Paris at end of August - bad idea?
 

Hi! My husband and I usually do our European travel in Spring (fewer crowds, less expensive, cooler temperatures), but my husband has proposed taking the family to Paris at the end of August. As much as I want to introduce our children (age 10 and 13) to Paris (their first time abroad), flags went up due to concerns about shops/restaurants shutting down in August and crowds of summer tourists. By usually traveling off-seaon, we have avoided the crowd issues. Does anyone have any thoughts on Paris at the end of August? Any help would be much appreciated!

I've done it more than once and here are my own thoughts which probably aren't like a lot of other people's..

YES, it can be hot and humid and YES, an air conditioned hotel room is a good idea IMO

NO, not every restaurant, etc., is closed

Plan on doing things early in the day sometimes helps..such as being there when the Eiffel Tower OPENS.

I agree...August can be expensive, hot, humid, crowded..all those things you have avoided in the past but it can also be great weather, long hours of daylight, and convenient for some folks.

I'm frequently in Paris at the end of August and will be again this year. Unless you know the city incredibly well or have very specific needs when it comes to restaurants, I highly doubt you'd even notice much of a difference from other times of year. The whole "Paris shuts down in August" notion is about 20 years old at this point.
The crowds aren't much worse than they are at other times of year. Yes, it can be hot and humid, but last year and the year before it was downright cold. I had to go out and buy a sweater last August in Paris.

We were in Paris the last week of August in '07. We had no difficulty finding good restaurants that were open. However, certainly not 100% of the restaurants we considered were open. Several shops in the non-touristy areas were closed (we stayed in the Montparnasse area). Like St Criq mentioned - it was not hot then. In fact, Paris Walks guides said it was the first weekend that the sun was out in the entire month of August.

Stu Dudley

I visit Paris often and know it well and would not choose to go there in August, but I just think it's dull then. It's not because I have trouble finding places to eat or care about tourist crowds. I don't care much about shops because I don't like shopping, but there shouldn't be major closures in that regard that would affect tourists that I can think of.

If this is a typical tourist trip, your kids will probably enjoy it, anyway. They are too young to have opinions or care about the season, I think. If you really hate crowds, then you might avoid it for that reason, I wouldn't do it based on shop closures. There will be longer lines at some things you may want to do. But you can travel more lightweight in the summer, you don't need heavy outerwear or pants or shoes, etc.

August isn't any more expensive than most times of the year except for airfare. Hotel rooms are often cheaper in Paris in August, for example.

I loved Paris in August when I lived there. Much of the town vacates and much of the town (especially in its oldest quarters) returns to a pre-modern feel. And the noise of traffic drops exponentially.

You need to avoid or grit your teeth for Notre-Dame (tour to St Denis anyway, for the great crypt, with kids) and don't bother going up the Eiffel Tower and run away from the most egregious "must-see" tourist places, but why take your kids to Paris to keep them in a tourist bubble anyway? Take them to have fun and find some cool places. The Louvre will wait for another trip.

Thanks, everyone! I want to show them the sights, but more-so the 'feel' of Paris - the food (the 13 year old is a 'foodie' like me)and the ambience. It sounds as though there will not be the throng of tourists I feared and if so, we can hit the 'must sees' early in the day. Heat doesn't really phase me. Good grief - it is Paris! Looking back are you going to remember the heat or the incredible french pastries and seeing the Nike of Samothrace for the first time in person? (but I thought I would check about that heat issue). Thanks so much for your very valued thoughts!

Many of my Parisian friends say August is their favorite time to be in town: fewer people, much less traffic, a more relaxed and slower feeling than the rest of the year. Of course, in tourist areas this may not be the case, and the weather may be unpleasant (or not) but there's no reason not to take the opportunity if that's the time you can go. I'll be arriving on August 31 myself.

I agree -- August is one of the best times of the year in Paris, especially the second half. By then, most of the tourists have gone home except for the Spaniards, while normal Parisian life starts picking up again after the August 15 holiday. The weather is still very nice and most of the French are still in a good mood from their summer holidays.