hi there,i am watching the current weather & forcasts for my upcoming Paris trip in a few days.It looks like it will be stormy some days.I wanted to ask if you have ever been touring paris during bad weather and if it caused unexpected closures /delays like metro lines closing/siene boats / sites closing (e.g. versailles/eiffel) .are paris streets/ sidewalks navigable in torrential rain?

Sam

I've lost count, but I think I've been to Paris 60+ times, in all kinds of weather, and never once encountered " unexpected closures" of the metro or anything else. The greater concern is strikes, which happen much more often on France than bad weather. Not sure what you mean about navigating Paris streets - there's nothing that different about Paris streets that would make them impassable in torrential rains as compared to, say, streets in Boston or San Francisco or Dallas.

That said, the weather in France isexecrable right now, and you'll definitely need rain gear to enjoy the next few days.

the weather still looks rainy.I havnt been to any american city.do you think i need boots to cross streets in Paris ? do large puddles form or are Paris Sewers just as effecient as the metro?I want to know if i should bother to pack my (heavy) hiking boots.
Sam

Sam

I don;t think there's any need to be overfaced by a little rain. Just carry an umbrella - and make sure you have 2 paris of good walking shoes - since the first pair may not dry out completely if it rains heavily 2 days in a row. No boots or other special gear are needed - it's just a little rain - not a hurricane.

I have been in Paris a few times under beautiful skys. I think a Thunderstorm in Paris would be a great experience and give a whole new feel for this historic city. I can picture a book called "Thunderstorm In Paris...What They Thought They Knew". A couple gets lost in a blinding thunderstorm and discovers the Paris which tourists don't see, after they are taken in by a family who has a past which almost no one knows about.

Could be fun!

It rained at least half the time we were in Paris. (This was Oct/Nov so it was cold as well). It never once deterred us...well we may have skipped a picnic.

I loved the rain. The streets glisten and reflect all the lights. Take a trusty umbrella and have a great time!

We were in Paris for 4 days about 3 weeks ago at the end of our trip to Italy and France. There were several downpours each day on 3 of the days. Some people had umbrellas or a light rain coat or jacket, while others did not. Luckily, I did have an umbrella with me. Of the people we saw, no one seemed to mind and no one ran for cover. Everyone just seemed to continue on their way as the rain stopped and the sun came out again.

We did see a big thunderstorm one day. We watched it from our opened window overlooking the Boulevard St. Germain. The lightening over the church was amazing - it was quite a sight!

Have a great time in Paris - rain or no rain!

Three years ago we spent Christmas week in Paris. It rained quite a lot and the Seine did rise high enough to prevent the river cruises from running on New Year's Eve. But it didn't hamper our trip at all. I did get totally sprayed by a car zooming through a puddle. So just watch where you walk.

A traveling companion described the weather in Paris as "fickle", which I thought was a good summary. It always changed at least 4 times in a single day.

We were there for a week in October 2002, and saw a lot of rain, but also a lot of sun. We quickly learned to take our umbrellas every time we went out even if the sun was shining brightly. Usually they were up and down several times in the course of the day. Make sure you have a good sturdy umbrella, as we lost a couple of ours to wind and had to replace them.

The only thing that the rain really kept us from doing was getting into the Musee d'Orsay, because the line was so long and we didn't want to stand there for possibly an hour in the pouring rain. So we used the fact of missing the Orsay to justify coming back to Paris sooner than we might have otherwise!

One great thing about Paris is that you can always jump on the Metro no matter where you are, and hardly ever have to walk more than a few blocks outside.

As for the weather right now in the Paris region (well, I'm about 300 km away but it's been the same and it will be the same): it's warm and humid, which means that yes, there are some thunderstorms from time to time, sometimes it's just a few drops of rain, sometimes it's pooring for 15 minutes to at most an hour. However, as it's still warm this is not too bad (in fact, I think it's fun and in between the sun always comes out. Instead of taking heavy shoes and cloths, just take an extra pair of sandals and an umbrella in a little backpack and you'll be fine. Otherwise you'll be sweating like hell! And if it starts to rain, I'm sure there's something worth visiting within 500m of where you are, and if not, just enjoy a drink in a cafe and watch the rain.