Season guide · Paris · France
Paris in spring
March–May: weather, crowds, prices and the best things to do this time of year.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Tonchino, CC BY-SA 3.0
Quick answer
Blossom in the gardens, café terraces reopening and comfortable walking weather, with showers and busy Easter and May bank holidays. Expect highs up to 20°C (68°F) and lows around 5°C (41°F), with about 28 rainy days across March–May. April–May are among the best months of the year to visit.
Key facts
- Months
- March–May
- Temperatures
- 5°C (41°F) to 20°C (68°F)
- Rainy days in the season
- About 28
- Crowds
- Busy
- Hotel prices
- High
Weather in spring
| Month | High | Low | Rainy days | Daylight | Crowds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March | 12°C (54°F) | 5°C (41°F) | 10 | 11.7 h | 3/5 |
| April | 16°C (61°F) | 7°C (45°F) | 9 | 13.6 h | 4/5 |
| May | 20°C (68°F) | 11°C (52°F) | 9 | 15.2 h | 4/5 |
Compared with the rest of the year: average highs of 16°C (61°F) against a yearly 16°C (61°F), and 28 of the year's roughly 107 rainy days fall in these 3 months. Crowds rate 4/5 and hotel prices 4/5 on average.
What's on in spring
Recurring events; dates move from year to year, so confirm with the organiser.
- March: Paris Fashion Week (women's ready-to-wear, usually late February to early March)
- March: Paris Marathon (usually early April, sometimes late March)
- April: Paris Marathon (usually early April)
- April: Foire du Trône funfair (spring)
- May: Nuit Européenne des Musées — free late museum openings (usually mid-May)
- May: Roland-Garros tennis (starts late May)
Good choices for spring
Museum · 1st arrondissement
Louvre Museum
The world's most-visited museum holds the Mona Lisa, the Venus de Milo and the Winged Victory of Samothrace in a former royal palace.
- Time needed
- 3–4 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Iconic
- Art
- History
- Rainy day
Museum · 7th arrondissement
Musée d'Orsay
Start on the fifth floor with the Impressionists before tour groups arrive, then work downwards.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Art
- Iconic
- Rainy day
- Architecture
Museum · Le Marais
Musée Carnavalet
The city's own history museum fills two Marais mansions with shop signs, recreated interiors, Revolution relics and Proust's bedroom.
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- History
- Rainy day
- Off the beaten path
Gallery · Tuileries
Musée de l'Orangerie
Arrive at opening and sit quietly in the first water-lily room before it fills.
- Time needed
- 1–1.5 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Art
- Couples
- Rainy day
Museum · 7th arrondissement
Musée Rodin
Rodin's former home and studio, the Hôtel Biron, displays The Kiss inside while The Thinker and The Gates of Hell stand in the rose garden.
- Time needed
- 1.5 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Art
- Couples
- Outdoors
- Off the beaten path
Day trips in spring
- Palace of Versailles (About 40 minutes by RER C) — Louis XIV's palace includes the Hall of Mirrors, the King's and Queen's apartments, Marie-Antoinette's estate and vast formal gardens.
- Giverny (About 1 hour 15 minutes by train and shuttle) — Claude Monet's house and gardens, including the Japanese bridge and water-lily pond he painted for decades.
What to pack
- Light layers for the day and a light jacket for the evening
- A packable rain jacket for showers
- Comfortable walking shoes
Other times of year
Questions travellers ask
+Is spring a good time to visit Paris?
Yes: April–May are among the best months. Blossom in the gardens, café terraces reopening and comfortable walking weather, with showers and busy Easter and May bank holidays.
+What is the weather like in Paris in spring?
Highs of up to 20°C (68°F) and lows around 5°C (41°F), with about 28 rainy days over the season.