattel France, will be on display till the 20th September 2009.

Since 1959, embodying Ruth Handler’s vision, Barbie helps children to play out their dreams. Everyone, through this exhibit, can have a chance to find THE Barbie doll that had an impact during her/his childhood. For everyone has a Barbie-related memory, even those who never played with Barbie, those who disliked her, those who were raised without her. No one, today, can possibly ignore this doll, since Barbie is universal.

Whether you’re a fan of Barbie or just want to indulge in a little nostalgia, the Barbie exhibition is well worth a visit when you’re in Paris, although you’ll have to be quick as it’s only on display until the 20th September.

Photo Spin Me Right Round Baby by Gary Denness

After our Little Fashion Break in Paris created so much excitement and envy out in the blogosphere we’ve invited our favourite fashion bloggers who came with us on our Little Break to Paris to find out who most deserves a little break out of all of their readers.

To win tell us why you deserve a little break or what you would be your perfect break away, to be in with a chance to win a free pair of tickets to either Paris Brussels or Lille.

Check out StyleSlicker and DisneyRoller Girl to find out more and enter one of the competitions available with more to follow shortly.

If you’re not fortunate enough to win, remember that you can still take advantage of Eurostar’s £59 return deal at the moment to any of these destinations.

Good Luck!

A couple of weeks ago the girls here at Little Break took 13 Fashion bloggers on a Little Fashion Break to Paris, to experience first hand the benefits of taking a little break.

To make the most of the day an early start was required – 4am to be precise! Meeting under the big clock at the aptly named meeting point in St Pancras there was an air of anticipation as everyone met for the first time.

Boarding the Eurostar everyone quickly settled into the spacious seats and as you would expect the staff on board the train were lovely and amazingly helpful as they served up fresh bread and croissants, along with smoked salmon and freshly brewed coffee for our breakfasts.

I don’t know if it was the conversation or the buzz of meeting everyone but before we knew it we had arrived at Gard du Nord in Paris ready to start our Little Break.

After a quick ride on the metro we disembarked at Concorde and took advantage of the gorgeous Parisian weather – 24 degrees and sunny! With a short stroll through the Jardin des Tuilneries as we made our way to the shops.

Our first stop was the well known (fashion) boutique Colette which had some of the most beautiful dresses I’d seen in a while, although after looking at the price tags it’ll be a while till I get to see them in my wardrobe.

We all later then met up at a lovely little restaurant called B4 for some lunch.  Excitedly we sat down to a glass of champagne while comparing purchases from the little boutiques we had found before settling down for a private viewing of Marion Cointots first collection.

The day then continued with a visit to Le Musee de la Mode to attend the Madeleine Vionnet exhibition that is currently being displayed before being taken away until (we were told) its next appearance in 20 years time.

With the sun in the sky and a glass of champagne in hand we then ended the day with an idyllic trip down the river Seine passing Paris’s well known landmarks while watching the world drift by.

Leaning back with a complimentary glass of champagne as the Eurostar raced through the French countryside the excitable chatter from the morning was replaced with a relaxed hum of conversation as the newly found friendships were cemented with gossip and talk of fashion (of course!).

What can I say? The day was amazing, the people were fabulous, and Paris as always was spectacular!

A big thank you to Audrey from Be Frassy, Vanessa from Vanessa Jackman, Selina From Flying Saucer, Reena from Fashion Day Dreams, Amna from Disconap, Carl from Inspire the Starling, Lorraine from Beauty and the Dirt, Kit from Style Slicker, Sam from My Fashion Life, Claire from Young Shields, Laetitia from Mademoiselle Robot, Cate from Bitch Buzz and Disney Roller Girl for joining us.

Check out their blogs to read their thoughts on our Little Fashion Break to Paris.