Tony

Bonjour mes amis! <BR> <BR>What a delightful dilemma. A once in a lifetime opportunity has just presented itself. Through a friend of the family, I have the opportunity to rent a place in Paris for an entire month! Unfortunately (or fortunately!), I am unable to go to Paris during May, June, July or August for a variety of reasons. My questions are these: <BR>if it were you, when would you go? why? what would you do? Please help me decide.

elvira

September would be my first choice: tourists are in manageable numbers; the Parisians are back from vacation, so everything is open (like restaurants that close for july/august); opera, theater, dance, symphony are starting their seasons; weather is outstanding (they have 'Indian summer', too); lots of autumn produce (like mushrooms) is beginning to show up in markets and on menus. <BR>Second choice is April/October: funky weather (cool, can be rainy); fewer tourists. <BR> <BR>No matter when you go, you'll enjoy yourself. If you go in December, you won't be sidewalk cafeing very much, but the museums are heated and hot chocolate tastes REALLY good...

Donna

Here's another vote for September, if you can't go in May or June. The weather will be pleasant, the flowers will still be in bloom, and there won't be nearly as many tourists as during July and August.

Al

We just returned from a month in Europe with a week in Paris, Sept. 13-20. No problems, no lines, no kidding. We also vote for September. Failing that, we'd go in May. Summertime in Paris can be quite hot, August finds lots of places closed while Parisians vacation.

chelley

I just spent a week in Paris this past March and I don't really recommend it. The weather was very strange. It rained very early every morning, then cleared up, and then rained every evening. A few days were warm, but most were damp and cool. One day we were outside Notre Dame and it suddenly began to hail. Five minutes later it cleared up and got very warm. But for all the opportunities to do things outdoors (the gardens, the cafes, and of course the sightseeing), I recommend a warmer month like September too. But congratulations on this wonderful opportunity! A week was just NOT long enough to see everything. You will find that there are plenty of places to go in and around Paris to keep you busy (and relaxing too, hopefully) for a month. If you are interested in hearing any more about the cultural differences, what to see, or how to get around, etc, feel free to e-mail me at [email protected]. I enjoyed my trip so much that I love talking about it. Good luck!!!

Maira

I have been in Paris in April, May and in June. May was the best time, but if I had the choice again, it would try September. June was very hot (although the summer of 1996 was an unusually hot summer in France).

Joel

Without a doubt, September, since August is not a possibilty. I always liked going to Paris in August since all the Parisians were on "conge annuelle" (vacation). Fewer crowds. Don't get sucked in by the "April In Paris" song. April is the cruelest month in Paris, next to Winter of course.

Tony

Thanks to everyone for your suggestions. <BR>Sept 2001 --- here we come!

Patsy Klontz

Tony, <BR>I have only been in Paris in August and May, so my experience is clearly limited. In case your plans for September do not work out, though, I would enoucourage you to consider May. I am sure the weather can be fickle then, but we had a marvelous week there. The gardens could not have been more lovely. If you happen to love flowers, I can't imagine any time could top the show we saw all over Paris and Giverney in late May. Just a thought. PKlontz