Free activities
with the family
during the Christmas vacations

Free activities for the Christmas vacations

Christmas vacations 🎄 are a time for sharing precious moments with the family, and taking part in activities with the kids. But with end-of-year spending, it’s not always easy to entertain the whole tribe without blowing the budget.

Fortunately, in Haute-Vienne, you can take advantage of free activities for young and old, and experience the magic of Christmas without breaking the bank. Whether it’s outdoor outings or cultural moments in the warmth, here are some ideas for free outings to make the most of your Christmas vacations! ✨

A quick of a view

Christmas Lights Limoges Rue De La Boucherie

1. Let's go to the Christmas show

in Saint Léonard de Noblat, Limoges and surroundings

During the Christmas vacations, the villages of Haute-Vienne invite you to discover free shows for the whole family. Theater, storytelling and enchanting entertainment for young and old alike. These free events, specially designed for children, offer a moment of magic and discovery to share together. Don’t miss these unique opportunities to enjoy yourself at no cost, and experience the magic of Christmas in your local communities!

See the whole Christmas calendar

2. Exploring the Haute-Vienne countryside

with your family

There’s no age limit to geocaching! With Terra Aventura, geocaching made in Limousin, you can take your family on an adventure with several discovery tours.

With the “Let’s walk in the woods” tour children will be delighted to collect objects along the way to make beautiful 100% natural Christmas decorations at home, or land’art on the spot🪵. For strolls with the little ones, stroller-accessible routes are marked with a pictogram 😉

If you haven’t already done so, create your Terra Aventura account so you can play and go. Download and install the free application on your smartphone. If you don’t have a smartphone or don’t want to use one, you can download and print the route map for your route, or ask for one at the tourist office, and set off with a GPS.

Discover Tèrra Aventura

Terra Aventura Limousin Nouvelle Aquitaine Laurencon 148

3. Christmas in Limoges

Eye candy and fun

For a magical late afternoon, come to Limoges to see the Christmas lights, and enjoy free activities to delight the children. The 2024 program has plenty of surprises in store: will there be a big roller-skating track, fun slides on sledges? Suspense! Who will strike the funniest pose or take the most “kawaii” selfie 🤳 in front of the big illuminated bear or the penguins on skis?

Maybe there’ll be a new mapping show to marvel at in front of giant images full of poetry. You know, that moment when children are left speechless by the magic 😉

One thing’s for sure: Santa Claus 🎅 will be there! You can also admire the Christmas decorations as you stroll around downtown (place Denis Dussoubs, place Jourdan, place de la République, etc.) Treat yourself to precious (and free!) family moments throughout December.

All the Christmas activities

4. Let's decipher the mysteries of the forest

at the La-Jonchère-Saint-Maurice arboretum

The Office National des Forêts, which manages the Arboretum de la Jonchère Saint-Maurice, has had the good idea of creating a free application to help visitors explore this magnificent heritage site. You can use your mobile phone to follow the discovery trail and find indications for each of the 160 species that inhabit the arboretum. As well as identifying them, the app provides numerous photos of the trees in all seasons and explanations of their history, flowering and so on.

The walk takes around 1h30. A great way to get some fresh air and learn about the trees that surround us.

The “Arboretum de la Jonchère 87” application is available on the Applestore platform and is also available for Android.

Discover

5. Christmas markets

throughout Haute-Vienne

Christmas markets are also great opportunities for families to get some fresh air and take a stroll. There’s often free entertainment on offer, including music, games and more, not forgetting the traditional meeting with Santa Claus, which always delights the whole family.

Strolling through the town center, taking the time to admire the illuminations in the alleyways, rediscovering the beautiful facades of our Limousin buildings – it’s a feast for the eyes that’s also part of the magic of Christmas.

All Christmas markets

8. See an exhibition Cirque-Théâtre de Limoges

at the Musée des Beaux-Arts

How about spending the last day of the vacations at the museum? It’s the 1st Sunday of the month, and admission is free to the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Limoges 😉. Take the opportunity to discover the exhibition “En piste! Widhopff (1867-1933) and the paintings of the Cirque-théâtre de Limoges”. A cultural moment for the whole family to get 2025 off to a great start!

Creative spaces and activities adapted to the different ages of children, from 3 years upwards, are offered at the heart of the exhibition and at the end of the tour: “le chapiteau de papier”, “circus minimus”, “parcours-jeu”. What could be better than sharing a game with your children or grandchildren to enjoy moments of complicity during the Christmas vacations?