Do we need air-conditioning in Paris in August?
 

Hi, we booked an apartment for our week-long stay in Paris the second week of August. The apartment does not have air-conditioning. We will have a 5.5 year old with us. The apartment is West-facing and is on the 3rd floor. Do you think it will be tolerable in August? Merci!

It can be sweltering hot in August, or it can be cool. If it's hot, you'll be miserable, especially with the afternoon sun coming through the windows. You might inquire as to whether fans are provided in the apartment and whether it has cross-ventilation.

I would want AC in Paris in August. It's not just about keeping cool, but depending the location, about noise control (if you're in a busy neighborhood, sleeping with windows open can be noisy).

A couple of times I stayed in Paris in August.....we had to keep the widows closed- Mosquitos!
Also, the noise can be an issue.
If possible, I would have it.
My last two trips to Paris were last year and the year before..both in the same time in July.
In 2010 it was unpleasantly hot - no AC ( the cross ventilation was no help)
, a year later. - cool and rainy. Of course, the place had the AC!

so, we are facing the Luxembourg Gardens, Jardin de Luxembourg. Will there be lots of mosquitos? That worries me more than the heat, due to my own bug issues.

I've been to the Luxembourg garden at least a dozen times and I do not remember any mosquitos at all.

That's me, though.

BTW: If you're coming from the U.S., the Lux Gardens are a perfect way to spend 2-3 hours in the sunlight, to get your body and mind on Paris time.

I have been to Paris dozens of times, I do not recall there being any mosiquito issues at all,, ?? I suppose there may be some ,, I have just never ever noticed them.

Thats a nice area,,your child will love playing in the park. I would ask about a fan though, and make sure you close the shutters to block the sun when you go out in the morning.

August CAN be hot, but I have also been cold there then too,, so no predicting,,, I personally tend to get a/c regardless as I am very sensitive to street noise so having windows open is never an option for me.

Finally, is this apartment on the top floor or is there a floor or more above you. If you are the top floor I would be a tad more nervous, getting sun on the sides and the top could be not so nice.

I wouldn't want to be there without a/c, but you can do what we used to do in the South in the Dark Ages when we didn't have air conditioning: don't let the heat in. Close the windows as soon as the outside temperature is the same as the inside temperature or when you go out in the morning. Close the curtains on the west side before you go out and don't open them until the sun isn't shining in any more. Don't cook in the afternoon. Southerners traditionally ate their "dinner" at noon and leftovers in the evening.

If the apartment doesn't have fans, go to Monoprix or a hardware store and buy two, one for your child and one for yourselves, to keep the air moving while you read or sleep. Whatever they cost will be trivial as a percent of your whole trip, and you can take them with you if you are going on by car or leave them for the next visitor.

If it gets desperate, you can do the old Florida trick of dampening the sheets with a spray bottle or even misting yourselves and sitting or sleeping in front of the fan.

You can close the windows, pull the curtains, run fans and none of things will combat the HUMIDITY which is why you may very well wish you had A/C

Hi, I've been living in Paris for over 30 years. I'm on the fourth floor of a five-floor building. In the summer, we use those wall plugs with anti-mosquito liquid in them at night so we can open the windows because I'm allergic. You can buy them at Monoprix. The weather is so completely unpredictable this year that it's difficult to imagine whether it will be 20° or 35°C in August. Not many people who live in Paris have air conditioning. I have a portable one for my office because I get the sun in the afternoon and don't like closing the shutters but we only have a fan in the bedroom because it gets the morning sun and I always leave the blinds and sun curtains closed until the sun climbs higher in the sky. When the sun comes onto the windows on the other side in the afternoon, I always close the shutters. If you are really careful about that, you shouldn't have any problems. The other thing I do (like all Parisians!) when it has been very hot during the day is to open ALL the windows when the temperature goes down to create a through breeze. We occasionally use fans, but not very often. Hope that helps.

Hi TT,

Will your visit be ruined if you have to sleep in 85F, 80% RH for two nights in a row?

((I))

On tonight's news, they were saying that this summer is unlikely to warm up in northern France. The rain has soaked the ground so much that any sunny day just tries to evaporate some water, which has the effect of lowering the temperature rather than raising it. It would take many many days of relentless sun for the land to dry out enough for temperatures to rise. And the sun is almost never relentless here. Looks like we are going to be suffering from a cool summer for the 5th year in a row.

Thank you all, it sounds like we will be ok. It is not the top and we like noise and sleeping with windows open and with a fan.

I've been there twice in August but long before global warnings so you never know. It was fine, no misquitoes.
They don't have the humidity as we do in Boston. My late husband can't stand the heat and one very odd summer in Provence, we left for Normandy because of the rare unbearable heat.

I would say yes absolutely but then I do not tolerate the heat well. I get very uncomfortable in temps above 80F.

We were in Paris in August a few years ago. The first part of the week was cloudy and fairly cool, the last part was boiling hot and sunny. I don't remember bugs being an issue but I would want air. I hope it works our for you. I love the area around Lux Gardens.

yes. it can easily be 95 and humid. somewhat cooler is likely - but no guarantees,

and i can't sleep if the room is more tham 70 degrees

Thanks again, I am going to roll the dice and hope for the best. We love the location and the price.

Yes, Yes, Yes..But of course Paris weather is crazy..Very moody and anything can happens.

It was repeated once again on the news tonight that there is almost no chance of heat in northern France this summer. I think they are trying to depress us, especially telling us about the 30° or more in the southwest these days.