When’s the best time to visit Paris?

Deciding what time of year to visit Paris is NOT an easy task, and you might be wondering when’s the BEST time to visit Paris.

Well, after living in Paris for over 20 years, I really think that you can have an amazing trip to Paris at any time of year – as long as you know what to expect. The best time might depend on your travel interests or budget.

Plus, you might have certain contrasts like when your work allows you to take a vacation, when your kids have school holidays, or when your travel buddies can get away. If you’re toying around with a few different options, then I hope these pros and cons of visiting at different times of year can help you out.

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This is an image of Paris from a higher ground. You can see a skyline of buildings, bridges, the Seine, the Eiffel Tower and lots of trees that are turning yellow/orange.

Visiting Paris in autumn

So, to be completely honest, when people ask me when they should visit Paris, I tell them early autumn. There’s almost always AMAZING weather from September to mid-October. The days are warm and sunny with very little rain, the perfect weather for walking around the city.

Besides the great weather, most Parisians are super cheery at this time of year since they’ve just come back from their long summer holidays (some take a whole month of August off!), so the overall ambiance of the city is more relaxed and friendly.

There are also fewer tourists than in spring and summer, which is when families generally have to travel due to school holidays. This also means that it’s a bit of a cheaper time to travel, as of mid-September flights tend to go down.

The autumn is generally when the best art exhibits are held at Paris’s top museums. There are also a whole bunch of cool events like the Fete des Vendanges, the Montmartre wine harvest festival, the Art Basel Paris and Paris Photo art fairs, and the mouth-watering Salon du Chocolat.

I’d be lying if I said that ALL of autumn is wonderful though. It starts raining a lot by late October, but luckily it’s not every day, and if it does, you can stay dry by visiting those excellent exhibits or events I mentioned above.

You’ll forget all about the grey skies at the end of November when the city becomes decked out in STUNNING Christmas lights and decorations and Parisians get into the festive spirit. Late autumn is also when you can get some fantastic flight and hotel deals – savings you can put towards your vacation spending.

This is an image of Paris in winter. You can see some iconic buildings and a light now falling on them.

Visiting Paris in winter

Although the weather isn’t great, there are a number of advantages to visiting Paris in winter. As I mentioned for the end of autumn, the festive spirit carries on through early January and so early winter is actually a really magical time in the city.

I love this time of year because of the stunning holiday lights, sensational food, and fabulous Christmas markets. So if you’re also into these things, this is a fabulous time of the year to visit Paris. Many churches put on Christmas concerts and there are also other fun seasonal events like outdoor skating, and a super cool winter festival that takes place at the Grand Palais, so there is something to do in Paris over the Christmas holidays for all ages – even on Christmas Day.

Many restaurants put on gourmet holiday meals on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve, but you’ll want to do a little research in advance, as these get booked up a few weeks in advance.

After the first weekend in January, things start to slow down and until late February, you’ll pretty much have the city all to yourself as this is the least busy time of the year in Paris. Quiet museums, easy-to-book restaurants, and the usually the best hotel and flight deals of the whole year. You’ll also save on shopping because mid-January to mid-February is when the annual winter sales take place.

One last insider tip for you, especially if it’ll be your first trip and you were hoping to visit Versailles. If you can manage to book your trip around the 1st Sunday of the month, between November and March, Versailles is free to visit – so you’ll have more money to spend on enjoying your trip to Paris.

This is an image of a bird's eye view of Paris with the Eiffel Tower and some nice spring trees with flowers.

Visiting Paris in spring

Popular culture has it that spring in Paris is amazing, but the problem is you never know WHEN spring will actually start here. One year, it’ll be sunny and warm all of April and the next it’ll rain the whole month. So it’s a bit of a gamble. You can also have (almost) four seasons in one day, but as long as you’ve got an umbrella or raincoat and waterproof shoes, you’ll be fine. Packing and dressing in layers is also a good idea.

One thing about spring in Paris that doesn’t disappoint is the sensational blossoms. There are LOTS of cherry trees all over the city which blossom from early March through mid-April. The city has tons of parks that are so enjoyable in spring. My favorites at this time of year are the Palais Royal Gardens and the Parc Monceau, which are included on Day 1 and Day 5 of our Paris Itineraries. Both of these parks have stunning magnolia and cherry trees, plus bright daffodils and a rainbow of other blossoms.

If you’re into art, there are usually some great exhibits still on and if you’re a fan of opera and ballet, the spring is a good time to catch a performance before their season ends in June.

Spring can get a little crowded in Paris, especially from mid-March to mid-April, when families are on spring break and European travelers come for long weekends. May or early June tend to be a little less busy and by then, the weather is usually better too. So this could also be a great time to squeeze in a visit before the summer crowds pick up.

This is an image of a Montmartre street full of beautiful greenery and blue skies.

Visiting Paris in summer

Summer in Paris… so many pros AND so many cons! BUT I have solutions for most of the cons. Summer is the BUSIEST season in Paris, which means lonnnng lines and crowds at all major attractions. If you really have your heart set on going to the Louvre and the Eiffel Tower, you be sure to book in advance (tickets come available three months prior) or, better yet, visit in the evening. The Louvre is open late Wednesdays and Fridays and the Eiffel Tower till 1 am during summer. When to visit the top Paris attractions is all laid out in the “Which Day Should You Do It? Guide” of our Paris Itineraries.

Or you might even want to skip these overcrowded places entirely and visit some of the city’s smaller unique museums, which are usually less busy and are more popular with the locals too. You can also escape the crowds by hanging out in less touristy neighborhoods such as by the North Marais or the Canal Saint-Martin which are explored on Days 3 and 4 of our Paris Itineraries. I can also recommend visiting more local parks such as Les Buttes-Chaumont, which is also open late into the evening in summer.

Speaking of evenings, the days are super long at this time of year and it only gets dark between 10 and 11 pm. This gives you loads of extra time for seeing the sites (wink, wink – the Louvre and Eiffel Tower as mentioned above), but also to soak up the city and take part in local life. Parisians love summer and you can mingle with them on café terraces, but also rooftop bars and seasonal pop-up venues along the Seine River and some other cool areas of the city.

You might also want to visit certain places in the evening because it can get VERY hot in summertime. Now, it’s not stifling the entire season, but virtually every year we have a a heat wave or two. This is generally at the end of June or early July, but a few years back some friends were visiting at the end of August and a heatwave hit then. I sweated around the city with them and could really understand what it’s like sightseeing under the blaring sun – not so pleasant.

The heat is a problem because there isn’t much air-conditioning in Paris. Actually, quite a lot of hotels don’t have A/C, so if you like to stay cool, be sure to check what amenities your hotel has – or if you really can’t bear the heat, another season might be better for you. There are a few hotels with pools, like the Molitor, but there are also a bunch of public swimming pools, including these great outdoor ones. So this is another way to cool down in summer, but expect to find crowds there too.

Although top art exhibits and the theater season are usually on hold over summer, there are some really fun festivals, ranging from Paris Plages, temporary beaches and activities along the river and canals to open-air concerts and cinema. So I’d say that summer is definitely the most fun season in Paris and offers some really cool opportunities to experience the city as a local instead of only doing touristy things.