How cold is cold?
 

We will be in Paris Thurs and Friday of this week. The predicted high is 26 degrees. We are usually in Paris in May but this time we are taking our grown daughters and son-in law? I knew it would be cold but this is cold! We are taking as many layers as possible. Any suggestions for sight seeing and staying warm. I want the "kids" to enjoy the trip.

It really depends on what you're used to. Here in the NE of the US, it wouldn't faze me to walk all over in 20 or 26 degree weather. That being said, dress warmly, in layers and you should be fine. You'll most likely be in restaurants, shoppes, musuems etc with minimal amount of strolling. I find its not the cold thats bothersome, but only if it is windy, damp, rainy. You'll enjoy yourselves more if you don't dwell on the weather, temp etc and just explore the city via the metro.<BR>If its cold &amp; windy I wouldn't necessarily go to the top of the Tour d'Effiel for long periods of time, but would have no problem in wandering around the streets of the left bank.

Hi<BR><BR>Europe is having a cold spell.<BR><BR>On Saturday, I was sailing, today it has been snowing since 11.00 this morning.<BR><BR>And I'm only 15m from the Med sea.<BR>This photo was taken at 11.30 am : http://tlp.netfirms.com/photo23.htm<BR><BR><BR>You can check historical average temps here : http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/weather/historical/historical.htm<BR><BR>Seems the Paris January average low is 34F, and coldest recorded over 21 years was 1F.<BR><BR>Peter<BR>http://tlp.netfirms.com

Great photo!

<BR>Wow! mpprp-that really is a great photo! If it weren't doing the same thing outside my window I might even appreciate the snow:)but if you have to watch it snow, isn't it nicer watching it falling on the vines in France?

Thanks for the remarks on the cold weather! I love Paris and will do my best to enjoy even in cold! The photo is great! Mauld, I am from a southern state and therefore it is usually not cold here in the winter although it has been cold in the mornings lately! I will take your advice about the layers.

Hi<BR><BR>just to reassure you about S France weather, here is a pic from yesterday : http://tlp.netfirms.com/photo24.htm<BR><BR>Peter<BR>http://tlp.netfirms.com<BR>

AJ, yes it's going to be a cold week, but fortunately, no big rain/ice storms predicted for the next several days. A couple of notes:<BR>Yes, dress in layers, but dress in layers that peel off easily and aren't too bulky. As you know, Paris cafes can be very crowded and it will be a big palaver if you're all trying to squeeze around a tiny table with mountains of layers and no place to put them!<BR>Wear warm shoes--preferably warm low boots. Thin shoes will make the rest of you cold. This week, I'll be wearing my warm Swiss &quot;Kandahar&quot; boots for outdoor walks. <BR>A lot of people wear hats, but I don't--I like having an &quot;unobstructed&quot; view in Paris. I wear earmuffs instead and they help keep me warm and I don't get &quot;hat head.&quot; <BR>I take along two pairs of gloves--a fashionable leather pair for the day and pair of warm, polar fleece gloves for night.<BR>Stop for afternoon tea or hot chocolate every day and take a table near the back, NOT near the door and the drafts from people coming and going. Eat a hot lunch--stoke your &quot;furnace&quot; for the afternoon. <BR>Does your hotel have a fireplace in its salon/lobby? Wonderful place for relaxing. It's why the Hotel du Cadran is my favorite winter hotel. Rooms are small, but the fireplace is so cozy on a cold winter night. <BR>Do your sightseeing along the river during the middle of the day--you'll be much colder walking along the Seine on at night with the wind blowing. <BR>BTilke (I'll be in Paris Saturday and Sunday--I have a week of business trips taking me through Eindhoven, NL, Milan, Italy, Basel, Switzerland, and ending in Paris before heading back to Bochum, Germany).

BTilke,<BR><BR>Thank you for the great ideas!

I just checked the latest weather.com forecast for Thursday and Friday and it's supposed to start warming up a bit. Highs of 34 &amp; 40 predicted, which is exactly the way it was for me there about a month ago. As someone said earlier, warm walking boots or shoes are a must and can make the difference between being comfortable or miserable. I spent my two days there walking place to place while wearing just a warm coat &amp; gloves. The thing I noticed really helped was a scarf and they're sold everywhere there right now. I bought a beautiful one that's 3'x5' in the Latin Quarter for 21 euro and have been wearing it all over since. In the museums I just checked my coat and kept the scarf to wrap around me in case I got cold. Oh, and I'm used to Seattle temps, so I'm not fond of the cold either :)

Hi<BR><BR>I've updated my pics to show &quot;before and after pics&quot;. Check out this site : http://tlp.netfirms.com/photo23.htm<BR><BR>Temps now about 0C<BR><BR>Peter<BR>http://tlp.netfirms.com<BR>

three words: layer, layer, layer