It's easy to say that "anytime is a good time to be in Paris," and in fact your trip to Paris will depend a lot on when you can get away, but if your schedule is your own, we'd recommend choosing spring, early summer, or autumn for your visit.

Besides weather, you must consider crowds, as Paris is perhaps the most popular city destination in the world.

Spring

Spring (late April, May, early June) has the advantages of more daylight, and thus longer days in which to enjoy the city. In late May and June the sky is still light at 10 pm (22:00), dark by 11 pm (23:00), and the light returns by 05:00 am.

As for "April in Paris," it's often overcast and chill despite the warmth of the famous song. (By the way, the song's lyricist, E. Y. Harburg, had never been to Paris, in April or any other time, when he and composer Vernon Duke wrote the song in 1932....)

Summer

Summer late June, July, August, early September) can be warm—even hot—and humid, so plan your day and your clothing appropriately. Summer sees fewer French travelers vying for hotel rooms in Paris—the French are all away at the beach—but increased numbers of foreign tourists arrive.

Autumn/Fall

Autumn (late September, October, early November) has the advantage of fall color in the trees in the parks, perhaps lesser crowds in the streets and museums (and trying to get up the Eiffel Tower), but the dawn comes later and the sunset earlier—fine if you're a lover of nightlife!

Winter

In winter (late November through March) you may find the short daylight time (just over 8 hours between sunrise and sunset on December 22nd), the potentially overcast skies, and the occasional bitter-cold wind more disappointing than the periodic precipitation.

Don't think Paris is empty of visitors in winter, however. Important meetings, conventions, trade shows and exhibitions keep the city's hotels and restaurants busy year-round.

And Christmas is a wonderful time to be in Paris! With beautiful lights, colorful Christmas markets, and lots of wonderful food and drink, it's great. More...

Christmas lights on the Rue Montorgueil.

Even if the sky is almost always grey, the weather chilly (with some snow and plenty of rain), it's still Paris.

Here's what to wear on your trip to Paris.

Here's information on each month's weather. Note that the months with the most rain are June, July, August and November. March and April have the least rain.

Temperatures & Rainfall

Average Daily Temperatures & Rainfall in Paris

°Celsius & Millimeters of Rain

Jan 3° 81

Feb 4° 74

Mar 8° 61

Apr 11° 69

May 14° 81

Jun 18° 89

Jul 19° 84

Aug 19° 94

Sep 16° 84

Oct 12° 76

Nov 7° 89

Dec 4° 79

°Fahrenheit & Inches of Rain

Jan 38° 3.2

Feb 39° 2.9

Mar 46° 2.4

Apr 51° 2.7

May 58° 3.2

Jun 64° 3.5

Jul 66° 3.3

Aug 66° 3.7

Sep 61° 3.3

Oct 53° 3.0

Nov 45° 3.5

Dec 40° 3.1

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