How to Plan a Trip to Paris 2021
Are you planning a trip to Paris in 2021? Don’t you know where to get reliable information for your Paris plan? Paris for first-timers can be overwhelming; there are so many things to see and do! That’s why we want to help with this Paris Trip Planner.
Our Paris Travel Planner is perhaps the most important article of our Paris local guide. This Paris planner is a step-by-step guide where we tell you how to plan a trip to Paris, together with some insider tips. We hope you will find it helpful.
1. Best time to visit Paris
When is the best time to travel to Paris? Because Paris, is always a good idea,‘ and there is never a bad time to visit Paris. The city has beautiful parks and picturesque streets great to explore under the sun. It also has some of the world’s best museums and other interesting indoor options when it rains or it’s too cold to be outside.
If you are flexible with dates, important things to consider when planning a trip to Paris are the low /high tourist season and the weather in Paris. This is what you need to know:
Seasons in Paris
What is the best season to visit Paris? This graphic below represents the weather in Paris year-round, with average temperatures (in Celsius) and average rainfall (%).
Spring is a good time to visit Paris. Spring means blue skies, parks in bloom, and animated cafe-terraces. The city is also famous for its cherry blossoms (check out our favorite cherry blossom spots in Paris), usually in March and April.
However, temperatures are still fresh (minimums of 4C° to 10C°), with frequent rains. Don’t forget to pack an umbrella and a jacket in your Paris day bag!
Summer in Paris comes with longer days and nice temperatures (maximums of 23C° to 25C°). With a long list of summer festivals and cool outdoor activities everywhere, no wonder Paris is one of the best summer destinations in Europe!.
However, summer is also the high season in Paris, which means more tourists, long lines to visit Paris’ main attractions, and higher prices.
Fall is, in our opinion, the best time for a first time in Paris. The colors of the trees are gorgeous, temperatures are still pleasant (maximums of 11C° to 21C°), and there are fewer tourists. In the last couple of years, we could organize outdoor activities until mid-November, with bright and sunny days.
Winter in Paris is not the best time to visit Paris in terms of weather (minimums of 2C° to 7°C and only 4 to 5 hours of light). However, some people love to travel to Paris at Christmas time to see Paris’s decorations and illuminations and the best Christmas markets in Paris.
Paris is also a popular destination for Saint Valentine’s in February. There are many romantic things to do in Paris, but remember, every day in Paris is Saint Valentine’s day !!!
The high season in Paris is considered from 1st April to 31st October. It means nice weather and more hours of daylight and many people will tell you this is the best time to visit Paris.
But at the same time, the high season in Paris is not the best season to plan a trip to Paris in terms of budget (best accommodation sold out, higher prices). Also, the city is too crowded with tourists while locals are somewhere else on holiday.
The low season in Paris goes from 1st November to 31st March, except for Paris at Christmas and New Year’s Eve in Paris. This is the cheapest time to travel to Paris and the best time to visit Paris to avoid the crowds. If you decide to travel off-season, you will get a more local experience, and it will be easier to find good deals on accommodation, for example.
In the end, Paris is a movable feast and (sun or rain) you will have a great time!
Best Time to Go to Paris: Our Tips
Be flexible with your dates. Flexibility is key, especially if you are planning a trip to Paris on a budget. Flight tickets or train tickets to Paris will be more expensive:
- During the school holidays in France;
- During holidays in France or Europe;
- If you are arriving /leaving on the weekend;
- During days like New Year’s Eve or Saint Valentine’s Day.
If you are a museum lover traveling to Paris for the first time, the best time to visit Paris will probably be the first weekend of the month when you can visit many museums in Paris for free. Some of these museums have this offer all year round while other museums, instead, are only for free during the winter months
Stay tuned, we will soon give you new tips for your discovery of Paris, and France
Everything you should know before your trip to France by clicking here
