Paris in spring: what to know before you go

What is the weather like in Paris in spring?

Mild and changeable. A spring day in Paris can be four seasons before lunch, which is why everyone you see is wearing a trench coat and carrying a scarf they don’t need yet.

Averages for Paris-Montsouris, 1991 to 2020. Days with rain means at least 1 mm. Any given year will disagree.

Is spring a good time to visit Paris?

It is the season most people mean when they say Paris. The trees are out, the café terraces fill the moment the sun does, and the days are long without the heat or the August closures of summer.

The trade-off is crowds and holidays. Spring has more public holidays than any other season in France, and May has four of them. Plan around those dates and spring is hard to beat.

Two other seasons worth comparing: Paris in December, for the lights and the short days, and, if you are bringing children, Paris with kids.

Paris in March, April or May: which month?

• March: the cheapest and the quietest of the three, and still cold. Good for museums. The clocks change on 28 March 2027, so the evenings lengthen by an hour overnight.
• April: blossom and showers. The Paris spring school holidays run 3 to 19 April 2027, so family sights are busier.
• May: the warmest and the sunniest, and the most interrupted. 1 May, 8 May, Ascension on 6 May and Whit Monday on 17 May all fall this month, and the Roland-Garros tournament is scheduled from 17 May to 6 June 2027.

When do the long evenings start?

At the end of March. France moves to summer time on the last Sunday of March, 28 March in 2027. By late April the sun sets after 9 pm.

America changes its clocks two weeks earlier, on 14 March 2027, so for a fortnight Paris is five hours ahead of New York instead of six. Why the clocks change on different days explains the gap, and why it catches people with dinner reservations.

Which days is Paris closed in spring?

Public holidays in 2027:

• Easter Monday: 29 March.
• 1 May (Fête du Travail): a Saturday in 2027. The one day nearly everything closes, many museums included. The lily-of-the-valley sellers are the exception.
• Ascension: Thursday 6 May. Many take the Friday too.
• 8 May (Victory in Europe Day): a Saturday in 2027.
• Whit Monday: 17 May.

On most of these days shops and restaurants decide for themselves. Check before you build a day around one place.

What to pack for Paris in spring

• A light coat that keeps out rain. The trench exists for a reason.
• Layers: a sweater you can take off at 2 pm and put back on at 6.
• Shoes that survive cobblestones and a wet pavement.
• A small umbrella. It will rain on about nine days a month.
• A scarf. Everyone else will have one.