When should you visit Paris?
Every season has pros and cons - so here's my guide to figuring out which is "best" for you.
You'll find plenty of special activities and events at every time of the year.
But depending on what you want to do, how much money you want to spend, and how well you tolerate - or loathe - large crowds and hot or cold weather, you may find that one season suits you better than another.
Since my very first visit during late December, January, and February, I've visited Paris in every month and season multiple times.
Although each season offers experiences that I love (and I'm not sure I can truly pick a favorite), each has its pros and cons.
This article will give you an overview of what each season in Paris offers, and why you might or might not want to choose it as a time to visit.
Since you can't always choose when you come, I include a few suggestions about how to mitigate some of the "cons" - plus tips about when NOT to visit if you have a choice.
Top photo: Cherry trees blooming in Paris's Trocadero Garden near the Eiffel Tower, (c) Paris Discovery Guide
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Visiting Paris in the Spring (March, April, May)
The beauty of Paris in the spring is legendary.
Flowering trees burst into bloom, days grow longer, sidewalk dining begins to pop up outside numerous cafes and bistros, and Parisians head outdoors.
Find the best places in Paris to see cherry blossoms
Expect plenty of warm days and sunshine - plus a few days of rain.
Almost all attractions and restaurants will be open, and plenty of special exhibits will be underway at museums and exhibition venues such as the Grand Palais and Atelier des Lumieres.
You should be able to find relative low hotel rates and airfare in early March, although expect them to rise as "shoulder" season kicks in by mid-month and spring weather work and outdoor activities work their magic.
Find out more about visiting Paris in the spring.
Numbers of tourists will increase and lines outside major attractions will grow longer as May approaches - but nothing like what you'll experience during the summer. To avoid wasting time spending in long ticket lines, get skip-the-line tickets whenever possible.
If you are traveling with children, you should remember that school vacations during April mean lots of other families will be doing the same thing.
Disneyland Paris is probably where you will notice the biggest numbers of families, and you'll need to reserve your tickets early because they sell out sooner than you might expect (don't ask how we know). But good news: affordable low-season rates continue through about the third week in May.
Recommendation: Spring is a wonderful time to visit Paris. Go in early March to take advantage of lower rates and shorter lines. Go in mid-April or May to maximize your chance of warmer weather.
Find out more about April in Paris
Check out Paris weather for March, April, May
Visiting Paris in the Summer (June, July, August)
Paris summers are glorious.
Light lingers until 11pm, the weather is warm-to-hot, and lots of outdoor activities mean you'll have plenty to do.
Check out Paris Plages and Les Berges on both sides of the Seine, go for a drink and perhaps dinner on one of the river's floating barges, and take a cruise up the Canal Saint-Martin to the huge Parc de la Villette where you can rent a paddle boat for even more fun on the water.
Save on French fashion during the famous Summer Sales in June and July.
Enjoy roses in bloom in parks and gardens throughout the city.
Summer in Paris actually divides into two phases: June and July, when the biggest surge of visitors arrive and hotel rates soar accordingly, and August, when many Parisians leave the city for their own vacations, some attractions such as smaller museums as well as a number of restaurants (especially in the double-digit arrondissements) close, and hotel rates drop significantly.
To be clear, the city still gets a number of visitors during August so the most famous attractions such as the Eiffel Tower and Louvre Museum remain busy, and plenty of restaurants remain open, especially in the city's center, remain open. You'll be in no danger of starving.
What to Expect if You Visit Paris during June or July
Since the first two months of summer are the "high" season for travel to Paris (and other places in France), expect to pay a hefty sum for your plane ticket and hotel.
Book as early as possible to get the best rates and selection. Check my tips for finding cheap flights.
Lines for top tourist attractions will be long, especially in June and July. Book "skip the line" tickets wherever possible. And wear plenty of sunscreen when you go out for the day.
Find out how to stay cool during Paris heat waves
What to Expect if You Visit Paris during August
If you're planning a budget-friendly visit to Paris, August can be your best choice because of all the free events and the super-cheap hotel rates.
Although you may also find similar low hotel rates during November-early December and January-February, the weather during those months is considerably colder and daylight hours are short.
With August weather almost always being predictably sunny and warm, you can spend lots of time outdoors enjoying cool beverages at cafes, strolling along the Seine, and relaxing in the city's beautiful parks - and, of course, enjoying all the free activities..
My Recommendations for a Summer Visit
Summer in Paris is a special experience, whichever month you choose.
Defer visiting the most touristy places until another time (or manage your experiences by getting skip-the-line tickets), if possible, and embrace everything special that Paris offers during the summer.
To take advantage of lower rates and free events, go during August if you are not concerned about some places being closed.
The biggest negative to a summer visit, aside from crowds of other tourists? The possibility of being there when a heat wave hits. Like just about everywhere, the climate has heated up, and air conditioning is not a "given." If excessive heat bothers you or if you have health conditions which heat exacerbates, you'll enjoy yourself more if you choose another season for your visit.
Visiting Paris in the Fall (September, October, November)
September days are still warm (if not hot) and mellow, but then the air turns crisp and leaves turn golden.
Parisians return from vacation, infusing the city with energy.
Plenty of tourists remain, and although lines at top attractions grow somewhat shorter, you'll be wise to get skip the line tickets for the most popular attractions - the Louvre, Orsay Museum, Eiffel Tower (read our ticket tips), Versailles, and the Catacombs.
Days also grow shorter - but so much is going on in the city that you may not notice.
Orchestra, ballet, and opera performances resume, and museums mount spectacular new shows.
Check the Paris concert, ballet, and opera schedule
Hotel rates and airfares begin to drop a bit - although the large number of business conferences and trade shows in October may keep them higher than you'd expect.
Harvest from across the French countryside flows into the
markets and into the restaurants. Foodies will revel in the bountiful offerings.
Explore Paris (or Versailles or Giverny) by bike & see fall color
Recommendation: Fall is an excellent time to visit Paris - IF you plan ahead and either avoid the biennial Paris Air Show and other huge events or snag flight and hotel reservations before they're booked up.
Visiting Paris in the Winter (December, January, February)
Paris winters are actually quite beautiful, and the weather is milder than you might expect. (If, like me, you live somewhere like the New England region of the U.S. that gets quite cold, you may find Paris winters almost balmy.) It can be somewhat gray and damp at times, but punctuated by brilliant days (or hours) of bright sunshine.
Snow does occasionally frost the city - a magical event to celebrate, especially because it looks lovely and then quickly melts.
Are these months the "best" time to visit Paris? No - if "best" means the warmer, possibly sunnier months - April through October - when most tourists like to visit.
But if your perspective is different - if, for example, you love the city's festive decorations, the super-savings during January sales, the beautiful pearly-gray winterscapes, the buds on flowering trees visible in February, winter is an ideal time to visit Paris.
As a bonus, you will love not having to wait in line or dealing with huge crowds of other visitors.
You'll also be rewarded with the year's lowest airfare and hotel rates - except for the period from about mid-December through the first couple of days in January when rates soar due to family visits, tourists who come for the holidays, and international students who arrive for the spring semester.
Brilliant sunny days occur fairly frequently. And most years, temperatures may reach the lower and even upper 50s on some days - perfect for walking around without sweating.
Starting in mid-November, Christmas markets and Christmas lights brighten the city through early January, making this a fantastic time to visit the City of Light. Elaborate Christmas decorations appear all over Paris, with elaborate animated window displays at all the big department stores.
A spectacular light show at Arc de Triomphe on New Year's Eve and lots of celebrating usher in the New Year.
Soldes (sales) signs show up everywhere in early January, ushering several weeks of increasingly steep discounts. Think of it this way: the whole city is on sale.
By February, days begin to get longer, and you'll see the sun more frequently.
Recommendation: Visiting Paris in the winter can be a fantastic experience, especially if you want to enjoy the Christmas markets, party on the Champs Élysées on New Year's Eve, or hit the January sales.
On the other hand, if lack of daylight bothers you, this is not when you should come because the city's northern latitude means short days which seem even shorter and darker if the sky is overcast.
Find out more about Paris in February
When to AVOID Visiting Paris!
Unless you love huge crowds, paying high rates for your hotel room (if you can get one at all), or have a strong interest in the event causing the crowds, you may want to avoid coming to Paris when the city hosts mega-events.
The event attendees won't necessarily be at tourist attractions, but they do book up the city's hotel rooms - sometimes far in advance.
These events include:
Paris Air Show - 2025
The famous Paris Air Show focuses on the latest developments in civilian and military aviation, and attracts 350,000+ visitors - LOTS of planes displayed on land and demonstrated in the air. Although the actual show takes place in Le Bourget Airport north of the city, most attendees stay, dine, and drink in Paris.
Schedule: 7 days, typically in early- to mid-June during odd-numbered years. The first 4 days are for members, and the remaining three are for the general public. The next Paris Air Show will be from June 16 - 22, 2025. See Paris Events in June for exact dates.
Paris Motor Show
The enormous Paris Motor Show introduces new car models and concepts. Attracts 11,000,000+ visitors. Takes place at the Porte de Versailles exhibition center in the southeastern part of Paris in the 15th arrondissement.
Schedule: 14 days, typically during the first two weeks of October during even-numbered years. Every hotel room in the city fills up during this event. See Paris Events in October for exact dates.
Easter Weekend
The 4-day Easter weekend, which includes Easter Monday and also sometimes coincides with some school holiday weeks - including other European countries, not just France, can be an extremely challenging time to book accommodations in Paris, especially if you wait until the last minute to try to book - as I did one year.
If you do wait, you'll find little available and at rates that will make you shudder. So if you're planning a spring visit, check what date Easter falls on, and book early!!!
Paris Fashion Weeks
Paris Fashion Week actually takes place four times each year but the two biggest events are in March for fall/winter collections and late September - early October for spring/summer collections. Good luck booking a hotel room or apartment during these periods if you wait until the last minutes.
Main events take place in the Carrousel du Louvre but other venues are used as well, with the Marais (especially the area around Place des Vosges) being especially impacted. You'll see lots of fashionably dressed models strolling around, which is fun. Much less fun is trying to get a table at a chic bistro restaurant during these weeks, particularly on the Right Bank.
Check our September and March events articles for the exact dates, as they vary each year.
Other Events
As I mentioned above, September and October are usually packed with various trade shows in addition to the annual Fall Fashion Week and the enormous Paris Motor (Auto) Show in even-numbered years.
It is not unusual to find seemingly every hotel room, Airbnb, and apartment in the city booked, especially if you wait until the last minute to reserve. Restaurants also get packed.
Tourist attractions are much less impacted.
So the kind of weird thing is that when you try to book an affordable hotel during these periods, you'll be shocked by how little you can find - but because most trade shows are not widely advertized or promoted, you'll have no clue what's going on that has caused rates to be double what you expected.
If this happens to you, your best alternative (unless you want to blow up your budget) is to look in neighborhoods or arrondissements in somewhat opposite parts of the city because they're likely outside of the areas impacted by the trade shows.
For example, if you'd planned to stay in the 8th arrondissement on the Right Bank, check for hotels in the 15th arrondissement on the Left Bank. As long as you book a hotel close to a metro station, you can quickly get wherever you were planning to go because the Paris metro system is so fast. You can find a directory to all of my articles with hotel recommendations here.
School Holidays
Schools across France and the rest of Europe have mid-term week-long holidays during April and October - so expect lots of families with kids and teens as well as school trip participants in Paris during those periods, especially at popular attractions such as Disneyland Paris, some museums, and the Eiffel Tower. In France, the holiday weeks are staggered for a 4-week period by region.
Last 2 Weeks in December
As previously mentioned, tout le monde, it seems, comes to Paris during this period to visit family for the holidays, stroll around festive Christmas Markets, gaze at sparkling Christmas lights, attend special Christmas concerts, and celebrate the New Year.
If you fall into these categories or perhaps simply love the idea of spending Christmas in Paris, be prepared to book your flights early (see our tips for finding cheap flights) and pay almost as much as you might during the summer. Hotel rates also go up. Aside from those extra costs, it's a fabulous time to visit the City of Light.
But if your plans are flexible and you want to save money, come during the first two weeks of December or late November when rates are much cheaper. You can see the dazzling holiday lights and decorations in department store windows and all but the smallest Christmas markets.
Fun Things to Do & See in Paris during Every Season
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