01Verdict
When to go, in short
Paris has no closed season, but it has two kinds of month. In the hotel statistics the busiest months are June, July and October, each with more than 1.5 million hotel arrivals in 2019, while August, the month most guides call peak, actually ran below the yearly average because Parisians leave and business travel stops. January and February are the emptiest, at 15 percent below average, and also the cheapest: Paris hotels averaged €356 a night in January 2025 against €514 in June, according to CoStar.
The weather argument is simpler. From May to September afternoons average 19 to 25 °C and the sun sets after nine in June and July. Winter is cool rather than cold, with frost on about a third of January mornings and a day or two of snow in a typical year. Rain is spread evenly: every month has nine to thirteen days with at least a millimetre, so there is no dry season to aim for, only shorter or longer days to fill between showers.
Three practical rules apply in every month. The Louvre closes on Tuesdays, the Musée d'Orsay and Versailles on Mondays, and all three shut on 1 January, 1 May and 25 December. The Centre Pompidou is closed for renovation until 2030. And since 14 January 2026 non-European visitors pay €32 at the Louvre, so a Paris Museum Pass or a timed booking weeks ahead matters more than it used to.
If you can choose, take the second half of May after the four public holidays, September once French schools are back, or the first half of October before the Toussaint break starts on 17 October. For the lowest prices with the museums to yourself, January after the Epiphany weekend is hard to beat.
02Weather
Paris weather by month
03Crowds
When Paris is busiest
INSEE / Choose Paris Region (CRT Paris Île-de-France): monthly hotel arrivals, City of Paris (75), 2019 (latest complete pre-pandemic year published as monthly series); 2022 shown for comparison. index = month / annual monthly mean (2019). low < 0.90, shoulder 0.90–0.99, high 1.00–1.07, peak >= 1.08. Hotel arrivals include business travel; they do not count short-term rentals or day visitors.
What hotels charged
CoStar/STR monthly Paris hotel performance releases, 2025: January €356 average daily rate at 66.6 % occupancy; June €514 average daily rate at 86.3 % occupancy; December €372 average daily rate at 76.7 % occupancy. Source. Only three months published as city-wide figures; no full monthly series available free of charge, so no price module is rendered.
04Compare
Month by month
| Month | High | Low | Rain days | Sun h | Daylight | Crowds | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paris in January | 7 °C / 45 °F | 2 °C | 13 | 106 | 8.7 h | quiet 0.85 | Mixed |
| Paris in February | 10 °C / 49 °F | 3 °C | 11 | 149 | 10.2 h | quiet 0.85 | Mixed |
| Paris in March | 12 °C / 54 °F | 4 °C | 13 | 225 | 11.9 h | moderate 0.99 | Good |
| Paris in April | 16 °C / 60 °F | 6 °C | 10 | 306 | 13.7 h | busy 1.04 | Mixed |
| Paris in May | 19 °C / 67 °F | 10 °C | 13 | 340 | 15.3 h | busy 1.03 | Good |
| Paris in June | 24 °C / 75 °F | 14 °C | 12 | 354 | 16.2 h | very busy 1.12 | Good |
| Paris in July | 25 °C / 78 °F | 15 °C | 10 | 367 | 15.8 h | very busy 1.1 | Good |
| Paris in August | 25 °C / 78 °F | 15 °C | 10 | 340 | 14.4 h | moderate 0.96 | Excellent |
| Paris in September | 22 °C / 71 °F | 12 °C | 10 | 270 | 12.6 h | busy 1.06 | Good |
| Paris in October | 17 °C / 63 °F | 10 °C | 12 | 205 | 10.8 h | very busy 1.09 | Good |
| Paris in November | 11 °C / 52 °F | 5 °C | 13 | 140 | 9.2 h | busy 1.02 | Mixed |
| Paris in December | 8 °C / 47 °F | 3 °C | 13 | 106 | 8.3 h | moderate 0.91 | Mixed |
05Events
Dated events, next twelve months
| Event | Dates | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Versailles Musical Fountain shows (Grandes Eaux Musicales) | 1 Apr – 1 Nov 2026 | Gardens of Versailles, weekends and some weekdays · source |
| Giverny, Monet's gardens open season | 1 Apr – 1 Nov 2026 | Fondation Claude Monet, Giverny (75 min from Paris) · source |
| Nuit Blanche | 6–7 Jun 2026 | citywide, free · source |
| Paris Plages | 4 Jul – 30 Aug 2026 | Parc Rives de Seine and Bassin de la Villette · source |
| Tour de France, final stage | 26 Jul 2026 | Montmartre climb and Champs-Élysées finish · source |
| Journées Européennes du Patrimoine | 19–20 Sep 2026 | ministries, palaces, monuments, free · source |
| Fête des Vendanges de Montmartre | 7–11 Oct 2026 | Montmartre, around the Clos Montmartre vineyard · source |
| Art Basel Paris | 23–25 Oct 2026 | Grand Palais (previews 21-22 October) · source |
| Salon du Chocolat | 28 Oct – 1 Nov 2026 | Paris Expo Porte de Versailles, Hall 5 · source |
| Christmas market on the Champs-Élysées (Jardins des Champs-Élysées) | 22 Nov 2026 – 3 Jan 2027 | Jardins des Champs-Élysées · source |
| Winter sales (soldes d'hiver) | 6 Jan – 2 Feb 2027 | citywide · source |
| Paris Fashion Week, menswear (autumn/winter 2027-28) | 19–24 Jan 2027 | various · source |
| Haute Couture week (spring/summer 2027) | 25–28 Jan 2027 | various · source |
| Salon International de l'Agriculture | 27 Feb – 7 Mar 2027 | Paris Expo Porte de Versailles · source |
| Paris Fashion Week, womenswear (autumn/winter 2027-28) | 1–9 Mar 2027 | various · source |
| Schneider Electric Marathon de Paris (expected) | 11 Apr 2027 | Champs-Élysées to Avenue Foch · source |
| Roland-Garros (French Open) | 17 May – 6 Jun 2027 | Stade Roland-Garros, 16th arr. · source |
| Fête de la Musique | 21 Jun 2027 | every square and street, free · source |
| Haute Couture week (autumn/winter 2027-28) | 5–8 Jul 2027 | various · source |
| Bastille Day parade and Eiffel Tower fireworks | 14 Jul 2027 | Champs-Élysées, Champ de Mars · source |
| Paris Fashion Week, womenswear (spring/summer 2028) | 27 Sep – 5 Oct 2027 | various · source |
06School holidays
School holidays in the main source markets
Source markets that fill Paris hotels: France (domestic, 42% of 2019 hotel arrivals), United Kingdom, Germany, United States. Dates are the official calendars for the school year 2026/27; US college spring break has no national calendar.
France (zones A, B, C; Paris is zone C)
| Holiday | Dates |
|---|---|
| Toussaint (all zones) | 17 Oct – 2 Nov 2026 |
| Christmas (all zones) | 19 Dec 2026 – 4 Jan 2027 |
| Winter, zone C | 6–22 Feb 2027 |
| Winter, zone A | 13 Feb – 1 Mar 2027 |
| Winter, zone B | 20 Feb – 8 Mar 2027 |
| Spring, zone C | 3–19 Apr 2027 |
| Spring, zone A | 10–26 Apr 2027 |
| Spring, zone B | 17 Apr – 3 May 2027 |
| Summer (all zones) | 3 Jul – 1 Sep 2027 |
Germany (16 states, staggered)
| Holiday | Dates |
|---|---|
| Autumn (earliest to latest state) | 5 Oct – 6 Nov 2026 |
| Christmas | 21 Dec 2026 – 12 Jan 2027 |
| Winter (some states) | 1–19 Feb 2027 |
| Easter (earliest to latest state) | 22 Mar – 10 Apr 2027 |
| Whitsun (some states) | 18–29 May 2027 |
| Summer (earliest Hesse/Rhineland-Palatinate/Saarland 28 Jun to latest Bavaria 13 Sep) | 28 Jun – 13 Sep 2027 |
England (local authorities set dates; Royal Greenwich shown, most councils within a few days)
| Holiday | Dates |
|---|---|
| October half-term | 26–30 Oct 2026 |
| Christmas | 21 Dec 2026 – 1 Jan 2027 |
| February half-term | 15–19 Feb 2027 |
| Easter | 26 Mar – 9 Apr 2027 |
| May half-term | 31 May – 4 Jun 2027 |
| Summer | 23 Jul – 1 Sep 2027 |
United States (college spring break, no national calendar)
| Holiday | Dates |
|---|---|
| Spring break window (peak mid-March) | 27 Feb – 3 Apr 2027 |
| Summer break (most universities) | 15 May – 20 Aug 2027 |
07Closures
What is closed, and what to book
- Louvre: Closed Tuesdays and on 1 January, 1 May and 25 December; open on other public holidays unless they fall on a Tuesday. Non-EEA adults pay €32 since 14 January 2026, EEA residents €22. Source
- Musée d'Orsay: Closed Mondays; late opening Thursdays to 21:45; timed-entry booking required. Source
- Château de Versailles: Palace closed Mondays; Musical Fountain shows in the gardens run from 1 April to 1 November 2026 on weekends and some weekdays. Source
- Centre Pompidou: Main building closed for renovation from 2025 until 2030; parts of the collection are shown at the Grand Palais and partner venues. Source
- Catacombs: Reopened 8 April 2026 after renovation; closed Mondays; online timed booking only, no tickets at the door. Source
- Giverny, Monet's house and garden: Open 1 April to 1 November 2026 only; closed all winter. Source
- Shops and markets: Winter sales 6 January to 2 February 2027 (national dates, to be confirmed by decree). Most shops close on 1 January, 1 May and 25 December; many close on Sundays except in tourist zones. Source
08Pick a month