At a Glance
Compared to this destination's peak season
Paris in January
By Harry Nara · Last updated
Paris in January offers some of the best conditions of the year, ideal for bargain hunters & foodies. Expect temperatures of 3–8°C, around 10 days of rain, and low crowds across the city. Daily budgets typically land around €65–120 for mid-range travellers. Rooms are easy to find last-minute and hotel prices stay noticeably softer through the season.
Contents14 sections
#Weather in Paris in January
Paris in January averages 3–8°C (37–46°F) with around 10 days of rain, and crowds are low.
| Measure | January in Paris |
|---|---|
| Daytime high | About 8°C / 46°F |
| Overnight low | About 3°C / 37°F |
| Wet days | About 10, mostly drizzle |
| Sunrise | About 8:44am at the start of the month |
| Sunset | 5:04pm on the 1st, 5:46pm by the 31st |
| Crowds | The lowest of the year, apart from fashion week |
Figures are Météo-France 1991–2020 normals for Paris-Montsouris.
What that actually means for your trip:
- It is grey more than it is cold. Frost is common on clear nights, but daytime temperatures rarely stay below freezing. What wears visitors down is the low, damp sky, which can sit over the city for days.
- The mornings are dark. The sun rises after 8:30am for most of the month, so a museum at 9am opening is the natural first stop and the outdoor walks belong to the middle of the day.
- Snow is an event. Paris sees it on a few days most winters and it seldom lasts, but a morning of snow on the Tuileries and the Haussmann roofs is worth dropping any plan for.
- The evenings stretch fast. Sunset moves from about 5pm to nearly 5:50pm across the month, and by the last week you get a real late afternoon.
Is January a good time to visit Paris? For museums, food and shopping, yes: it is the quietest month of the year at the big collections, the winter sales run for most of it, and hotel rates are near their lowest outside fashion week. You give up the terraces and the long evenings, and you should expect several grey days in a row. Pack for damp rather than for deep cold.
#What to Do in Paris in January
Les soldes: the winter sales (6 January to 2 February 2027)
France's winter sales start at 8am on the second Wednesday of January, brought forward to the first Wednesday when the second falls after the 12th, and they run for four weeks.
In 2027 that means Wednesday 6 January to Tuesday 2 February. The rules are set nationally, so the first markdowns are real ones, and they deepen in the second and third weeks.
- Galeries Lafayette and Printemps on Boulevard Haussmann are the big department stores; go at opening on a weekday.
- The Marais and Saint-Germain boutiques carry smaller French labels.
- Le Bon Marché on the Left Bank is calmer than the Haussmann stores.
The Louvre and the museums in their quietest month
January is when the big collections are at their emptiest.
The Louvre costs €22 for visitors from the EU and the European Economic Area and €32 for everyone else, the two-tier price introduced on 14 January 2026; it is closed on Tuesdays and on 1 January.
Its free evening is the first Friday of the month from 6pm to 9pm, but in January 2027 the first Friday is New Year's Day, when the museum is shut, so check before counting on it.
The Musée d'Orsay is free on the first Sunday of the month, 3 January in 2027, and the Orangerie holds Monet's Water Lilies in two oval rooms that are almost silent on a weekday morning.
The Musée de Cluny, the national museum of the Middle Ages, has the Lady and the Unicorn tapestries, and the Petit Palais is free to enter for its permanent collection.
Winter walks
A cold, dry day is the best day of the year for the walks that summer crowds spoil.
Père Lachaise in morning mist is the most atmospheric: Chopin, Oscar Wilde, Édith Piaf and Jim Morrison lie along its cobbled lanes, and in January you can find them without following a tour group.
The Promenade Plantée, the old railway viaduct planted as a garden, runs from near the Bastille towards the Bois de Vincennes above the traffic.
On the Left Bank, the Jardin du Luxembourg on a frosty morning, its green chairs scattered round an empty pond and the Senate building pale in the low sun, is a side of Paris most visitors never see, and it is a short walk from the cafés of Saint-Germain.
Galette des rois
The galette des rois, a puff-pastry cake filled with almond frangipane, is eaten all through January. Whoever finds the fève, a small charm baked inside, is king or queen for the day and wears the paper crown that comes with it.
France keeps Epiphany on the first Sunday of January, 3 January in 2027, but the bakeries sell galettes for weeks either side, and offices share them into February.
Fashion weeks
Paris Men's Fashion Week runs from 19 to 24 January 2027, followed by Haute Couture Week from 25 to 28 January. The shows are invitation only, but the street-style crowd outside the venues is its own spectacle, and the ten days push up hotel rates in the 1st and 8th arrondissements.
Solo Travellers
Spend a morning at the Musée de Cluny and an afternoon in the covered passages around the Palais-Royal, then take the Métro to Canal Saint-Martin, where the iron footbridges and bare plane trees suit a grey day. A weekday lunch menu at a neighbourhood bistro, two or three courses at a set price, is the best-value meal in the city.
Couples
Walk through the Palais-Royal gardens and arcades at dusk, then book a table at a classic brasserie for onion soup and a bottle of red. On a clear night the view from the steps of Sacré-Cœur is sharper in winter air than at any other time of year.
Families
The Grande Galerie de l'Évolution in the Jardin des Plantes, with its parade of animals under a glass roof, is the best indoor museum for children in Paris.
The Cité des Sciences at La Villette is enormous and entirely indoors, and the carousels in the Tuileries and at the Eiffel Tower keep running in winter.
Groups
Book a table at a big brasserie for a seafood platter, which is at its best in the cold months when oysters are in season, or take a group to a jazz club in the Châtelet area, where two sets and a drink make a whole evening.
#Getting Around
From Charles de Gaulle, take the RER B to Gare du Nord and Châtelet (about 35–45 minutes). Every airport journey now uses the flat-rate Paris Région – Aéroport ticket, €14 since 1 January 2026, valid on any mode.
Orly is on Line 14 of the Métro, which runs straight into the centre.
In the city, a single Métro ticket is €2.55, bought on a Navigo Easy card or a phone; the old paper carnets have gone.
The Navigo Week pass costs €32.40 for unlimited travel in all zones, airports included.
Walking is the best way to see Paris in January, and a dry, cold day is ideal for it. Transport strikes are more likely in winter than in summer, so check the RATP and SNCF apps each morning.
#Budget & Costs
| Travel style | Per day | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Budget | €60–75 | Hostel or budget hotel, boulangerie breakfast, a bistro lunch menu |
| Mid-range | €130–200 | A 3-star hotel, lunch and dinner out, one or two museums |
| Luxury | €350+ | Palace hotels at close to their lowest rates, outside fashion week |
January is one of the cheapest months for a Paris hotel, except in the last ten days, when the fashion weeks fill the smart hotels of the 1st and 8th.
Costs worth knowing:
| What | Price |
|---|---|
| Métro single ticket | €2.55 |
| Navigo Week pass | €32.40 |
| Airport ticket, any mode | €14 |
| Louvre, EU and EEA visitors | €22 |
| Louvre, everyone else | €32 |
- The free days fall early. The Orsay is free on Sunday 3 January; the Louvre's first-Friday evening falls on New Year's Day.
- The sales are the saving. From 6 January the department stores and chains cut prices for four weeks, and the reductions deepen as the weeks pass.
- Lunch is the value meal. A set lunch menu often costs half the price of the same dinner.
#Food & Dining
January is the month for France's winter cooking:
- Soupe à l'oignon gratinée, onion soup under a lid of melted cheese, at any traditional brasserie.
- Pot-au-feu, beef simmered with root vegetables, and blanquette de veau, veal in a cream sauce.
- Black truffle, in season through the winter, on bistro menus as an omelette or over pasta.
- Oysters, at their best in the cold months.
For markets, Marché d'Aligre in the 12th runs Tuesday to Sunday mornings and is the cheapest in the city; the covered Marché Beauvau beside it sells cheese, charcuterie and wine under an iron-and-glass roof.
#Nightlife
Jazz is the Paris winter night out.
Duc des Lombards and Sunset/Sunside on the Rue des Lombards near Châtelet and the New Morning in the 10th fill their rooms through January.
The Philharmonie de Paris, Jean Nouvel's building at La Villette, runs a full concert season, and seats are often available the same week.
Wine bars suit a cold night: the natural-wine bars of the 10th and 11th are neighbourhood living rooms in January, and most take walk-ins early in the week.
#Shopping
The sales are the headline, but January also suits the covered passages, the 19th-century glass-roofed arcades that keep you dry: Galerie Vivienne and Galerie Colbert near the Palais-Royal, and the Passage des Panoramas near the Grands Boulevards.
Merci, on Boulevard Beaumarchais, is the concept store Parisians send their friends to, with a café among the homewares.
#Culture & Etiquette
- "Bonne année" lasts all month. Shopkeepers and waiters will wish you a happy New Year well into late January; say it back.
- Greet first. "Bonjour" on entering a shop or café matters more than any other word of French.
- Coffee at the counter is cheaper. An espresso at the zinc bar costs a fraction of the terrace price.
- Service is included. Rounding up or leaving a euro or two is a courtesy, not an obligation.
#Essential Local Phrases
| Phrase | French | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Happy New Year! | Bonne année ! | Bon an-ay |
| A coffee, please | Un café, s'il vous plaît | Uh kah-fay, seel voo play |
| Is this in the sale? | C'est en solde ? | Say on sold? |
| A slice of galette, please | Une part de galette, s'il vous plaît | Oon par duh gah-let, seel voo play |
| A jug of tap water | Une carafe d'eau | Oon kah-raf doh |
| The bill, please | L'addition, s'il vous plaît | Lah-dee-see-ohn, seel voo play |
| Excuse me | Excusez-moi | Ek-skoo-zay mwah |
#Packing List
- A warm, water-resistant coat
- Scarf, gloves and a hat
- Waterproof walking shoes with grip
- A thermal layer for the coldest days
- A compact umbrella for drizzle
- One smarter outfit for a brasserie dinner or a concert
- A foldable bag for market shopping and sale buys
#Backup Plans
If it is too wet to walk: follow the covered passages from the Palais-Royal to the Grands Boulevards, with a stop for tea in Galerie Vivienne.
If the Louvre slots are gone: the Musée de Cluny, the Orangerie and the free Petit Palais are almost never fully booked in January.
If there is a transport strike: check which lines are running on the RATP app; the automated Lines 1 and 14 usually keep going, and central Paris is walkable between most sights.
#Safety & Health
Paris is safe in January, and pickpocketing eases with the crowds, though the Métro, the Louvre and Sacré-Cœur still need attention. Frosty mornings make stone steps and cobbles slippery. Flu peaks in January; pharmacies, with a green cross, advise on colds without an appointment. Tap water is safe, and any café will bring a carafe d'eau for free.
Emergency: 112, or 15 for medical help and 17 for police.
#What's New for January 2027
- The winter sales run from Wednesday 6 January to Tuesday 2 February
- The Louvre charges €32 to visitors from outside the EU and EEA, since 14 January 2026
- The Centre Pompidou is closed for renovation until 2030
- Paris transport costs €2.55 a ticket and €14 to the airports
- Men's Fashion Week runs 19–24 January and Haute Couture 25–28 January
#About This Guide
By Harry Nara (founder of WhenToWander), updated September 2026 for January 2027. Climate figures are Météo-France 1991–2020 normals for Paris-Montsouris. Dates and prices verified against:
- Légifrance for the rule that sets the sales dates
- Louvre for the free evening and admission prices
- Centre Pompidou for the renovation closure
- Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode for the fashion week dates
- Île-de-France Mobilités for transport fares
For the rest of the season, see Paris in winter, and for the full-year picture, the best time to visit Paris.
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Frequently Asked Questions
When are the winter sales (les soldes) in Paris?
France’s winter sales start at 8am on the second Wednesday of January, brought forward to the first Wednesday when the second falls after the 12th, and last four weeks. In 2027 they run from Wednesday 6 January to Tuesday 2 February. The markdowns deepen as the weeks go on.
How cold does Paris get in January?
Daytime highs average about 8°C and lows about 3°C, with frost on clear nights. The damp makes it feel colder than the numbers suggest, so bring a warm coat, gloves and waterproof shoes. Snow falls on only a few days most winters and rarely settles for long.
Is January a good time to visit the Louvre?
Yes. January and February bring the shortest queues of the year. Tickets cost €22 for EU and EEA visitors and €32 for everyone else since 14 January 2026, and it is worth booking a timed slot. The museum is closed on Tuesdays and on 1 January, and stays open late on Wednesday and Friday evenings.
Are restaurants open in early January?
Many higher-end restaurants close for a week or two after New Year for staff holidays. Bistros and brasseries stay open. Check Google or the restaurant's Instagram before walking over — annual closures are common in the first half of the month.
How much does it cost to visit Paris in January?
Budget-conscious travellers can expect daily costs of €65–120, covering accommodation, food, and local transport. Quieter periods usually push prices toward the lower end of this range.