Spring is such a magical time to visit Paris, and April is when it’s at its BEST. If you’re able to visit at this time of year, you’ll be treated to TONS of blossoms, nice warm days, and big-name sites without the summertime crowds. Sure, you might get a little rain, but that’s what umbrellas (and cozy café stops) are for. You can have an extra special trip by fitting these AMAZING things to do in Paris in April into your itinerary.
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Image Courtesy of Parc de Sceaux via Facebook
Admire the cherry blossoms at Parc de Sceaux
If you love cherry blossoms, then you HAVE to head out to the Parc de Sceaux. Just a 30-minute train ride from central Paris, this gorgeous park surrounds a lovely small castle and is home to some of the fluffiest, pinkest cherry blossoms in France. And they are seriously STUNNING.
The blooms usually peak in early to mid-April, and the park actually hosts a Japanese-style cherry blossom festival to celebrate this. This year, it’s on from April 5–21. It’s really enchanting, but it’s also VERY popular, so try to go on a weekday to dodge the crowds and definitely bring along a picnic to enjoy the blossoms.
Image Courtesy of Boutique Tours
Visit Monet’s garden in Giverny
A day trip to Claude Monet’s former home and gardens is hands-down one of the best things to do in Paris in April. The gardens are closed all winter and reopen on April 1st, so coming in April is sort of the sweet spot. You’ll have fewer crowds than later in spring and summer, but it’s still really gorgeous. Imagine tulip mania and new leaves on all those weeping willows around his water lily pond.
I’ve included all you need to know to get there yourself in our Paris Day Trips Guide, or if you’d like a little to go with a guide and have some help getting there, consider booking this fantastic bike tour to Giverny or this highly-rated Giverny excursion by bus.
Image Courtesy of Eating Europe
Hunt down French Easter treats on a food tour
Parisians love any excuse to indulge, and Easter is kind of a citywide permission slip to do just this. You can see the best Easter treats on this amazing food tour of Saint-Germain. On the tour, you’ll pop into some of Paris’s top boulangeries, pâtisseries, chocolate shops, and other foodie spots. It’s not strictly an “Easter” tour, but you’ll get a delicious peek and taste at exactly what the French go wild for this time of year.
Experience French Passover or Easter celebrations
This year, Passover, Catholic, and Eastern Orthodox Easter are all in April. So if you’d like to participate in any religious services in Paris, I’ve got a few different opportunities for you.
Most Catholic churches in Paris have services in French, but even if you don’t understand the language, attending Easter Mass in a historic church is still pretty special. Churches host multiple services from Palm Sunday through Easter Monday, and the exact times will be listed on their websites.
You could go to Notre Dame Cathedral, but if crowds aren’t your thing, I recommend trying a smaller, local church, such as St-Eustache, St-Germain-des-Prés, St-Etienne-du-Mont, or St-Paul-St-Louis.
There are several Eastern Orthodox churches in Paris, including the awe-inspiring Russian cathedral of Saint Alexandre Nevsky, the Greek Orthodox Church Agios Stefanos, and the beautiful Romanian Cathedral des Saints Archanges.
Attending synagogues in Paris usually requires advance planning due to the strict security policies in place. But as long as you contact synagogues in advance to register, you should be able to make this happen. I suggest trying the Grande Synagogue de Paris or the Agoudas Hakehilos Synagogue, which was designed by Hector Guimard (the designer of the classic Paris métro entrances) and is really unique.
Image Courtesy of Boutique Tours
Enjoy the “City of Light” on an evening bike tour
Paris sits pretty far north compared to many places in North America, which means the sun hangs around longer than you might expect. So if you want to see why Paris is called the “City of Light” without staying up super late, April is actually perfect, and you can have a fun time doing this by joining an evening bike tour.
You’ll cruise past Notre-Dame, the Louvre, Champs-Élysées, Pont Alexandre III, and the Eiffel Tower, all glowing beautifully after dark. There’s also less traffic at night, so you’ll feel safer and it’ll be less noisy than during the day.
Image Courtesy of Musée D’Art Moderne de Paris via Instagram
See some great modern art for free
If you’re a fan of modern art, you might be bummed to hear that Paris’s famous Centre Pompidou, the National Modern Art Museum, is currently closed. But don’t worry, there is actually a SECOND fantastic modern art museum in Paris. Located over in western Paris and not far from the Eiffel Tower, the Musée d’Art Moderne de Paris is packed with works by all the great modern artists, from Picasso to Modigliani, and its permanent collection is actually free.
The museum also puts on amazing temporary exhibits (which are paid, but worth it). This spring, it’s hosting a major exhibit on surrealist artist, model, and photographer Lee Miller. Yes, the one from the recent movie starring Kate Winslet. I saw it when the exhibit was in London and LOVED it.
Image Courtesy of Shneider Electric
See the city’s top sites while taking part in the Paris Marathon
Okay, this one’s not for everyone, but if you’re a runner, listen up. Paris is totally epic for marathons, and the Paris Marathon is taking place on Sunday, April 12th. Racing past such magical sites as the Notre Dame, the Louvre, the Seine River, and the Eiffel Tower is pretty spectacular. And the grand finale down the Champs Élysées provides some extra motivation to sprint to the finish line.
Not a runner? Pas de problème. It’s actually pretty fun to just go down and see the race and cheer on the participants. It really helps them out and there’s a great atmosphere. Like I said above, the route goes by some of Paris’s top sites, so you could plan your sightseeing around it.
It’s also useful to know where it is that day because car traffic is restricted on certain areas along the Seine River. So if you were thinking of taking a taxi, maybe check to see if it makes more sense to take the métro.
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