22.2.12

Best travel time to Paris

It’s no secret that Paris is one of the world’s most popular destinations. According to the Paris Convention and Visitors Bureau, more than 35 million visitors stayed overnight in the French capital in 2008, and the numbers are growing. Given the high number of tourists -- all with different expectations, tastes and desires -- there is clearly no “best” time to visit the city. Paris has year-round charm and some seasons will be more attractive to certain visitors than others.

One and Only Paris photography

Spring

The famous Parisian springtime might meet all of the expectations of a first-time visitor. The horse chestnut trees lining the Champs-Elysees are thick and lush, and jewel-like flowers are blossoming throughout the city’s many parks. The streets, stores and museums are not yet thronged with summer crowds and there's a slight chance you can get low-season rates with certain hotels and airlines. If you are a tennis fan, you might score tickets to the French Open, which takes place every May at Roland Garros. The primary downside of touring Paris in the spring is the capricious weather: One day it might be sunny and warm, the next day (or days), windy, rainy and cold.

Summer

Summer is the height of tourist season in Paris. Unless you make reservations, expect to wait in long lines at the more famous attractions, such as the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre and Notre Dame. The weather can get fairly hot in summer, though cool, rainy stretches sometimes sneak in, and air conditioning is not universal, the way it is in the United States. The benefit of coming to Paris in the summer are the many attractions planned by city officials. Every year since 2002, the banks of the river Seine are formed into a large beach (“plage”) during July and August. Other summer attractions include the outdoor jazz festival at the Parc Floral, Fête de la Musique -- a Paris-wide music festival that takes place on summer solstice -- and the sales: All of the stores from Chanel to Monoprix have sweeping discounts.

Autumn

Fall can be an ideal season to visit Paris. The weather is usually mild and dry, summer crowds have lessened, and Parisians -- having just returned from their summer holidays -- are in good cheer. You can enjoy annual events such as the Nuites Blanches (white nights), where all museums, galleries and other art-related institutions are open to the public all day and night for free. You can participate in the Salon du Chocolat (chocolate fair) that takes place every October, or sample the first Beaujolais nouveau of the season in early November. According to the Paris Convention and Visitors Bureau, hotel prices can take a dip in autumn, particularly around late October and November.

Winter

Unless it snows, winters do not show Paris at its prettiest. The skies are slate-gray and gloomy, the days are cold, and rain is inevitable. The upside is that you can settle down at a bistro with a steaming cup of vin chaud (warm, spiced red wine) or a luscious mug of hot chocolate. You also can appreciate the hearty, warming winter foods, such as cassoulet (white beans and confit of duck or pork) and game-based dishes, including rabbit, wild boar and venison. Perhaps best of all, hotel and airline prices are at their lowest and you won’t have to jockey for position in front of the "Mona Lisa."

Christmas

Christmas season is surprisingly low-key. While major attractions such as the Champs-Elysées tend to be awash in fairy lights, in some parts of the city the decorations appear so halfhearted -- or be absent -- that you might not feel as if it is Christmas at all. On the upside, the city is rife with charming Christmas markets featuring many homemade crafts, from knit sweaters to hand-painted wooden toys. It also is during the Christmas season that a large ice-skating rink pops up at the esplanade in front of the Hotel de Ville (town hall) and an enormous Ferris Wheel is constructed at the foot of the Champs-Elysées. Hotel and airline prices tend to rise during the holiday season: Lack of decorations notwithstanding, people still like to come to Paris at Christmas.

By: Barbara Diggs

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