How to Time Your Trip to Paris

What hasn't been said about Paris, continental Europe's cultural center and the world's most famous romantic destination? When to go depends largely on what you want to see and how much you're willing to pay.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Travel Clothes
• Foreign Language Phrase Books
• Local Guidebooks
• Maps
• Airline Tickets
• Travel Services
• Cameras
• Film
• Maps
• Cameras

General Considerations

1. Decide when you want to visit. Paris enjoys a temperate climate with steady precipitation. Winters, often gray and chilly, are also a cheap time for flights and lodging. January's average low is 32 degrees F; the average high in July is 76 degrees F.

2. Consider visiting in the spring or fall. During the summer, Paris has two strikes against it: Trans-Atlantic flights cost more, and most tourist attractions are inundated by international sightseers.

3. Check out what festivals, expositions and live performances are happening.

4. Take care of your flight, transportation and accommodations (see Related eHows).

5. Check the weather forecast for Paris shortly before leaving, and pack accordingly.

Attractions and Seasonal Events

6. Don't miss the Paris Marathon in April, French Open Tennis from the end of May to mid-June, and the Tour de France cyclists, who finish in Paris in late July. If you're not an enthusiast, you might avoid Paris on these dates.

7. Catch the concerts and exhibitions that spice up Paris during February. Many of the best theaters, concerts and operas are at the height of their season. Look for listings in "Pariscope" or local newspapers.

8. Ponder avant-garde and traditional art during the ongoing Festival d'Automne. Music, dance and theater are performed at various locations around the city during October, November and early December.

9. Examine da Vinci's "Mona Lisa" and a vast array of other masterpieces at The Louvre (Musée du Louvre). The original building is a former royal palace begun in 1546.

10. Witness the beauty of the Cathédrale de Notre-Dame, France's most famous church and architectural masterpiece.

11. Visit the Eiffel Tower, a strange metal structure that has become Paris' international symbol. The higher you go, the more you pay, but the better the view.

Tips & Warnings

• Parisians have a bad reputation for being rude to tourists. Though some of this is exaggerated, don't be surprised if you have a bad experience or two.
• If you want to make friends or learn French, try smaller towns, where sensitive travelers are never treated as a nuisance.

[mikilucia]

on 4/20/2009 The �City of Light� is a philosopher, a poet, a crooner. As it always has been, Paris is a million different things to a million different people.Paris has all but exhausted the superlatives that can reasonably be applied to any city. I visited Paris with prontohotel.com and saw Notre Dame and the Eiffel Tower � at sunrise, at sunset, at night � these monuments have been described countless times, as have the Seine and the subtle (and not-so-subtle) differences between the Left and Right Banks.

on 8/8/2006 Parisians are not only rude with tourists, but with everybody. French people don't like Paris or Parisians.

on 11/22/2005 I know that when I went to Paris this past summer there were three teenage girls with us. Each time we were on our way to something we had to stop to look at stores. Because we didn't plan for this our schedule was messed up and we missed some of our sites. When you plan your schedule...allow extra time in there for "browsing"

on 11/22/2005 It is around 40 degrees in the spring, but travel packages are so cheap.

on 11/22/2005 August is vacation time for Paris merchants, and many places are closed some weeks during August.