8 Amazing Things to Do in Paris When it's Raining

The weather in Paris can be a bit unpredictable. One day it’ll be totally gorgeous, and the next it might be raining cats and dogs. While the rainy days are mostly from November to April, there can be drizzly days at any time of year. But don’t get bummed out if it looks like it might rain during your stay, there are actually tons of AMAZING things to do in Paris when it’s raining. You’ll find my favorite rainy day activities below, and some are so FUN that you might like doing them even if the weather is nice.

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This is an image of the Louvre at sunset with beautiful orange and blues in the background.

Stay dry while soaking up some art at a museum

Paris has some INCREDIBLE museums, and I have to say, they’re definitely one of the best places to escape the rain. Of course, you could visit the most famous, the Louvre, which has so much to see, you could even spend the whole day there. It can be pretty overwhelming though, so I suggest taking a tour to make the most of your time, such as this wonderful private tour by Boutique Tours. If you don’t take a tour, I highly recommend booking Louvre tickets in advance so you don’t have to wait outside in the rain.

Another great option is the Musée d’Orsay. Located in a former train station, the museum contains a stunning collection of Impressionist art and is MUCH less hectic than the Louvre. If you’d like to learn all about the museum and its masterpieces, I highly recommend this great small-group tour by Walks.

I’m also a big fan of the smaller, lesser-visited museums of Paris. There are a whole bunch of them in Paris, from history museums to a cinema museum. I’ve brought together a fantastic selection of them in this article on unique museums in Paris.

This is an image of a bunch of alleged skeletons making up a wall in the catacombs of Paris.

Learn more about French history at some unique historic sites

In addition to classic museums, Paris has a lot of unique historic sites that you can visit and which will keep you protected from the rain. One of the most popular is the Catacombs, a mysterious maze of tunnels filled with bones located down in southern Paris. The place always has super long lines, so I really suggest that you book your tickets in advance or join a tour that includes them, such as this excellent skip-the-line tour that also takes you to parts of the Catacombs you wouldn’t visit on your own.

The Conciergerie is a really fascinating historic site that’s right in the city center and really close to Notre-Dame. The beautiful Medieval building was a royal residence before being converted into a prison. Among its most famous prisoners was Queen Marie-Antoinette, and you can see her prison cell during your visit. It also has other displays on the Revolution and the building’s history.

Another interesting historic site in Paris with links to the Revolution is the Pantheon. Found on the edge of the Latin Quarter, and a few blocks from the Conciergerie, the domed building was supposed to be a church, but the Revolutionaries turned it into a temple for French heroes. In its crypt, you can see the final resting place of important French people, such as writers Victor Hugo and Alexandre Dumas, scientists Marie and Pierre Curie, and American-born singer, actress, and resistance-fighter Josephine Baker. There’s a fabulous view up in the dome, which I’m sure is still nice when it’s misty out.

This is an image of a street that os lined with shops and fairy lights and a big ceiling sun light.

Wander through Paris’s stunning covered shopping arcades

If you’d still like to do some wandering around the city when it’s raining, you might like to stroll between the city’s covered shopping arcades. These are REALLY beautiful and give you some shelter from the rain. I’ve included the best ones along the walking routes of Day 1 and Day 4 of our Paris Itinerary. But if I picked a couple of my favorites to check out, I’d say the Passage du Grand Cerf and the Galerie Vivienne, both of which have great shops and some cafés where you can stay a little longer out of the rain.

This is an image of a girl pouring perfume from a beaker into a perfume bottle.

Image Courtesy of Get Your Guide

Design your own Parisian perfume

You might have been thinking of picking up some French perfume while you’re in Paris, but did you know you could also make your own? This wonderful perfume workshop starts with a great intro to the history and basics of perfume making led by an expert perfumer. You then get to step into the shoes of a perfumer yourself and put together your own personalized scent. I took this workshop with some friends and we had a blast.

This is an image of an iconic book shop called Shakespeare and Company in Paris. Its branding is yellow and green.

Find the perfect book at an English-language bookstore

Even though the main language here is French, Paris has some amazing English-language bookshops. Most of these are on the Left Bank, like the famous Shakespeare and Company and the more secret and super charming Abbey Bookshop. Both of them are along the walking route of Day 2 of our Paris Itinerary. After you’ve found a good book or two, you can take your finds and read them at a cozy café – and keep reading for my recommendations for those.

This is an image of a Parisian cafe with tables and chairs outside and a nice seating area inside its glass doors.

Linger over a hot drink at a cute Parisian café

There are SO many amazing cafés in Paris, I think you should spend some time in a few, no matter what the weather is like. But I do have to say, cafés are even more tempting when it’s raining. There are tons of fabulous cafés all around the city, but you might like to check out some of these great non-touristy cafés that I love. In addition to offering you the chance to warm up, Parisian cafés are great for people watching and enjoying the Parisian lifestyle. Waiters will almost never rush clients at cafés, so if it’s really pouring down, you can bunker down for a while without a problem.

This is an image of a man showing a group of people how to make their own wine.

Image Courtesy of Viator

Blend your own bottle of Parisian wine

If you’re a wine fan and looking for things to do in Paris when it’s raining, you’ll like one of these excellent workshops. This “make your own wine” experience is the only one of its kind in Paris. It’s also held in a super cool location – historic wine cellars commissioned by King Louis XV.

Led by a wine expert, the workshop begins with a little lesson on the wine-making process and different grape varietals before getting down to making your own blend. You’ll then get to design a personalized wine label, so you’ll have a completely personalized bottle of wine, which makes for a lovely souvenir of your trip.

This is an image of an old theatre cinema with plenty of people looking on to someone speaking at the front.

Image Courtesy of Louxor

Watch a movie at a historic Parisian cinema

The French really adore going to the movies, so if it’s really pouring buckets, you might like to take refuge in one of the city’s many movie theaters. There are bigger chain cinemas, but there are also some cool historic cinemas that add more personality to your experience. I personally am a big fan of Le Champo and the Cinéma du Pantheon, both in the Latin Quarter, and the Louxor, which is close to Montmartre and has fun Egyptian Art Deco-style decoration.

You don’t have to worry if you don’t understand French, most movie theaters screen some films in English. Check out their websites to see what’s being screened that day. You should be able to spot which ones are in English, but look for the term VO (vérsion originale) in the screening info – this means it’ll be in English and not dubbed into French.

This is an image of a bakery with croissants, pastries and more sitting on the counter.

Visit the best foodie spots on a food tour of Paris

A lot of walking tours of Paris mostly take place outdoors, but an exception to this is food tours. They usually hop around to various food shops in one specific neighborhood, so you’ll be spending most of your time indoors, but I still suggest you bring along an umbrella to protect you as you go between the shops. If you’re looking for the best food tours in Paris, you’ll find them in this article.

This is an image of a group of people watching a chef roll pastries as part of their cooking class.

Learn the basics of French cuisine during a cooking class

If you’re a real foodie, another of the top things to do in Paris when it’s raining is to take a cooking class. Some classes start with a visit to a traditional food market near the cooking school, but most take place entirely indoors, so you won’t have to worry about getting wet. Spending time in a kitchen will also warm you up. This article on our blog has a great roundup of the best cooking classes in Paris. If you can’t decide which to take, I’ve done the breakfast pastries class at La Cuisine Paris and the chocolate-making workshop at Cook’n with Class and totally LOVED them both.

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