The best time to visit Paris, month by month
Written and checked by the Best Paris Tours editorial team. .
September is the best month to visit Paris, with nine wet days, the fewest of the year, and no public holiday or seasonal closure at all. April is the driest at 51mm. November is the cheapest. The date to avoid is 1 May, when five of the biggest sights in the city close together.
Paris at a glance, all twelve months
| Month | Avg high | Avg low | Rain | Wet days | Daylight | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7.3C | 1.7C | 64mm | 13 | 8h 46m | Coldest, emptiest, cheapest |
| February | 9.5C | 2.3C | 54mm | 11 | 10h 15m | Driest of the winter |
| March | 12.3C | 3.9C | 72mm | 14 | 11h 54m | Wettest, but Easter falls here |
| April | 15.7C | 5.5C | 51mm | 10 | 13h 45m | Driest month of the year |
| May | 19.1C | 9.4C | 76mm | 13 | 15h 20m | Longest days, one terrible date |
| June | 23.8C | 14C | 74mm | 12 | 16h 09m | Peak daylight, peak price |
| July | 25.4C | 15.5C | 57mm | 9 | 15h 47m | Fewest wet days of the year |
| August | 25.4C | 15.2C | 66mm | 10 | 14h 26m | Warmest, and milder than expected |
| September | 21.8C | 12.3C | 60mm | 9 | 12h 40m | Best all-round month |
| October | 17C | 9.4C | 72mm | 12 | 10h 54m | Most congested and most expensive |
| November | 11.3C | 5.4C | 63mm | 12 | 9h 14m | Best value, 1 to 18 November |
| December | 8.7C | 3.5C | 76mm | 13 | 8h 21m | Shortest days, best lit |
Temperature, rainfall and wet days: Open-Meteo ERA5 reanalysis for Paris, ten-year observed means. Daylight is the length of day on the 15th, from day length computed for Paris (48.86N, 2.35E) on the 15th of each month.
The short answer
If you want the best odds of good weather, go in September. Paris averages nine wet days that month, fewer than any other, with 21.8C highs that suit a city you cross on foot. September is also the only month of the year with no French public holiday and nothing shut for the season, so nothing on your itinerary hits a closed door.
If you want the driest month outright, go in April: 51mm of rain across ten wet days, less than any other month, with sunset past 20:40 and both Giverny and the Versailles fountains back after five months off. April 2027 has an extra advantage, because Easter fell on 28 March and took its price premium with it.
If price is the deciding factor, go between 1 and 18 November. The autumn trade fairs have finished and the Christmas market demand has not started, and for those eighteen days Paris is as cheap as it gets. From about 5 January the city is cheaper still and genuinely empty, at the cost of 7.3C days and thirteen wet ones.
The three dates that decide a Paris trip
1 May.Labour Day closes the Musee du Louvre, the Musee d'Orsay, the Musee de l'Orangerie, Sainte-Chapelle and the Chateau de Versailles on the same day. In 2027 it falls on a Saturday, which is the worst possible day for it. This is the single most consequential date in the Paris calendar and almost no general guide flags it.
1 November. Two things end on this day and neither returns until the spring: the season at the Fondation Claude Monet in Giverny, and the Versailles Musical Fountains. Between them they are the only genuinely seasonal attractions in the Paris region, and they are unavailable for five of the ten months in this guide.
28 March 2027. Easter Sunday, which is also the day the clocks go forward. Holy Week therefore sits entirely in March, so an April Easter trip to Paris in 2027 arrives a month late. Easter Monday on 29 March is a public holiday, and Versailles is closed every Monday of the year including that one.
Paris in January
7.3C average high, 1.7C average low, 64mm across 13 wet days, 8h 46m of daylight mid-month, sunset around 17:20.
The coldest month at 7.3C highs and 1.7C lows, with thirteen wet days. From about the 5th Paris is emptier than at any other point in the year and Louvre slots are available same-day. The Eiffel Tower summit usually takes its annual maintenance shutdown somewhere in this part of the winter.
Paris in February
9.5C average high, 2.3C average low, 54mm across 11 wet days, 10h 15m of daylight mid-month, sunset around 18:10.
The driest month of the Paris winter at 54mm across eleven wet days, and the first since October with daylight over ten hours. Prices stay near the January floor. School holidays run 6 to 21 February, which fills the family attractions without moving hotel rates much.
Paris in March
12.3C average high, 3.9C average low, 72mm across 14 wet days, 11h 54m of daylight mid-month, sunset around 18:55.
Fourteen wet days, the highest count of the year, but Easter Sunday is 28 March 2027 so the whole of Holy Week sits in March. The clocks go forward the same day, pushing sunset from about 19:15 to roughly 20:15. Five Mondays means five days without Versailles.
Paris in April
15.7C average high, 5.5C average low, 51mm across 10 wet days, 13h 45m of daylight mid-month, sunset around 20:40.
The driest month at 51mm over ten wet days, with 15.7C highs and sunset past 20:40. Monet's garden at Giverny reopens and the Versailles fountains restart after five months off. Because Easter already passed on 28 March, April 2027 gets spring conditions without the Easter price premium.
Paris in May
19.1C average high, 9.4C average low, 76mm across 13 wet days, 15h 20m of daylight mid-month, sunset around 21:25.
The longest days of the year at 15 hours 20 minutes, with everything seasonal running. It also contains the worst single date in the calendar: Saturday 1 May, when the Louvre, the Musee d'Orsay, the Orangerie, Sainte-Chapelle and Versailles all close together for Labour Day.
Paris in June
23.8C average high, 14C average low, 74mm across 12 wet days, 16h 09m of daylight mid-month, sunset around 21:55.
The longest daylight of the year at around 16 hours 9 minutes in mid-June, with 23.8C highs and twelve wet days. The Fete de la Musique on 21 June puts free live music on street corners across the city, and Nuit Blanche now takes place in June rather than in October.
We publish full month guides for August through May. For June, the figures and the note above are the essentials; the nearest full guides are Paris in May and Paris in August.
Paris in July
25.4C average high, 15.5C average low, 57mm across 9 wet days, 15h 47m of daylight mid-month, sunset around 21:50.
Nine wet days and 57mm makes July the driest month by rainfall after April, with 25.4C highs. Bastille Day on 14 July brings a military parade and fireworks at the Trocadero. Advance booking at the Louvre becomes compulsory from 1 July and stays that way until 31 August.
We publish full month guides for August through May. For July, the figures and the note above are the essentials; the nearest full guides are Paris in May and Paris in August.
Paris in August
25.4C average high, 15.2C average low, 66mm across 10 wet days, 14h 26m of daylight mid-month, sunset around 21:05.
The warmest month at 25.4C, which is around seven degrees cooler than a Roman or Barcelona August. Sunset near 21:05 gives the longest usable evenings of the ten-month guide. Louvre advance booking stays compulsory until 31 August, and Paris Plages runs on the riverbanks until 30 August.
Paris in September
21.8C average high, 12.3C average low, 60mm across 9 wet days, 12h 40m of daylight mid-month, sunset around 20:05.
Nine wet days, the fewest of any month in Paris, paired with 21.8C highs and no public holiday at all. Heritage Days on 19 and 20 September open hundreds of normally-closed buildings for free. Fashion Week from the 28th takes hotel prices with it, so book the first three weeks.
Paris in October
17C average high, 9.4C average low, 72mm across 12 wet days, 10h 54m of daylight mid-month, sunset around 19:00.
Four major trade events land in the same month, including the Mondial de l'Auto from 12 to 18 October, which puts hotel demand at its annual peak. The clocks go back on 25 October and sunset drops from about 18:45 to 17:40 overnight. Nuit Blanche is no longer an October event.
Paris in November
11.3C average high, 5.4C average low, 63mm across 12 wet days, 9h 14m of daylight mid-month, sunset around 17:10.
The best value stretch of the year runs 1 to 18 November, between the autumn trade fairs and the Christmas market pricing. The cost is real: Monet's garden at Giverny and the Versailles Musical Fountains both close for the winter on 1 November and do not return until the spring.
Paris in December
8.7C average high, 3.5C average low, 76mm across 13 wet days, 8h 21m of daylight mid-month, sunset around 16:55.
The shortest days of the year at 8 hours 21 minutes, with sunset around 16:55, which means illuminated Paris is available from five in the afternoon. The Louvre, the Musee d'Orsay and Versailles all close on 25 December. Versailles runs a seasonal King's Tour from 12 December to 2 January.
Where the numbers come from
Average high, average low, monthly rainfall and wet-day counts are ten-year observed means for Paris, drawn from the ERA5 reanalysis via the Open-Meteo historical weather API. Daylight is the length of day on the 15th of each month, computed for Paris at 48.86N, 2.35E using the standard NOAA solar position algorithm, and the sunset times come from the same calculation. Nothing on this page is estimated.
Weekly closing days and fixed holiday closures were read directly from the Musee du Louvre, Musee d'Orsay and Chateau de Versailles official sites, and every weekday quoted on these pages was calculated from the calendar rather than assumed.
Where we could not confirm something from a primary source, we say so on the page rather than filling the gap. That currently applies to the Fondation Claude Monet's 2027 opening date at Giverny, the 2027 Versailles fountain season dates, whether the Eiffel Tower summit closes in January or February 2027 specifically, and the 2027 dates for the Paris Marathon and Roland-Garros. Tour prices are shown in pounds; official French admission prices are quoted in euros as the venues publish them.
Best time to visit Paris: FAQs
What is the best month to visit Paris?
September, on the numbers. Paris averages nine wet days in September, the fewest of any month, with 21.8C highs and no French public holiday or seasonal closure at all. April is the close second: it is the driest month by rainfall at 51mm, it has 13 hours 45 minutes of daylight, and both Giverny and the Versailles fountains have reopened by then.
What is the cheapest time to visit Paris?
The window from 1 to 18 November. The October trade fairs have finished and the Christmas market and lights demand has not begun, so central Paris briefly has more rooms than visitors. January from about the 5th is a close second and adds something November does not: the city is genuinely empty, with Louvre slots available same-day.
What is the worst time to visit Paris?
October on cost and congestion, and Saturday 1 May on closures. October carries Fashion Week, the Mondial de l'Auto from 12 to 18 October, Art Basel Paris and SIAL, which together put hotel demand at its annual peak. On 1 May the Louvre, the Musee d'Orsay, the Orangerie, Sainte-Chapelle and Versailles are all closed on the same day.
What is closed in Paris on 1 May?
Five of the biggest sights at once: the Musee du Louvre, the Musee d'Orsay, the Musee de l'Orangerie, Sainte-Chapelle and the Chateau de Versailles. In 2027 that falls on a Saturday. Public transport runs a reduced service and many shops close. The Eiffel Tower, the Seine cruises, the catacombs, the cabarets and the Versailles gardens and park all stay open.
When is Monet's garden at Giverny open?
For a spring-to-autumn season only. The Fondation Claude Monet closes on 1 November and stays shut through November, December, January, February and March, which is five of the ten months covered by this guide. It reopens in early April on a date the foundation sets each year, so check with the foundation directly before booking travel around it.
When do the Versailles Musical Fountains run?
In the warm half of the year only, finishing on 1 November and restarting in the spring. That matters because the Versailles Full Access passport includes the fountain and Musical Gardens upgrade, so from November to March that ticket cannot deliver its headline feature and a guided tour of the state rooms is the better winter purchase.
Is Nuit Blanche still in October?
No. The all-night contemporary arts festival has moved to June and is no longer an October event, although a large number of Paris guides still list it in early October. If an itinerary has you keeping an October Saturday night free for Nuit Blanche, it is working from out-of-date information.
When is Easter in Paris in 2027?
Easter Sunday is 28 March 2027, so the whole of Holy Week falls in March and an April 2027 trip misses Easter entirely. Easter Monday on 29 March is a French public holiday, and because the Chateau de Versailles closes every Monday of the year including public holidays, the palace is shut that day.
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