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When To Go

Paris is truly a city for all seasons, with definitive advantages and disadvantages to expect depending on the timing of your visit. High season is from mid-May to mid-September, when Paris overflows with backpacking students and hordes of vacationing families – the crowds and sultry weather will be a turn-off to some, while the long hours of daylight (the sun doesn't set until around 10.30pm in late-June) to get all of that sight-seeing done will be a major draw for others. Note that while August is still considered high season as far as airfare and hotel rates go, it is also the month when many Parisians head off on holiday – anticipate some closed restaurants and short-staffed shops and hotels during that period. Traveling either before or after high season brings the best bang for your buck on transatlantic airfare and hotel rates; March and April can be balmy and damp but you'll have fewer tourists to contend with; the wet weather usually dries out in time for May and June - two glorious months to visit when the city's superlative gardens come into bloom. Early autumn, with its crisp air and sunny days is ideal; it's also when vacationing Parisians return from their August holidays, and cultural life kicks off again with abundant festivals and performances. Low season is predictably during the colder, darker months from mid-October to mid-April – although the days can be quite brisk and the skies rather gray, there's very little snow in Paris – so long as you bundle up, it's still an enjoyable time to amble along and indulge in the city's treasures.

When To Go

High-season
June–September

Low-season
November–February

Best bang for your buck
March–June & September–October