Paris Travel: You Tell Me
 

Ok. What is your favorite time to visit Paris and why? I would love to hear your stories. Thanks

I have been there in the spring, summer and fall and spring was my favorite time. Flowers were blooming, weather was pleasant, and there were fewer tourists than during the summer.

I've been in all 4 seasons -- and weirdly, the very worst weather I ever had was during an early April visit. Cold, blustery, and sideways freezing rain. But another April it was beautiful.

So really you can have a lovely visit any time of year -- I'd personally skip July and August - often <B><red>HOT</B></red> and humid and even larger crowds than the rest of the year. My fave times would probably be May/early June or late Sept/Oct.

Why are you asking? Are you planning a trip or just taking a survey? :-)

May. Comfy weather but not hellishly hot, not SO many tourists since Am kids (college and younger for families) are still in school, days are long, city is pretty with gardens and flowers.

Second is fall - late Sept or Oct - but days are not so long for evening sightseeing. And there ted to be a lot of trade shows taking large blocks of hotel rooms.

Basically whenever I can go. But although I have been in early and late summer, I would no longer go then because I don't "do" heat in big cities (anywhere).
But why are you asking--inquiring minds want to know.

Our favorite time is May because the weather tends to be lovely, the days, long and the gardens beautiful. We also like late September and early October as the weather is cool, the crowds less and the vibe interesting.

>>Why are you asking? Are you planning a trip or just taking a survey?<<

>>But why are you asking--inquiring minds want to know.<<

The OP's question is legit -- has other threads pre-planning a future trip . . .

We've been to Paris 6 times--so we've hit every season. My favorite trip so far was our Christmas trip in 2014. Paris is magical at Christmas time-- twinkling lights, amazingly beautiful window displays and, most importantly: mulled wine and roasted chestnuts!

My second favorite time of year is mid September-mid October.

I have been in spring and fall. Both very nice. Mild temps and fall colors were just starting last week. I would do winter before summer.

Spring and fall are my favorites, although I've had mixed weather experiences in both seasons. Be aware that in May there are five public holidays - http://publicholidays.fr/ , three of which are in the first week. Many museums, sites of interest, and businesses may be closed, and public transportation schedules are affected.

Museums don't typically close on any of the holidays in May, except Labor Day, nor sites of interest (eg, Sainte Chapelle is only closed May 1st). Churches never close, nor does the Eiffel Tower. Public transportation exists every day of the year in Paris, some holiday schedules have less trains, so perhaps a little more time between them, that's all.

I like summer myself, mainly end of June or July. I like being able to pack light, it staying light until late, and general atmosphere. Nice for easy day trips to other places. I also sometimes have enjoyed the national holiday and the Tour de France several times. The only drawback is that performing arts schedules generally drop off or end at the beginning of July, but that's about it. If I want to go to the ballet, you have to go the first two weeks in July, for example. And hotel rates often drop after 7/14, so that's a plus for the later dates, though. The hotels I stay in drop rates about 25-33%. I'm not a big fan of August, though, but I like July.

Never been there in winter, but I like early Fall, also, but the reasons are about the same as anywhere with that kind of weather.

I've only been to Paris once, it happened to be in the summertime. But I would be happy to go any month of the year. I've love to go in winter sometime.

August is a nice time because the ordinarily obnoxious traffic and smog is much diminished when Parisians flock out of town for the annual vacation - a beach takes over one of the main Seine-side busy highways - not good for crowds at museums but the town is in many ways much more inviting.

I've been at all times of the year - spring is nice but the weather can be real funky.

Different strokes for different folks. August and the coldest winter months are the times I would absolutely NOT go if it was a trip for pleasure only and not business.

>>August is a nice time because the ordinarily obnoxious traffic and smog is much diminished when Parisians flock out of town for the annual vacation - a beach takes over one of the main Seine-side busy highways - not good for crowds at museums but the town is in many ways much more inviting.<<

August can be god awful. Yes, many Parisians leave town . . . for a <i>reason</i> >)

It is (often) hot and the city is totally crawling w/ of tourists, most of whom are standing in long queues melting.

I have been twice in August, once in November and 3 times at Christmas. I do hope to go in late Spring or early Fall, but LOVE Paris at Christmas. A bit inexplicable, but Both my husband and I truly enjoy Christmas time in Paris. We are already discussing how much we will miss Paris this Christmas. I doubt there is a bad time to be in Paris!

<<It is (often) hot and the city is totally crawling w/ of tourists, most of whom are standing in long queues melting.>>

It depends on your perspective, it's no more hotter than where I live, and often better so that doesn't matter to me. It's not the Sahara. I do admit I've been to Paris a lot over many years so when I go, I am not going to typical tourist attractions nor do I ever stay in the areas with the most tourists, so that doesn't really bother me that much. Sure, I always go to at least one museum that is a favorite, but the top museums in Paris are pretty busy at any reasonable month, and again, if you know when to go it isn't that bad (which is usually first thing or the evenings when they are open late and may cost less). But if you were a first timer and wanted to go to tons of the top tourist attractions, it would bother you more.

Is it really THAT hot in July? I'm used to high 80s or low 90s and high humidity in July. When I research Paris weather in July, I see highs in the high 70s, low 80s? Sorry, I'm not up to speed with Celsius yet. Is that accurate? If so, then low 80s sounds great to me.

That sounds great to you, because you are also probably used to having air conditioning everywhere you go. This is definitely not the case in Paris, and it is not uncommon to see tourists dropping like flies in the summer. Apartments and most restaurants do not have air conditioning or even fans, and many museums and stores don't have enough a/c.

Heat waves can occur anytime in Paris from June through September, but the worst is usually mid-July through August. The weather here has changed due to global warming. None of the predictions you have seen will be valid now. You won't have any trouble with humidity except for the couple of days when thunderstorms might appear.