One Unforgettable Night in Paris: Seeing Céline Dion Live
A weekend in Paris, 35,000 steps exploring the city, and the chance to see one of my all-time favorite singers perform live. Add in a rare night away from our four children, and it was a pretty special trip all around!
I’d been to Paris a couple of times before, but this visit was different. We were there for one reason in particular: Céline Dion.
It’s All Coming Back to Me Now
I’m a huge Céline Dion fan, so when I watched her documentary two years ago, I was devastated. For anyone who doesn’t know her story, Céline has stiff person syndrome, a rare neurological condition that can cause severe muscle stiffness and spasms. The condition affected her mobility and ability to sing, and watching what she was going through was heartbreaking.
Then came the 2024 Olympic opening ceremony in Paris. Seeing her perform from the Eiffel Tower was such an emotional moment. I cried watching her sing, and I don’t think I was the only one!
So when Céline announced that she would be performing in Paris, I was absolutely thrilled. Seeing her live was something I’d genuinely thought I might never get to experience.
We had to make it happen.
Getting from London to Paris
Living in London means Paris is a relatively easy getaway, with several options for getting there. You can take the Eurostar from central London or fly from one of London’s airports, depending on your budget, schedule and where you’re staying.
We decided to fly from London Luton. Despite living here for 15 years, this was actually my first time using Luton Airport!
It’s about an hour drive from our house, so we booked a 6:30 am Uber to get us there for our 9:30 am flight. Our return flight was from Heathrow, which meant we had to factor in the different airport locations when planning our transport. For us, getting home from Heathrow is very easy via the tube, but it does take about 1 hour and 45 minutes.
Luton is fairly compact and easy to navigate. I’d checked in online and downloaded our boarding passes, so we could head straight to security.
And here’s something I don’t say very often: traveling without children made the whole airport experience an absolute breeze!
No strollers, no car seats, no extra bags to juggle. Just one backpack each. We even had time to sit down for breakfast before boarding.
After traveling with four children for years, I don’t think I’ll ever take a straightforward airport journey for granted again.
Arriving in Paris
We landed at Charles de Gaulle Airport, and getting through passport control was surprisingly straightforward.
With the new Entry/Exit System (EES) being introduced across the Schengen Area, border checks can take longer than we’re used to. On this occasion, we were able to use the electronic passport gates and get through quickly.
From the airport, we took the train into Paris to start exploring.
One thing to be aware of when using public transport in Paris is that the ticketing system works a little differently from London’s. In London, you can generally tap in and out using a contactless credit/debit card. In Paris, we used transport cards that we could scan at the barriers and reload as needed. The cards cost €2 each, on top of the journey fares.
It’s worth checking the latest ticketing options before traveling, as fares and transport rules can change.
We changed trains at Saint-Michel Notre-Dame and continued to Bir-Hakeim, near the Eiffel Tower.
I’d seen the Eiffel Tower before, but there’s something about seeing it in person that never gets old. Photographs really don’t do justice to just how enormous it is!
We were also incredibly lucky with the weather. It was sunny and warm without being too hot, which was perfect because we had a lot of walking planned.
Exploring Paris on foot
Our first stop was lunch at an Italian restaurant with a view of the Eiffel Tower. Not a bad way to start a weekend in Paris!
After lunch, we wandered around looking for a good spot to take some Eiffel Tower photos before setting off towards the Champs-Élysées.
The city was full of its usual hustle and bustle, with tourists, street performers and designer shops lining the famous avenue. We walked past the Arc de Triomphe and gradually moved away from the busiest tourist areas.
One of my favorite things about traveling is getting a glimpse of everyday life in a place, rather than just ticking off the famous sights.
As we walked through different neighborhoods, we passed cafés, fresh fruit shops and vegetable stands, seeing a more everyday side of Paris. It’s these little details that often make a trip memorable.
By the time we’d walked around five miles, we were ready to reach our hotel and put our backpacks down!
A little note on getting around Paris
Paris is a great city to explore on foot, particularly if you want to see several of the main sights in one day. However, distances can add up quickly, so comfortable shoes are a must.
We ended up walking around 35,000 steps that day. I think it might be a personal record for a day when I hadn’t also been out for a run!
If you’re visiting with children, I’d recommend being realistic about how much ground you want to cover. We were traveling without ours on this occasion, which made it much easier to keep going.
A quick stop before the concert
Our hotel was in the La Défense area, which worked really well for the concert venue.
Between the hotel and the arena was a large Westfield shopping center, so we decided to grab dinner there rather than sit down for a long restaurant meal.
We didn’t want to risk missing any of the concert, and it was a lovely evening to be outside. The shopping center has a huge open-air space where lots of people were sitting, chatting and enjoying their Saturday evening.
After a full day of sightseeing, we were ready for the main event.
Seeing Céline Dion live in Paris
The concert took place at the Plenitude Arena in La Défense, on the outskirts of Paris. It’s a huge indoor venue, and the atmosphere was incredible.
Céline didn’t come on stage until almost 9 pm, and there was no warm-up act. Nobody seemed to mind. The crowd was there for her, and the anticipation was building by the minute.
When she finally appeared, it was emotional. Not just for the audience, but for Céline herself.
You could see how much performing again meant to her. After everything she’d been through, being back on stage in front of thousands of fans was a triumph.
She was both humble and completely commanding. She took us through a mix of French songs I wasn’t familiar with and her much-loved English hits. Even when I didn’t understand every word she was saying in French, her expressions and the emotion behind her voice said so much.
There was opera, dancing, laughter and tears. At times, it felt less like a concert and more like being part of a shared experience with thousands of other people who were just as grateful to be there.
And then there were the crowd singalongs!
The audience broke into several rounds of Seven Nation Army between songs, and again when we were hoping she’d return for an encore. The energy in the arena was something else.
It was everything I’d hoped for and more. I still feel incredibly lucky to have been there.
I genuinely hope Céline stays healthy and can continue doing what she loves for many years to come.
Where we stayed: Nest Hotel Paris La Défense – MGallery Collection
We stayed at the Nest Hotel Paris la Défense – MGallery Collection, which was a convenient base for our weekend.
The hotel was around a 20-minute walk from the arena, making it easy to get to and from the concert without worrying about public transport afterwards.
It also turned out to be a rather interesting place to stay! Miss Universe France and her entourage happened to be there too, with a film crew following her around. The following morning, the elevator stopped at her floor and she joined us. She was incredibly tall and beautiful!
As for the hotel itself, we had a really good stay.
A few things we liked:
- Breakfast: A generous buffet with made-to-order eggs, which is always a bonus.
- Comfortable beds: Much appreciated after a 35,000-step day!
- Room service: We ordered a late-night pizza after the concert, which was exactly what we needed.
- Clean and comfortable rooms: Everything was well maintained, with a nice shower.
- Little extras: The Nespresso machine, bathrobes and slippers were lovely touches.
Overall, it was a comfortable hotel in a convenient location for the concert. If you’re visiting Paris for an event at La Défense Arena, it’s certainly worth considering.
Inspired to Learn French
One unexpected takeaway from this trip was that it left me wanting to learn French!
I took six months of French in school and really enjoyed it, but I never did much with it afterwards. Over the years, learning Spanish has made traveling so much easier, and it’s reminded me just how valuable it is to know another language.
Even when you don’t speak a language fluently, knowing one foreign language can help you get the gist of another. You start recognizing familiar words, understanding food menus, and figuring out signs and directions in places that might otherwise feel unfamiliar.
Of course, speaking Spanish has been particularly useful when traveling through Spain, but I’ve also found that it helps me recognize words in other Romance languages, including French and Italian. Since Spanish and French share Latin roots and many similarities in vocabulary and grammar, having a strong foundation in Spanish can make learning French a little easier, even though there are still plenty of differences!
But for me, one of the biggest benefits of learning a language is the opportunity to connect with locals. Even making a small effort to speak someone’s language can make a difference. I’ve found that people are often more willing to help when they see you’re trying, even if you make a few mistakes along the way.
This trip reminded me that I’d love to build on the little French I learned in school and become more confident speaking it before our future trips to France and other French-speaking destinations.
I don’t expect to become fluent overnight, but I’d love to be able to have a conversation, order confidently in a restaurant, and connect with people beyond the usual tourist interactions.
Who knows? Maybe my next Paris trip will involve a little less pointing at menus and a lot more speaking French!
A weekend I’ll never forget
By the time we got back to the hotel after the concert, we were completely exhausted. But it was the kind of tiredness that comes after a day spent doing something really special.
This trip was also my first night away from my youngest child. As a mom of four, getting away without the children doesn’t happen very often, and it was lovely to have some time together as a couple.
Of course, I love traveling with our children, and many of our favorite memories have been made as a family. But there’s something special about having the freedom to wander around a city, walk for miles, enjoy a meal and go to a concert without worrying about anyone else’s bedtime!
Paris was the perfect setting for a weekend like this, but the real highlight was seeing Céline Dion perform live. It’s an experience I’ll remember for the rest of my life.
And if there’s one thing this trip reminded me of, it’s that sometimes the best trips are the ones we never quite imagined we’d get to take. As Céline might say, Encore un soir — one more night. I’d happily do it all again.
