When to visit Paris?
 

Fellow travelers;Considering climate and cost of USA-Paris airline tickets what is the best time of year to visit Paris? Thank you for any information.

Pricewise, winter. Climatewise, June.

For a good balance of price to odds of nice weather, April-mid May or fall.

I have gone frequently for the past few years - in May and October. Plane tickets seem to be cheaper after Oct.15, for the fall. The weather was fine each time. You could need air-conditioning in May, I did for a few days, as they had a very hot spell.

I agree with Elle. Probably the cheapest time would be the winter, Jan-March. But if you live in Miami & have to buy a whole new wardrobe and/or can't handle cold weather, that doesn't sound reasonable. The busiest times are (school) holidays-summer (although there are some bargains in August because a lot of places in Paris close for the month), Xmas, Easter & ofcourse try to avoid their fashion weeks when the new collections are shown. September/October and April/May/June are lovely weather wise.

Why not register on travelocity for a "fare watcher" between your home city & Paris. You'll be alerted via email when fares go up or down.

Thanks for your responces. Often the airlines post cheaper flights until April 2. Would a good choice be April 2-April 12?

April's a bit of a gamble. In fact, anytime in Paris is a bit of a gamble.

We spent the first week of April in Paris this year and it was lovely--high 50s, low 60s with very little rain. Last year we were there during the third week of May and we froze!

Would you recommend a London-Paris combination? Usually I try to keep to one country per trip but with the new cross channel it could be easier.

Weather is probably statistically best from June through early October.
You just have to decide if the lower price of tickets and hotels during rainier and colder seasons are enough of an offset for the weather. I think of Paris as having generally unreliable weather for most of the year, so I don't let the weather deter me from going at any time, but if gardens or sitting outside, or daytrips to other locations (Versailles or Giverny, to name two) are major considerations, then plan for nicer seasons.

>Would you recommend a London-Paris combination? <

A week in Paris in late April early May followed by a week in London would be very nice.

Splitting a week between Paris and London is also nice, but I wouldn't recommend it for a first trip.

Thank you Ira, I have been to both cities before and the late April/early May date would be perfect for me.