At a glance
When is the best time to visit Paris?
Late spring and early autumn. May, June and September average highs of 20–23 °C, with long sunny days, before and after the hottest weeks of July and August. The city's hotels are busy from April to October, so the difference between those months is weather more than crowds.
Paris has a moderate climate, and its visitors are spread across the year. Two official records show both. Météo-France's monthly observations at Paris-Montsouris, the city's long-running weather station, give thirty years of temperatures, rain and sunshine[1]. INSEE, the French statistics office, counts the nights spent in the city's hotels every month[3].
Read together, they point to late spring and early autumn: warm enough to sit outside, cool enough to walk all day, and, on the hotel figures, almost as busy as July. For a trip from the UAE, the French and UAE school calendars decide the rest; we set them side by side below.
How warm, wet and busy is Paris each month?
The average high climbs from 7.6 °C in January to 25.7 °C in July. Rain falls on 7 to 12 days a month in every season. Hotel nights run at 3.3–3.9 million a month from March to December and dip in January and February, the coldest months.
Paris by month: climate at Montsouris (1991–2020) and hotel nights (2025)
| Month | High / low (°C) | Rainfall | Days with rain | Sunshine | Hotel nights, 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7.6 / 3.2 | 47.7 mm | 9.9 | 59 hours | 2.92 million |
| February | 8.8 / 3.3 | 41.8 mm | 9.1 | 84 hours | 2.72 million |
| March | 12.8 / 5.6 | 45.2 mm | 9.5 | 135 hours | 3.34 million |
| April | 16.6 / 7.9 | 45.7 mm | 8.5 | 177 hours | 3.73 million |
| May | 20.1 / 11.1 | 69.1 mm | 9.3 | 202 hours | 3.76 million |
| June | 23.4 / 14.2 | 51.3 mm | 8.3 | 201 hours | 3.71 million |
| July | 25.7 / 16.2 | 59.4 mm | 7.4 | 222 hours | 3.87 million |
| August | 25.6 / 16.0 | 58.0 mm | 8.1 | 215 hours | 3.65 million |
| September | 21.5 / 13.0 | 44.7 mm | 7.5 | 175 hours | 3.54 million |
| October | 16.5 / 9.9 | 55.2 mm | 9.5 | 119 hours | 3.77 million |
| November | 11.1 / 6.2 | 54.3 mm | 10.4 | 70 hours | 3.30 million |
| December | 8.0 / 3.8 | 62.1 mm | 11.5 | 57 hours | 3.62 million |
Climate: our averages of Météo-France's open monthly data for Paris-Montsouris (station 75114001), 1991–2020, all thirty years present; source: Météo-France[1]. Days with rain are days with at least 1 mm. Météo-France's own climate sheet for the station gives the official normals; we link it but do not reproduce it[2]. Hotel nights: nights spent in hotels in Paris, source: Insee, series last updated 10 September 2026[3].
The hotel figures are the surprise. In 2025 Paris's busiest month, July, had 3.87 million hotel nights, but May (3.76 million) and October (3.77 million) were close behind, and even December counted 3.62 million[3]. Only January and February were clearly quieter, with 2.92 and 2.72 million[3]. Paris does not empty outside summer.
Heat is the thing averages understate. Montsouris averages about 5.5 days of 30 °C or more in July and 5.0 in August, and none from October to April in the thirty years[1]. By Gulf standards those are warm rather than hot days, but averages hide heatwaves: plan the afternoons of a July or August trip with the forecast in hand.
What is each season like?
March to May: spring
The average high rises from 12.8 °C in March to 20.1 °C in May, and sunshine from 135 to 202 hours a month[1]. May is the wettest month by total, at 69.1 mm, though not by number of wet days[1]. Hotel nights climb from 3.34 million in March to 3.76 million in May[3].
June to August: summer
The warmest and sunniest months: average highs of 23.4–25.7 °C and more than 200 hours of sunshine each[1]. The Fête de la Musique is held on 21 June every year[5]. French school summer holidays in Paris begin after classes on Saturday 3 July 2027[4]. Hotel nights in August 2025 were below both July's and June's[3].
September to November: autumn
September is a gentler summer, with an average high of 21.5 °C and the fewest wet days after July, 7.5[1]. October cools to 16.5 °C but was one of the busiest hotel months in 2025[3]. The clocks go back on the last Sunday in October[6], and November brings more rain days and less than half September's sunshine[1].
December to February: winter
Cold and grey: average highs of 7.6–8.8 °C and fewer than 90 hours of sunshine a month[1]. December is still busy, with 3.62 million hotel nights in 2025, but January and February were the quietest months of the year[3].
When are the Paris school holidays in 2026–27?
Paris is in France's school zone C. Pupils break for All Saints' from 17 October to 2 November 2026, for Christmas from 19 December 2026 to 4 January 2027, for winter from 6 to 22 February, and for spring from 3 to 19 April 2027. Summer holidays start on 3 July 2027.
School holidays in Paris (zone C), 2026–27
| Holiday | Classes end (after lessons) | Classes resume |
|---|---|---|
| All Saints' (Toussaint) | Saturday 17 October 2026 | Monday 2 November 2026 |
| Christmas | Saturday 19 December 2026 | Monday 4 January 2027 |
| Winter | Saturday 6 February 2027 | Monday 22 February 2027 |
| Spring | Saturday 3 April 2027 | Monday 19 April 2027 |
| Summer | Saturday 3 July 2027 | — |
The Ministry of Education's official school calendar, zone C, which includes Paris[4]. The ministry's rule is that holidays begin after lessons on the first date and lessons resume on the morning of the second. The ministry staggers winter and spring holidays across three zones, so other French regions break at other times.
How do the UAE school holidays line up with Paris?
Closely, at Easter and Christmas. The UAE's spring break, 5 to 11 April 2027, falls inside the Paris spring holidays, and winter break, 14 December to 3 January, covers the French Christmas break. The October mid-term, 12 to 18 October 2026, mostly comes before the Paris All Saints' holiday.
UAE school breaks in 2026–27, and Paris at the same time
| UAE break | Dates | In Paris |
|---|---|---|
| Mid-term | 12–18 October 2026 | Average high 16.5 °C; Paris schools break after lessons on 17 October |
| Winter | 14 December 2026 – 3 January 2027 | Average high 8.0 °C in December; Paris schools off from 19 December |
| Spring | 5–11 April 2027 | Inside the Paris spring holidays (3–19 April); average high 16.6 °C |
| Summer | From 3 July 2027 (school ends on 2 July) | Paris schools break on 3 July; average highs of 25–26 °C in July and August |
UAE dates from the Ministry of Education's calendar for schools that follow it[8]; check your own school's dates. Paris: school calendar[4] and Montsouris averages[1].
France follows the EU's clock changes: summer time from the last Sunday in March to the last Sunday in October[6]. The UAE keeps the same time all year, four hours ahead of GMT[7], so Paris is three hours behind the UAE in winter and two hours behind in summer.
Entry requirements for France depend on your passport, and we do not restate them. The European Commission's visa policy page is the place to start, and our visa desk can check your case.
Questions travellers ask
What is the best month to visit Paris?
For weather, May, June or September: average highs of 20.1 °C, 23.4 °C and 21.5 °C at Montsouris, with about eight days of rain[1]. For fewer people, January and February, which had the fewest hotel nights in 2025, though they are also the coldest months[3].
Is Paris crowded in August?
Less than you might expect. Paris hotels counted 3.65 million nights in August 2025, fewer than in July, October or May[3]. The school summer holidays start in early July[4].
How hot does Paris get in summer?
July and August average highs of about 25.7 °C, with about five days of 30 °C or more in each month on the 1991–2020 record[1]. Heatwaves bring hotter spells; check the forecast before you travel.
When is the Fête de la Musique?
On 21 June every year, across France[5].
Do I need a visa for Paris?
It depends on your passport, and we do not restate visa rules. Start with the European Commission's visa policy page, or ask our visa desk.
Sources
The desk opened each source on the date shown. Rules, fees and timetables change: check the official source before you travel.
- [1]Données climatologiques de base - mensuelles — Météo-France (on data.gouv.fr, Licence Ouverte 2.0). Accessed 25 September 2026
- [2]Fiches climatologiques — Météo-France (on data.gouv.fr). Accessed 25 September 2026
- [3]Nuitées dans l'hôtellerie - Total - Paris — INSEE (French National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies). Accessed 25 September 2026
- [4]Le calendrier scolaire — French Ministry of National Education (open data). Accessed 29 September 2026
- [5]Fête de la musique — French Ministry of Culture. Accessed 25 September 2026
- [6]Summertime — European Commission, Mobility and Transport. Accessed 25 September 2026
- [7]Fact sheet — The UAE Government portal (u.ae). Accessed 25 September 2026
- [8]MOE announces the academic calendar for the next three years — UAE Ministry of Education. Accessed 25 September 2026
- [9]Visa policy — European Commission, Migration and Home Affairs. Accessed 25 September 2026
Published 25 September 2026 · Updated 29 September 2026
Seen something wrong or out of date? Write to trade@nwp.ae and the desk will check it against the source.
