Paris, France travel guide

So what if it’s chillier and the days are a bit shorter? In many respects, winter is actually the perfect time to visit the City of Light and to experience the real Paris.

A Time for Tightwads

For travelers on a tight budget, winter is the least expensive time to visit Paris. For one thing, airfares generally hit rock bottom. This year in Philadelphia and New York, for example, winter round-trip flights to the City of Light are averaging at only about $360. Since its low season, you will also save a few francs on hotel rooms. (Rates, by the way, must be clearly posted on the door of each room, broken down by season.) Shopoholics will want to visit Paris in January, when Parisian stores hold their traditional annual blockbuster winter sales. You can go home looking très chic, for pas très cher.

Peace and Quiet

Since fewer people vacation during winter, you’ll find that even the usual tourist traps seem less cliché; in fact, they can be downright romantic. You won’t soon forget, for example, the sight of a gentle winter snow wafting onto the Louvre’s stately courtyard as you stand inside its galleries, warmed by the energy of centuries of art. Visit the Louvre during winter, and you might actually get to – gosh! see La Joconde (the Mona Lisa) without having to elbow your way through a thick wall of camera-flashing tourists. You will find also enough tranquility and room to contemplate the canvases in the museum’s plethora of less frequented salons.

On that note, museum-hopping is certainly an enriching Parisian winter pastime. With over 100 to choose from, museum lovers will be wise to buy a Carte Musées et Monuments. For one low price, this card gets you into 65 museums and monuments in the greater Paris area. Options include 1, 3 or 5 consecutive days. (Buy the cards in major metro stations or at major museums.) A comforting post-museum cup of chocolat chaud will make winter memories even more delicious.

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One of the best times to visit Paris (or France) is at the time of Bastille Day – 14th July. All across the city there are celebrations, music and fireworks and a great party atmosphere. Bastille day itself might be more symbolic than historically important (there were actually no political prisoners in the bastille when it was stormed) but that doesn’t stop the city celebrating in style:

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In northern europe, Paris isn’t always blessed with sunshine – although a warm spring shower can feel as typically Parisian as any other experience in the city. Before planning your visit, take a look at the paris weather that you can expect, season by season:

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Paris gets most of its visitors during the summer months, but don’t overlook the city of romance in the spring. The weather is usually pleasant and the attractions much less crowded. This article explains to you why you might prefer to visit Paris in the spring, or even during the winter:

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