Chrissy

My sister and her husband are planning a trip to France and surrounding areas. When do you think is the best time to go? Any recommendations on places to stay and things to do? They will be there for 7-10 days. Thanks for you input!

Rex

I think that the best months are:<BR><BR>1. June<BR>2. May<BR>3. September<BR>4. October<BR><BR>Best wishes,<BR><BR>Rex<BR>

elaine

I agree with Rex almost entirely, except that weather can still be iffy in May, I went one Memorial Day weekend and temps were cold. I've been in early July as well and weather was gorgeous, but you can never count on good weather in Paris.

abc

Depends on what you mean by &quot;best.&quot; There's something to be said for going in March or October since the # of tourists is much less than other months and it probably won't be freezing. The chance of rain is high, though. Hotel rates in March will be lower. (Not in October since there are many trade shows in town then. For things to do, suggest you get a guidebook for them---Fodor's, Rough, etc. They will be much better off if they have some familarity with the area before they go.

Rex

If I had it to do over, I might rate the second half of May as better than September; the first half as perhaps not as good.<BR><BR>But then, September is increasingly more crowded with other tourists &quot;in the know&quot; than either half of May. And correspondingly more expensive.<BR><BR>And the days are considerably longer in May than in September. The end of May is only 20 days shy of summer solstice; the end of September is PAST the autumn equinox.<BR>

xxx

<BR><BR>I'd give the nod to early fall over late spring only because I believe that early fall is less likely to be rainy. <BR><BR>The advantage of late spring, on the other hand, is a longer period of daylight (although Paris is beautiful lit up at night.) <BR><BR>I'd never go during the summer unless it was the only time available and I found a reasonable airfare. <BR><BR>Went once during the winter but wouldn't do it again. <BR>

Nancy

My choice would be the latter half of May. It stayed light until around 9:30 pm which to me is a big plus and it was quite warm, that is in 2001. I've only stayed in Paris in the 7th, which I highly recommend, so can't comment more on where to stay. France and surrounding areas is too large.