Paris - would you go in May or September?
 

Thinking about my 2009 vacation and I'd like to go to Paris. My husband and I typically travel to Europe in September and love it, but I'm itching to go somewhere a little sooner in 2009. :)

I would be booking with FF miles, so if I choose May, then I would be booking within the next couple of weeks. We've never been to France, but I'm thinking we would just do about 8-10 days in Paris with maybe a short day trip or two.

So I'm just curious, which month would you pick?

As a Parisian, I would absolutely recommend September for better weather.

May weather can be fickle -- too hot, too cold or just right. But if you want to come to Paris, any month is fine, even February (the cheapest month for hotels).

I think either month would be fine. kerouac lives in Paris, so I think he knows what he's talking about. ;)

Personally, I would pick May, just because the daylight is even longer.

For mid-May, Paris gets 15.5 hours of day light. Sunrise around 6, sunset around 9:30p.

For mid-Sept, the daylight goes down to 12.5 hrs. Sunrise around 7:30a, sunset around 8pm.

Thanks for the replies. It is a tough decision, but September may win out for the weather...

We had much better weather in early February 2007 than we did in late March 2008. I guess that just goes to show you can't tell for sure.

We have been twice in May and the blooms are beautiful.

Kerouac obviously knows the weather best!!

I go to Paris for a month mid April-mid May and mid Sept-mid Oct. My experience definitely has been that Sept/Oct has better weather. April/May, you just don't know.

But, as Kerouac said, anytime is good. I have been there most months, with the exception of July and August. I skip travedl in the summer.

Enjoy your planning.....

The daylight does make a big difference. It is sunny until about 10pm in May (if I remember correctly) which feels like lots more time for walking around and doing things. Having said that, we are next going in October because both May and Sept are too hot for my husband.

I don't think it really matters that much, I'd probably pick based on other factors as to which date works best for you.

May has daylight savings time so sunset is about an hour or so later than in September, but it depends when you go. It doesn't stay sunny until 10 pm, even when the sun doesn't set until about 10 pm (which is more in June), it isn't exactly sunny just before sunset. It's dusk. But the time of sunset ranges from 9 to 9:42 pm in May and 8:33 to 7:31 in Sept (from beg to end of month).

I haven't been in September, but we spent 9 days there in May '02 and loved it. The weather was fickle, but I'm a sucker for spring blossoms, as well as the spring fever of the Parisians.

And if you're there for 8-10 days I think it's a good bet that at least a few of them will have spectacular weather.

Anytime is a good time in Paris!

I guess I'm the odd man (woman) out....I didn't like it as much when it didn't get dark til 10pm. ((H))

I love Paris <i>after</i> dark just as much as daytime Paris. All those pretty shop windows, street lamps, softly-lit monuments....sigh. I'm getting Paris-envy!

We have visited for over a week in May, June, and September, three times each, and my favorite is definitely September.

The longer days in May and June are nice.

But, we've always had beautiful weather in September, not too hot, not too cold/rainy/windy.

And, there have always been many more flowers, especially in the public gardens, in September, as May and June seem to be planting/replanting times.

Perhaps because of everything that's going on in September, we've found it less crowded when out and about.

September for the weather and the fact that all the May holidays can make for difficulties.

May does seem to have holidays that can mess with plans, but since I am a budget traveller I prefer May as the hotels are more expensive in September , and the staff seem a little less affected by tourist burnt out in May then Sept.

Thanks everyone for your input. Looks like either month is a good choice!

I'm going to try to talk my husband into going in May, but we may hold off until September.

Go both months and compare!

Good advice, kerouac!

jeanne, your point about Paris after dark is well-taken. She is the City of Light(s) ... and I've always taken that to mean the ones that glitter after the sun goes down. (Although the quality of Parisian sunlight is special, too.)

I'd go with May for more sunlight and flowers in bloom.

September is also a good choice, post August crowds but still good weather.

We just returned from Paris (5/28) and had wonderful weather while there, mostly sunny and warm. On other trips in May I've almost frozen to death. kerouac's use of the word &quot;fickle&quot; to describe the weather is perfect.

I was in Paris at the end of Sept. and it was chilly in the morning and it did rain a bit....but I would go to Paris any day of the year in any weather.

Enjoy!

Actually &quot;City of Light(s)&quot; is considered to be a poor interpretation, because when the term &quot;Ville Lumi&egrave;re&quot; was coined, it was referring to &quot;enlightenment&quot; and not &quot;light.&quot; The term was transformed when Gabriel Nicolas de La Reynie created public street lighting for Paris in the 17th century and due to the fact that Paris is so pretty at night, nobody is complaining about the shift in meaning.

Most visitors will be surprised to know that Paris is just below 49 degrees latitude - which is the western states border between the US and Canada, or about the same as Vancouver BC - or a little south of Winnipeg.

Obviously there are many factors influencing climate and weather, and latitude is probably less a factor than prevailing patterns of winds, currents etc. But suffice to say that Paris is further north than we generally think. (Likewise, Rome and Madrid, which have a certain southern feel in a way (think of those palm trees) are at about the same latitude of New York City and Omaha.

Today we are in the 3rd fierce day of a heat wave in NYC, could reach 100 today. Two weeks ago we were having a very cool Memorial Day weekend, wearing wool sweaters.

I lived in Paris for 5 years and can say that, in general, the weather is much better in Sept. than May. I revisited in Sept. 2004 and the weather was spectacular, sunny and 75-80 degrees. Only had rain one day which we used for shopping.

Paris is north of Montr&eacute;al, for example.

Paris in the fall is glorious. I've been for a month in late September/early October. As well, I've been in mid September(where I was proposed to after mass at Notre Dame). Really, Paris any time of the year is not likely to disappoint.

How are early/mid October temps generally? Everything I look up says hi 50's F, but then I've heard people say it can get rather warm, but not sure if that means 65F or 85F. Also, what time does it get dark in mid Oct?