The best time to visit Paris
September is the easy choice, Christmas a strong reason for winter
- Best
- September, then May and June
- Busiest
- July and August
- Rain
- 10–14 rainy days every month
Pick September and you will rarely regret it. The month averages 17 °C with twelve rainy days, the warmth of summer is still around, and the lines of July and August have thinned. May and June come second, and winter has one strong argument of its own, which is Christmas on the Champs-Élysées.
Through the year
When prices drop
Paris has two official sales a year. The winter sale runs from 6 January to 2 February 2027 and the summer sale from 23 June to 20 July 2027. Those dates come from a decree dating from 2019, and the authorities can move them, as they did in summer 2026 when the sale was stretched by a week because of a heatwave.
Sales belong to shops and department stores, which fill up with crowds while they last, so they change little for a visitor who comes for sights. Neither the Eiffel Tower nor the museums hold a sale, so the saving is on the clothes rack and never on the itinerary. Time the trip to the sale only if shopping is a reason to come, because for sightseeing it buys you nothing but queues in the department stores.
hostel, dorm bed, per night
When it is busiest
July and August are the busiest months, which is the case against them, and the case for them is the long evening at the Eiffel Tower. Hours: daily 9:30 am–11 pm, past midnight in summer. Be at a museum door when it opens, spend the hot middle of the day indoors, and come out again when the light softens. That rhythm works in any heat and costs nothing but an early alarm. Early September gives you the same long evenings with fewer people in them, which is the quiet reason it wins.
Paris Plages, the summer beach season on the river banks, runs in these months, though its dates change from year to year. Rain barely follows the calendar, since every month has between 10 and 14 rainy days. An umbrella belongs in the bag whatever the season, and a wet afternoon is simply the time for a museum.
Dates that change the plan
Four dates deserve a circle on the calendar. On 21 June the Fête de la Musique puts free concerts across the city, and on 14 July the Louvre is free for everyone while the Arc de Triomphe stays closed. On the first Sunday of the month the Orsay is free with a booked slot. From November to March the Arc de Triomphe is free on that Sunday as well.
Sale dates are set by a decree from 2019 and can be moved by decision; in summer 2026 the sale was extended by a week because of a heatwave.
Christmas and winter
Christmas is the strongest argument for winter. The market on the Champs-Élysées runs from 22 November 2026 to 4 January 2027, and a stroll down the avenue after a day of museums makes a full evening.
Winter also trims some bills. From October to March the Arc de Triomphe costs €16, against €22 in the high season. On the first Friday of the month the Louvre is free after 6 pm, except in July and August, though a slot is still booked.
When you have to pick fast
If the decision has to be made in a minute, make it in this order, and everything else follows from the season you land in.
- Choose September or May when the dates are yours to pick.
- If it has to be July, take the morning entrances and leave the afternoon for shade.
- If it is Christmas, spend the evening on the Champs-Élysées and the day indoors.
- Reserve the Eiffel Tower and the big museums the day the sale opens.
Where to next
Getting around Paris
→Paris is crossed on one small card and two fares: the ordinary ticket covers the metro, the RER and the…
Étretat · 182 km
→The chalk arches Monet kept coming back to for years
How well does Paris suit you?
→Six questions: a score for this place and others like it.
Nomadinho scores out of 100, the same ones behind “Where to go”.
If you like Paris
Three places with the closest scores, from any country.
Before you go
Short answers to what people ask most before setting out.
When do the winter sales start in Paris?
On 6 January 2027, and they run until 2 February. The rule behind it is the second Wednesday of January, or the first one if the second falls after the 12th, but the state can move the dates by decision.
How many rainy days does Paris have a month?
Between 10 and 14 in every month, so the season matters less than the umbrella. September has twelve.
Is the Eiffel Tower open later in summer?
Yes. From mid-June to early September it stays open until midnight or later.
Ready for Paris?
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