Paris in August
 

Hi,

I'm going to Paris in August. Do a lot of restaurants close for vacation?

yeah, I'd say a lot do. Not most of them or anything, there is no problem finding places to eat, you just may not be able to dine at some place you found mentioned that you wanted to try.

A fair number do close, but probably not enough that a first-time visitor to Paris would be terribly inconvenienced unless you had an extensive list of restaurants that you were absolutely counting on eating at.

The one advantage of spending August in Paris is that if you have a car you can find parking spaces.

Yes many of the better restaurants close for at least 3 weeks in August.

You'll have fun regardless.

One benefit is that many hotels have better rates in August.

Thanks for the reply's.

What do you think of staying in Montmartre?

Montmartre will be fine. There is one area that is a bit "racy" but otherwise it will be a good area since you will be in a less touristed corner (apart from the Scare Coeur area). Note that for most of the sites that a typical visitor will want to see you will need to Metro most places, walking would take a while.

Is this your first time in Paris? If so, I would not stay in Montmartre. It's pretty far out from the center of town. Better neighborhoods for first-timers, IMO, would be the 4th, 5th, 6th, and maybe 1st arrondissements.

I was there in the first week of August just last year, and it isn't just the better restaurants that close in August. I was staying in the 9th arrondisement, and most of the small family-owned bistros that I had found mentions of (not in tourist guidebooks necessarily, but some sources such as French restaurant review/Paris websites where locals would comment on places to eat) and wanted to try were also closed. It was the first time I had been there at that time of year, so I hadn't expected so many of those kind to be closed, either, but they were. No cafe-type places were closed that I noticed, around the metro stop areas.

I just had to try other places, that's all, but if I had to do it again, I would have gone in July instead (most of them had signs they closed at the beginning of August, although I think a few had closed beginning very end of July). Of course, if that's the time you can go, I would do it, and you won't have problems eating.

mandoran,
How did you end up picking Monmartre? I agree with St Cirq that it is a bit away from the centre. That may be what you want, most first timers tend to go central. I've stayed out of the centre a couple of times and enjoyed the different vibe going more 'local'.

Depending on where you are you could be 4/5 Metro stops from the Louvre area. Getting to Notre Dame/Left Bank area could require a line switch, and maybe 10/11 stops. This may be OK with you,, as long as you know beforehand.

I too think Montemarte would not be my first choice, I prefer more central areas, 4, 5th and my fave the 6th.
I go in August alot, and I don't find that its all closed down, not the way is used to be thats for sure. There were a few places closed that I wanted to go to,, but so many others open.
I like the cheaper hotel rates in August too.

Thanks for the responses,

I stayed in the Latin quarter across the river from Notre Dame last year and visited all of the tourist sites. I thought this year Montmartre might be a change of pace.

Very few restaurants close in August now. The massive tourist influx from all over the world has changed everything.

The Paris Michelin Red Guide has a section listing restaurants open in July and August (or at least they did in 2006) but the Zagat guide no longer carries this information. Making it even tougher, most restaurants close only for some of August, not all of it, so best to check if you have some special places you want to go. Even if they are listed as closing in August, they may still be open during your stay. Your hotel can call for you once you have your reservation with them. Or you can even call from the states--if that's where you live.

We atayed in the Montmartre for our first visit to Paris last year. We were in the city for nine days and found a reasonably priced apartment that we loved.

I can't speak to whether you might like to be in closer to the center of the city, but we found it not to be a problem to use the Metro to get around. We especially loved returning to "our" little neighborhood after a long day of sightseeing ... shopping in the small markets, trying various neighborhood restaurants.

If you have found a place to stay in the Montmartre that meets your needs as far as cost and location ... and if you are comfortable using public transportation, I wouldn't hesitate to stay there.