Suggestions on things to do for rainy Paris
 

Hi everyone,

My husband and I are going to Paris for a week tonight and the forecast for the entire time we are there are rain/thunder (greater than 50% chance). I am completely bummed out about it.

I created an itinerary that involved a lot of strolling/exploring neighborhoods and having relaxed picnics in parks. I am now looking for any suggestions on things to do on rainy days in Paris.... I feel like I wasted so much time researching and making my itinerary! =/

Any suggestions on things to do besides museums would be much appreciated.

The cheap bazaar stores sell umbrellas for less than 4€. They don't last long, but at that price you can buy them as often as you need one.

Rain never stops me from walking through the streets of Paris.

Same as K said above! A lot of the terrasses are covered so you can still sit outside!And they really need the rain!!

Some attractions are under ground, notably the sewer tour and the catacombs.

Concerts, operas, and dance performances are indoor choices.

Seine boats are covered. I can spend hours in the grand magasins on Blvd Hausmann, even if not shopping for anything specific.

The Marais is great to walk in the rain, ducking in and out of shops, galleries, cafes, small museums, and the Place des Voges, covered on four sides.

I suppose it can happen but more likely you won't be socked in for your entire visit.

If it is really getting you down, watch the national weather report for sunshine and head for it if you can get there by train in < two hours or so.

Good luck.

On any given day in Paris it can rain. The galeries/covered passages are beautiful to see. don't over think it. YOu'll be fine.

There are so many small and large museums, shops and churches you can pop into. Not to mention the wonderful cafes and restaurants! Forecasts can be wrong and I hope this one is.

sharona555, those have been my thoughts exactly. I have been totally bummed for days that rain is forecast for the entire week. Nearly every single day! (I could handle one to three, but the whole week?) I, too, had planned a lot of walking and cost-saving picnics. I sure hope it lets up enough to still make sightseeing pleasant. At least I'll get good use out of my new little trenchcoat.

Thankfully, we're going to Provence and the Dordogne afterwards. I'm anxious to see what their forecasts will be. I can't imagine the entire country would have rain for an entire month! (Yes, I know they need it.)

TBH if you're not going for another week the forecast could change

It has often been noted, most recently in "Midnight in Paris," that the city is especially beautiful in the rain.

Bundle up and go walking! It's just water.

Good point StCirq! No such thing as the wrong weather just the wrong clothes and one thing I've learnt after 11 years in Glasgow, you get wet out in the rain, you come in and get dry again.....

That's what my husband has been saying, Fra_Diavolo. He thinks it will actually be better for photography -- which is his main interest when he travels. We leave Monday and I'll just keep hoping for intermittent showers rather than downright downpours.

Nicki - Even if I could afford tickets to concerts, opera and dance performances, there's no way in hell I would be able to drag my husband & teen son in to see them. Fortunately, we all love museums and should be able to make good use of a pass.

Good luck to you, Sharona!

The covered passages, museums, churches, the champagne bar at Galleries Lafayette, the perfume and cosmetics counter at Le Bon Marche, Le Epicerie at Le Bon Marche (I could spend all day there), cafes...no shortage of things to do when it rains...you won't melt and you'll be in Paris!!

Agree with passages, etc, but the first thought that came to my mind?

Teenage boy = endless exhaustion of food supply in home fridge.

Ergo, rain = excuse to exhaust all options at the Galleries Lafayette cafeteria (awesome).
plus
More rain = excuse to exhaust all options at L'Epicerie Bon Marche.

Grand Total for Teenage Boy: GREAT vacation.

Also entertaining--Go to a movie theatre and see a new US release in French. Fun. We still laugh that we saw "Ratatouille" (yes, my daughters were teens at the time) on the Champs Elysee.

Rain in Paris? I remember reading something about that in the history books. You wouldn't know it today, though, since rain over the past month is about 97% below normal (essentially no rain at all). The weather stations regularly predict some sort of rain, but it just burns off when the time actually comes, and nothing falls. Occasionally there are storms just outside Paris, but the city itself (like many big cities) seems to boil away the moisture and the rain.

Anyway, rain in Paris is traditionally quite misty and light most of the time, and comes and goes regularly. So much so that you may not even need an umbrella (although it's good to have one with you, if you intend to be outside a lot). If it starts to rain, you either duck under an awning until it stops, or&mdash;if it's a standard very light, misty rain&mdash;you just ignore it.

Visitors from SoCal tend to panic at the first drop, those from Seattle seem unfazed by anything that doesn't make them drip with water.

Agree with everyone that it just doesn't matter. I wouldn't worry about something that 1. I can't control, and 2. Could turn out to be wrong. Even a meteorologist would tell you that you take a forecast more than a couple days out with a grain of salt.

I find umbrellas a pain in the city, so I have a rain hat. It has come with me on many trips to Europe.

Heck, if I had stayed away from Paris in the rain, I would have missed about 75% of all my trips.

Have fun sap and sharona!

A howling gale w/ rain blowing sideways in 40F -- sure, maybe a problem.

But a June shower -- I <u>honestly</u> don't see an issue. Does it not rain where you live?

Put on good shoes and carry an umbrella and you are good to go. I wouldn't change any of your plans except <i>maybe</i> a picnic in a park and choose a sidewalk cafe instead.

AlessandroZoe: It's funny you say that. I asked my son yesterday what he was looking forward to most and he said, "Pastry every day!"

Haha.. didn't mean to elicit responses that seem to imply that I am being a wimp. =) I just prefer sunshine! I have been holed up in New England for the past 9 months with cold and depressing weather.

I am bummed because the forecast says rain and thunderstorm (50-80% chance..which is pretty high) and not showers.. I'm still excited to go, though! Thanks for all the suggestions! I wasn't planning on going to Le Bon Marche but will definitely add that to my trip.

I'm staying in Le Marais.. so definitely planning on doing a lot of ducking in and out of stores, restaurants and sitting on covered terraces.

Bon Voyage to everyone who's traveling this summer!