France: When to Go

Southern France claims 300 days of sun a year and holidaymakers pass through all year round. Early November is often wet, occasionally with extremely heavy rainfall. Avignon, Montpellier, Marseilles and Nice are big cities with vibrant year-round cultural calendars. Nimes has shot up in popularity since Ryan Air started flying there, while country towns like Uzes and Arles have a fair number of tourists in the off season now. On the Côte d’Azur you still need to book a table at a restaurant at the end of October, the markets are busy in November and February. As always May and September are great months to travel; high season is yet to start, the prices can be lower, there’s greater availability, less traffic, and bright sunshine without the oppressive heat of July and August.

Paris is famously lovely in the springtime, but frankly it's pretty lovely in the autumn, summer and winter as well - all for different reasons. Winter is quiet tourist-wise - a good time for galleries and museums - apart from Christmas (lots is closed), New Year (Réveillon or St Sylvestre, when thousands enjoy Champs Elysées fireworks and fabulous feasts in restaurants) and Valentine's Day. Mid-November heralds the arrival of Beaujolais Nouveau in bars around town; from December to March there's free ice-skating at the Hotel de Ville. Spring and autumn are lovely in terms of weather, but Easter and October half-term are predictably busy, and watch out for salons (trade and fashion fairs) which fill hotel rooms for a week; Feb-Mar and late Sept-Oct are busiest. Early April sees the film festival and Paris Marathon, late May-early June the French Tennis Open, while the autumn festival (Sept - Dec) bring contemporary theatre, dance and opera to the city. Summer is prime time except for August, when many shops and businesses close down, leaving the city relatively quiet and traffic-free. Some hotels lower their rates, and you can bask on Paris-Plage (imported sand and potted palms on the banks of the Seine), or enjoy dance festivals in the Tuileries and jazz in Vincennes park. 21 June sees the Fete de la Musique (free open air concerts, from rock on the banks of the Seine to classical in the Sainte Chapelle), 23 June the Gay Pride march, 13-14 July the 'storming of the Bastille' celebrations (fireworks at the Eiffel Tower), and the summer festival and La Villette open air cinema both run from mid-July to mid-Aug.

Bear in mind that many museums are closed on Mondays (and a few on Tuesdays); restaurants typically have their fermeture hebdomadaire from Sunday afternoon to Monday afternoon; and entry to state sites is free on the first Sunday of each month.