Best time to visit Paris

Paris is a top destination that attracts visitors and tourists from around the world. It’s because it has numerous attractions from world-renowned architectures to museums, festivals, and events. In short, it offers the best of what Europe has to contribute to tourists across the globe. 

So, are you excited and want to know the best time to visit Paris?

La Tour EiffelOriginal Source

Well, Paris is located at the cultural and geographical crossroads of the world’s civilization, and any time is the best time to visit Paris. Honestly, you can take any of the months in a year, and there are good reasons to visit Paris. Whether you consider climate and weather, or the events and festivals, or tourist inflow and outflow, there is something that will always engage and attract you to Paris.

If you are looking to visit Paris, you look at your budget and plan out what you want to catch up with while you are in Paris. These factors will help you figure out the best time to visit Paris for you.

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Do your research

Meanwhile, we give a low-down of different positives and attractions of the City of Light. The information provided herein this article is only an indication of what you should expect or what kind of research you should do before you finally board the flight and land in the world’s cultural capital. There are plenty of guides and books about Paris and a high volume of information on the Internet. The more you read, the better you can enjoy Paris. So, our theme for this article is going to be the best time to visit Paris. 

Paris NightOriginal Source

And here we go.

Paris good for all seasons

Whether you want to visit Eiffel Tower first or the Arc de Triomphe, they will remain forever as enigmatic as it can get. All seasons are suitable for being there! The architecture alone can be a theme for your Paris visit. They are so glorious and soaked so deeply in European history and culture. Paris has always been modern, and its gastronomic excellence can only be matched by the frequent rains that make Paris so much particular all year round. 

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Arc de triomphe ParisOriginal Source

Winter, the cheapest season

But let’s talk a little about what months are not so great to visit Paris. Well, talking about Europe as a whole, winters are harsh, and the most torturous’s months can be December to January. So, a lot of people avoid these months. But if you can wrap yourself warm and have some heart for cold weather, this is the time when there are fewer tourists and even locals are mostly home-bound, the city shows up in a completely new dimension. 

Snowfall may or may not happen. So, take your call, whether winter is the best month to visit Paris. If you decide to visit France‘s capital during winter, early December to February can be the cheapest time in Paris. There are not many tourists, and flight tickets and hotel rentals are at their lowest. But the lack of tourists is compensated by holiday markets and Christmas lights that keep December and early January full of buzz.

Winter events

We can highlight “le Grande Parade de Paris” a New Year celebration full of music performances around the city outdoor and indoor if we talk about events. This parade starts off the Place de la Concorde, going through the always magics Champs-Élysées turning back to the starting point.

The Paris Big Parade on the Champs-Élysées

On the other hand, Diciembre is a great month to enjoy the Festival du Merveilleux, where you will find a full collection of art with performances included. The festivity gets divided into four stages, allocated in:

  • The Musée des Arts Forains, where you will find some festivals of the 19th century.
  • The Théâtre du Merveilleux, with Venice’s Carnival.
  • The Salons Vénitiens, with the cabinets of wonders or curiosities
  • And finally, the Théâtre de Verdure and the extraordinary gardens.

Instead, if you enjoy Paris in February, maybe you want to check out Paris’ carnivals and his Mythical and legendary creatures.

Close to the sunny spring, but still on the cold seasons, you can get further in March, when Paris becomes the capital of Spring and Summer’s designs and fashion with the Paris Fashion Week. Lucky for you, the Paris Fashion Week is made in September too, when the Autumn and Winter styles get presented. A few days later, you could enjoy the Carnaval des Femmes or the women’s Carnaval.

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Carnaval des FemmesOriginal Source

Spring & Summer: The peak tourist season

But immediately after winter, you have two months of beautiful spring and an even more extended summer, which constitute the peak of Paris’s tourist season. These are the months when the entire world wants to be in Paris. You can imagine the crowd, the flight and hotel prices, and the line in front of Eiffel Tower and Arc de Triomphe. The long spring is unique as it is not a common natural phenomenon in many parts of the world, especially Asia. The gardens assume new colors, and the flora bloom in an all mystic charm. Moreover, we can find music festivals and cultural events. The fine dining and gourmet restaurants make diverse cultures of the world melt right in front of you on your plate.

Restaurants in Place du TertreOriginal Source

In terms of events, we can take a look at May. On one of this month’s weekend, you can enjoy “Le Printemps des Rues” a street performance event that goes on the districts 10,18 and 19 of Paris. The festival program includes theater, clown shows, puppets, songs, circus, dance, walks, and magic shows for everyone, from younger people to the older one.

The best time: April-June, October-November

If your idea is to experience Paris during its peak tourist season, try out the period from April to June. The weather is mild and pleasant. Similarly, the period between October and November is a great time to be in Paris. But while kids and families can be found in large numbers during summer as kids have school holidays, October and November is the period when you have a more mixed kind of crowd. 

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Here is a breakup of what Paris can offer to tourists during different times of year

  • April-June, September-early November are considered excellent for Sightseeing.
  • May-June and September-October are considered the best time for a honeymoon.
  • November-February is regarded as the best time to save money through Paris during Christmas can be a pricey affair.
  • All year round, Paris has a pulsating nightlife.

June and July Events

June

  • Festival Saint-Denis
  • Paris Jazz Festival

July

  • Bastille Day
  • Tour de France
Paris in 4k

Paris during August

As the peak tourist season wanes, Paris residents themselves drive out of the city in such large numbers on vacation that the great it looks wholly deserted, with most shops and establishments closed. They return in what is called la rentrée after a month-long break.

If your final choice is August, you can take a look at the “Feast of the Assumption”, a celebration dedicated to the most religious ones, focused on the Virgin Mary and centered at Notre Dame de Paris as the main localized point.

Autumn events

September

  • Jazz à la Villette

October

  • Nuit Blanche (White Night)
  • The Paris Autumn Festival
  • Pitchfork Music Festival

November

  • Africolor Music Festival Ice Skating

Other important events & festivals

At the peak of the festival season, the Paris Marathon is organized in early April. The event attracts nearly 54,000 runners from different parts of the world. Many of them come along with their families to cheer and support them. 

Paris MarathonOriginal Source

Days before the event, the hotels start filling up, and the city Paris Auto Show, a biennial event in September, receives over a million visitors. There is less of a tourist crowd, while business tourists make for the loss who come for a range of business exhibitions organized between September and November. The hotel rooms are cheaper around this time.

The most interesting fact about Paris

The sun does not set until 10 pm in June and July. That promises more daylight and magical evenings.

Final thoughts

The best time to visit Paris should be all year round. But if you want to see a particular aspect of the glamorous French capital, you can choose a time of the year that suits your objective. Paris is enigmatic and ever welcoming.

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