Best Time to Visit Paris: Month by Month

1. March to May: mild days, and gardens open from April

Spring highs climb from about 55°F in March to 62°F in April and 68°F in May. These are the 1991–2020 averages in Météo-France's climate sheet for the Paris-Montsouris station. May is the wettest month of the year, with 69 mm of rain.

April is the strongest spring month for a first visit. Monet's house and gardens in Giverny open daily from 1 April to 1 November 2026, so a day trip there only works from April on.

Mind the school breaks and the holidays. The Zone C spring break for 2027 runs from 3 to 19 April, and Sainte-Chapelle names school holidays and the Easter weekend as busy times, with a risk of long waits or no entry. Almost every big sight closes on 1 May.

A stay in the Marais, such as The People - Paris Marais, puts you 900 m from the Opéra Bastille and works well for these shoulder months.

2. June to August: the warmest and longest days

June to August is the best fit if you want warm evenings. Highs average 74°F in June and 78°F in July and August, and the sun shines for 215 to 222 hours a month in July and August. About 14 days a year reach 86°F or more, mostly in July and August.

Rain does not stop in summer. July has the fewest rainy days at about 7, but every month has at least 7.

Long evenings suit a boat ride. Best Things to Do in Paris counted the GetYourGuide listings for Paris on 24 October 2026 and found that 30 of 73 Seine cruise listings are evening, sunset, night or dinner cruises. A day or sunset Seine cruise, from €20.49 per person, is one example. Between April and October, Bateaux-Mouches runs a boat every 30 minutes from 10 am to 9:30 pm.

Palace trips are busiest in this season. Versailles advises visitors to arrive at the 9 am opening, especially on Tuesdays and weekends in high season.

No official source ranks the months of Paris by crowds, so we do not name one busiest month. What is published is this. Versailles is busy in high season, Sainte-Chapelle is busy on school holidays and the Easter weekend, and the Christmas and February school breaks fill rooms and queues. So the quietest dates are the ones outside those windows, but no official page counts visitors by month.

3. September to October: a warm start, then rain returns

September is as good as spring for most people. The high averages 71°F, the low 55°F, and the month gets 44.7 mm of rain. By October the high is 62°F, the low 50°F and the rain 55.2 mm.

Monet's gardens stay open until 1 November, so September and October still work for Giverny. From 1 October to 1 November 2026, Batobus runs daily from 10:00 to 19:00.

Pack a light rain jacket from the second half of October on. Plan one indoor stop for each day.

4. November: cool days and a good month for museums

November is cool, with highs of about 52°F, lows of about 43°F and 54.3 mm of rain. The gardens in Giverny are closed after 1 November, so leave that trip for another visit.

The free first Sunday returns at national monuments in November. Sainte-Chapelle, the Conciergerie, the Arc de Triomphe and the Notre-Dame towers are free on the first Sunday from November to March, and Versailles is free then as well. You still need to reserve a time slot.

A rainy day is a good day for an indoor visit such as the Palais Garnier self-guided tour, from €25 per person. The listing starts at 13-15 Rue Scribe and has no free cancellation, so check your dates before you book. It is sold by GetYourGuide Tours & Tickets GmbH. It is rated 4.6 from 19,692 reviews on GetYourGuide and lasts about 1 hour 30 minutes.

5. December to February: the cheapest months, with short grey days

Winter is cold and grey. Highs average 46°F to 48°F, and frost shows up on about 21 days a year, mostly from December to February. The sun is out for only about 57 to 59 hours a month in December and January, so plan your outdoor time for the middle of the day.

In January the average high is 46°F and the average low is 38°F. In February the average high is 48°F and the average low is 38°F. Nights fall to 32°F or lower on about 7 days in January and 5 days in February, based on Météo-France's 1991–2020 averages.

Winter is the quiet season, so you have more room to choose your dates. If mild weather matters more than price, look at May, June and September instead. Their highs run from 68°F to 74°F and their lows from 52°F to 58°F. Each has fewer than 3 days a year at 86°F or more. See the full breakdown on the travel to paris cost page.

Add the Christmas break from 19 December to 4 January and the winter break from 6 to 22 February 2027, which fill rooms and queues.

A central base such as Hotel des Arts - Cite Bergere sits 260 m from Grands Boulevards metro and has a 24-hour front desk. For a short outing, a day or evening Seine cruise with a waffle tasting, from €21 per person, lasts about 1 hour. It is rated 4.1 from 4,381 reviews on GetYourGuide, has free cancellation as listed and is run by Global Tours And Tickets. The price covers the cruise and one waffle. What else the Eiffel Tower, day or sunset cruise and Palais Garnier prices include is not published in the listings we checked. Ratings and prices here are as shown on GetYourGuide on 24 October 2026. Batobus switches to winter hours on 2 November 2026, and the last boats leave earlier on Monday to Thursday.

How to choose the best time to visit Paris

Start with the one thing you cannot change. If it is the weather, pick April to June or September. If it is the budget, pick the winter months. If it is the gardens, pick April to October.

Pro Tip Monet's gardens in Giverny close after 1 November and reopen on 1 April, so fit a Giverny day into April to October.

Key Takeaway For mild days and open gardens pick April to June or September, and for the lowest hotel prices pick the winter months.

Rain falls in every month in Paris, so no month is a safe dry bet.

Once your dates are set, book the Eiffel Tower first, because it is the sight most visitors fit around. The Eiffel Tower summit or second floor ticket, from €50.73 per person, is run by Mon Petit Paris and meets at Souvenirs de la Tour, 19 Avenue de la Bourdonnais. It has no free cancellation, so lock in your dates first.

You can also skip a tour. You can buy tickets for the tower and the boats directly from their own sites, and a listing mainly adds a fixed meeting point and one booking. Between April and October, Bateaux-Mouches runs a boat every 30 minutes, so a cruise is easy to do on your own.

Here is a fair weigh-up. Do it on your own if you want to pick a time as you go, or if you like to walk the riverbank for free. Book a listing if you want one booking, a set meeting point and a known price. The Eiffel Tower listing is rated 4.4 from 17,827 reviews and has no free cancellation. The day or sunset cruise is rated 4.3 from 4,779 reviews and has free cancellation as listed.

Here is what to know before you book. The Eiffel Tower listing meets at Souvenirs de la Tour, 19 Avenue de la Bourdonnais, and lasts 1.5 to 2 hours. The day or sunset cruise meets at Bateaux Parisiens, Port de la Bourdonnais, and lasts 1 hour. The waffle cruise lasts about 1 hour, and its listing gives no meeting point. The Palais Garnier tour starts at 13-15 Rue Scribe and lasts about 1 hour 30 minutes. The listing says the Garnier ticket does not cover a guide or the media guide, which is €8 on site for adults. The Eiffel Tower listing leaves out food and drinks, transport and tips, and the day or sunset cruise leaves out hotel pickup and headphones. Group size is not published in the listings we checked, so read the listing page before you pay.

Here is what you get and what it costs, per person. The Eiffel Tower summit or second floor ticket is from €50.73 and covers a guide and elevator access to the second floor. Summit access and a Seine cruise are optional extras. The day or sunset cruise is from €20.49 and covers a 1-hour cruise, an audio guide in several languages and one ice cream, waffle or soft drink. The cruise with waffles is from €21 and covers a 1-hour cruise, an audio guide in 14 languages and one waffle or crêpe. The Palais Garnier self-guided tour is from €25 and covers entry to the public areas of the opera house, including the Grand Escalier and the Grand Foyer. In short, a tour is worth it if one booking and a set meeting point matter to you. It is not needed if you are happy to buy direct and walk on your own. Rating and review counts are as shown on GetYourGuide on 24 October 2026.

For crowds, here is what is published. Versailles calls November to late March its low season, and the rest of the year is high season. Its Passport ticket costs €25 in low season and €35 in high season. It also asks you to come at the 9 am opening, especially on Tuesdays and weekends in high season. Sainte-Chapelle names school holidays and the Easter weekend as busy times. The Christmas break from 19 December to 4 January and the winter break from 6 to 22 February 2027 fill rooms and queues. So the calmest dates are November to late March outside those school breaks, but no official page counts visitors by month.

For April, expect about 177 hours of sunshine and 8.6 rainy days, on top of the 62°F high and 46 mm of rain above. For hotels, winter is cheapest. The 2026 Paris Travel Cost Study, which reads Google Hotels prices, found the lowest room prices in January and February, so book then if price matters most. Two official tips help in busy times. Versailles says a Passport ticket with timed entry guarantees access to the palace within half an hour of your slot. Sainte-Chapelle says to pay in advance, because in busy periods you may wait a very long time or not get in. Weather averages describe 30 years, not your week. A cruise or a tour is the wrong pick if you would rather walk the riverbank for free, which costs nothing in any month.