Best Time to Visit Paris: A Month-by-Month Guide (2026)
There is no bad time to visit Paris, but there is a best time for you. Spring and early autumn bring mild weather and gardens at their best, summer brings long evenings and festivals (and crowds), and winter brings low prices and Christmas lights. This guide compares each season and month, with average temperatures, events, crowd levels and hotel prices, so you can choose your dates with confidence. Already know when you're going? Plan your days with our 3 days in Paris or 5 days in Paris itineraries.
Best time to visit Paris: quick answer
Best overall: April to June and September to October
Best weather: late May to mid-September
Fewest crowds: January to early March and November
Cheapest: January, February and November, outside the school holidays
For Christmas lights and markets: late November to early January
Hardest months: July and August for heat and queues, and fashion weeks for hotel prices
Paris by season: what each one is really like
Spring in Paris (March to May)
Spring is the classic time to visit Paris, and for good reason. The chestnut and cherry trees blossom in April, café terraces fill up on the first warm days and the gardens of the Tuileries, Luxembourg and Champ de Mars are at their most beautiful. March is still cool and often grey, April is changeable (pack a light raincoat), and May is close to perfect, with highs around 20°C. The main drawback: Easter weekend and the May public holidays bring big crowds, and hotel prices climb from late April.
Summer in Paris (June to August)
June is the best summer month: long evenings with daylight until almost 10:00 pm, the Fête de la Musique on 21 June and warm but rarely extreme weather. July and August are hotter, with heatwaves above 35°C becoming more frequent, and the big sights have their longest queues. In August many Parisians leave, so some small restaurants and bakeries close for a few weeks, while the city puts on Paris Plages along the Seine. Book tickets and hotels well ahead for any summer trip.
Autumn in Paris (September to November)
September is our favourite month: the summer crowds leave, the weather is still warm, the city comes back to life after the holidays and the European Heritage Days open normally closed buildings for one weekend. October brings golden trees, shorter queues and cosy bistro weather, though the fashion weeks and trade fairs can push hotel prices up. November is grey and rainy, but also one of the cheapest and quietest months, with the Christmas lights switched on at the end of the month.
Winter in Paris (December to February)
Winter is cold, with highs of 6 to 8°C and short days, and it rains more often than it snows. In return you get the Christmas lights on the Champs-Élysées and the big department stores, Christmas markets, ice rinks and the lowest hotel prices of the year from January to early March, outside the school holidays. It is the best season for museums: fewer people, shorter queues and a warm place to spend a rainy afternoon.
Picked your dates? Prices rise fast for spring and September. Compare flights to Paris and central hotels now.
Paris month by month
Average high and low temperatures are approximate. Paris gets rain spread across the year, so pack a light umbrella whatever the month.
- January (7°C / 3°C): quiet, cheap and grey. The winter sales start mid-month.
- February (8°C / 3°C): still cold and one of the cheapest months, except during the French school holidays and Valentine's week.
- March (12°C / 5°C): the first mild days and early blossom, with few tourists.
- April (16°C / 7°C): blossom season and the Paris Marathon. Changeable weather, and busy over Easter.
- May (20°C / 11°C): near-perfect weather and long evenings, with Roland-Garros starting at the end of the month. Several public holidays mean busy weekends.
- June (23°C / 14°C): the longest days of the year and the Fête de la Musique on 21 June. Busy and pricey.
- July (26°C / 16°C): Bastille Day on 14 July, with a parade and fireworks at the Eiffel Tower, and the Tour de France finish. Hot and crowded.
- August (25°C / 16°C): Parisians on holiday, some local restaurants closed, Paris Plages on the Seine and heavy tourist crowds.
- September (21°C / 13°C): warm, lively and less crowded, with the European Heritage Days on the third weekend.
- October (16°C / 10°C): autumn colours and shorter queues, but hotels can be pricey during fashion week and trade fairs.
- November (11°C / 6°C): rainy and quiet, with low prices and the Christmas lights switched on late in the month.
- December (8°C / 4°C): festive lights, markets and ice rinks. Quiet before Christmas, then busy until New Year.
The cheapest time to visit Paris
The cheapest time to visit Paris is January to early March and November, outside the school holidays and major trade fairs. Hotel rates can be far lower than in June or September, and flights are cheaper too. Book a central hotel (see where to stay in Paris) in these months and you'll often pay what an outer-district room costs in summer. Compare prices on our hotel search and flight search. To keep costs down all year, see our guide to budget hotels in Paris.
The best time to avoid crowds in Paris
For the shortest queues, go from January to mid-March, or in November. In any season, the time of day matters more than the month: book the first entry slot for the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower and Sainte-Chapelle, visit the busiest sights on weekday mornings, and visit the Louvre on a Wednesday or Friday rather than a Monday or a weekend, when it is busiest. Many museums, including the Musée d'Orsay and the Musée de l'Orangerie, are free on the first Sunday of the month, which makes those days busier, not quieter.
When not to visit Paris
No month is off-limits, but these periods are the hardest: mid-July to late August if you dislike heat and queues, fashion weeks and major trade fairs (late February to early March, late September to early October) if you're on a budget, and the Christmas to New Year week if you want low prices. Check the calendar of French public holidays too, since some shops and restaurants close.
Best time to visit Paris: FAQ
What is the best month to visit Paris?
May and September. Both have warm, mostly dry weather, long days and fewer visitors than July and August. June is a close third if you want the longest evenings.
What is the cheapest month to go to Paris?
January, February (outside the school holidays) and November. Hotels and flights are at their lowest, and the museums are at their quietest.
Is Paris worth visiting in winter?
Yes, if you pack warm clothes. You'll get lower prices, short queues at the big museums and, in December, Christmas lights and markets. Just expect short days and grey skies.
How many days do you need in Paris?
Three days covers the highlights, and five lets you add Versailles and slow down. See our 3 days in Paris and 5 days in Paris itineraries.
Ready to pick your dates for Paris?
Book flights and a central hotel early for spring and September, and reserve your museum time slots before you travel.
Visiting more of France? Read our best time to visit France guide and the complete Paris travel guide.
Photos from Wikimedia Commons: Seine in autumn by Guilhem Vellut (CC BY 2.0); Champ de Mars in spring by Alexander Baranov (CC BY 2.0); Pont Alexandre III by Eric Pouhier (CC BY-SA 4.0); Champs-Élysées Christmas lights by Tangopaso (public domain).
