Paris in Spring — Travel Guide
By Harry Nara · Last updated
Paris in Spring offers some of the best conditions of the year, ideal for couples & romance. Expect temperatures of 8–17°C, around 9–10 days of rain, and medium crowds across the city. Daily budgets typically land around €80–160 for mid-range travellers. Book three to four weeks ahead for the best mid-range rates and the widest hotel choice.
Contents16 sections
#At a Glance
Spring in Paris runs from March to May, and it is a season of two halves. March is still cool and often grey, with afternoons around 13°C; by May the city is mild, the chestnut trees are in leaf and the terraces stay busy until the sun sets at nearly 10pm. In 2027 the season's calendar is crowded: Easter on 28 March, the same night the clocks go forward, the Paris Marathon on Sunday 4 April, the school holidays from about 3 to 19 April, four public holidays in May, and Roland-Garros from 17 May. Late April and May are the loveliest weeks, and the busiest; March is cheaper and calmer if you pack for rain.
#Weather in Paris in Spring
Paris in Spring averages 8–17°C (46–63°F) with around 9–10 days of rain, and crowds are medium.
| Month | Daytime high | Overnight low | Wet days | Sunset |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| March | About 13°C / 55°F | About 6°C / 43°F | About 10 | 6:33pm on the 1st, 8:15pm after the clocks change |
| April | About 17°C / 63°F | About 8°C / 46°F | About 9 | 9:04pm by the 30th |
| May | About 20°C / 68°F | About 11°C / 52°F | About 9 | 9:44pm by the 31st |
Figures are Météo-France 1991–2020 normals for Paris-Montsouris.
What that actually means for your trip:
- The season warms by seven degrees. A March coat is too much by late May, so pack for the month you are travelling in, not for "spring".
- Showers are part of every month. About one day in three brings rain, usually passing showers; a cold, wet spell can still settle in for days in April.
- The evenings stretch out fast. With the clocks forward on 28 March, the sun sets after 8pm, and by the end of May close to 9:45pm.
- Pollen peaks in April and May, from the plane trees along the boulevards and the grasses in the parks.
Is spring a good time to visit Paris? Yes, it is one of the two best seasons, with autumn. The parks are in flower, the terraces open and the summer crowds have not arrived. Plan around the busy dates: the marathon weekend, the April school holidays and the May holiday weekends fill hotels and museums. March is the quiet, cheaper option, with the first blossom in its last days.
#March to May in Paris
March opens with the fashion shows of Paris Fashion Week, early in the month, which fill the smart hotels and restaurants, and the city's half-marathon, usually on a Sunday in early March. The Louvre is free on the evening of the first Friday, 5 March 2027.
Easter Sunday falls on 28 March, the same night the clocks go forward an hour, and Easter Monday, the 29th, is a public holiday.
April is the month of blossom and of the Paris Marathon, on Sunday 4 April 2027, a 50th running with a new organiser in charge; the roads along the course close for most of the day. The spring school holidays for Paris run from about 3 to 19 April, when French families fill the museums. Blossom peaks around the turn of March and April in the Jardin des Plantes and in the cherry grove of the Parc de Sceaux, a suburban park on the RER B, and the Foire de Paris, the big consumer fair at Porte de Versailles, usually opens at the end of the month.
May has four public holidays in 2027: Labour Day, Saturday 1 May, when almost everything closes; Ascension, Thursday 6 May, when many Parisians take the Friday off; VE Day, Saturday 8 May; and Whit Monday, 17 May.
The Nuit des Musées opens museums free into the night on a Saturday in mid-May, and Roland-Garros begins with qualifying on 17 May 2027, with the finals on 5 and 6 June; see our Roland-Garros guide.
#What to Do in Paris in Spring
Solo Travellers
Follow the Coulée verte east from the Bastille along its raised garden walk as the trees come into leaf, and spend an afternoon in the Musée Rodin, whose sculpture garden is at its freshest in spring.
Notre-Dame, reopened in December 2024, is free to visit; go early to avoid the queue.
Couples
Picnic on the Square du Vert-Galant at the tip of the Île de la Cité on a fine evening, walk the Jardin du Luxembourg among the tulips, and take a Seine cruise at sunset in May, when the light lasts past 9pm.
Families
The Jardin d'Acclimatation has rides, a farm and a playground; the Jardin du Luxembourg has pony rides, puppet shows and toy boats on the pond.
On a wet day, the Grande Galerie de l'Évolution and the Cité des Sciences keep children busy.
Groups
Spend a Saturday at the Marché aux Puces de Saint-Ouen, the flea market, then an evening in the bars of the Canal Saint-Martin or on a rooftop. A day at Roland-Garros in qualifying week is a cheaper way to see top tennis.
#Getting Around
The RER B links Charles de Gaulle with Gare du Nord and Châtelet, and since 2024 Orly has had its own stop on the driverless Métro line 14.
Single tickets cost €2.55 in 2026, loaded onto a Navigo Easy card or a phone, with €14 for the airport fare. Staying Monday to Sunday?
The Navigo Week pass (€32.40 in 2026) covers the lot. Île-de-France Mobilités resets its fares every January, so check the 2027 prices.
In spring, the centre is a pleasure to walk: the islands, the Marais, Saint-Germain and the Latin Quarter are all within half an hour of each other, and the Vélib' bikes and the cycle lanes along the Seine are good on dry days.
#Budget & Costs
| Travel style | Per day | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Budget | €75–110 | Hostel or small hotel, bakery lunches and picnics, Navigo Week |
| Mid-range | €180–270 | A 3-star hotel, two meals out, one paid museum a day |
| Luxury | €500+ | Palace hotel, tasting menus, taxis and guided visits |
Spring is shoulder season. March is the cheapest month; prices rise for the marathon weekend, the April school holidays, the May holiday weekends and the start of Roland-Garros.
Costs worth knowing:
| What | Price |
|---|---|
| Métro single ticket | €2.55 in 2026 |
| Navigo Week pass | €32.40 in 2026 |
| Louvre, EU and EEA visitors | €22 |
| Louvre, everyone else | €32 |
| Notre-Dame | Free |
- Free evenings: the Louvre on the first Friday of each month, from 6pm.
- Free Sundays: the Musée d'Orsay on the first Sunday of each month.
- Book hotels early for the marathon and the May holiday weekends.
#Food & Dining
Spring brings the season's first produce to the markets: white and green asparagus, morels, wild garlic, new-season lamb, and in May the first gariguette strawberries and cherries.
The Marché d'Aligre and the Marché Bastille are at their most colourful, and the terraces open for the season. Book ahead for Sunday lunch at Easter and for the May holiday weekends.
#Nightlife
The city moves outside as the evenings lengthen: the quays of the Canal Saint-Martin, the rooftop bars, among them Le Perchoir, and the guinguettes in the parks fill on warm nights.
The jazz clubs of the Rue des Lombards play every night, and on the Nuit des Musées the museums stay open until late.
#Shopping
Galeries Lafayette and Printemps put out the new season's clothes from March, and the small designers of the Haut-Marais follow.
The green boxes of the bouquinistes, the riverside booksellers, open more often as the weather warms, and the flea market at Saint-Ouen trades from Saturday to Monday. On 1 May, almost every shop is closed.
#Culture & Etiquette
- Say "Bonjour" on entering a shop or café, and "Au revoir" on leaving.
- On 1 May, street sellers offer sprigs of muguet, lily of the valley, for luck.
- On 8 May, the ceremonies at the Arc de Triomphe and the war memorials are solemn occasions.
- The bill already includes service; leave small change only if you were well looked after.
#Essential Local Phrases
| English | French | Sounds like |
|---|---|---|
| Hello | Bonjour | Bon-zhoor |
| Happy Easter | Joyeuses Pâques | Zhwah-yuhz pahk |
| A table outside, please | Une table en terrasse, s'il vous plaît | Oon tah-bluh on teh-rass, seel voo pleh |
| Is it open on Monday? | C'est ouvert lundi ? | Say oo-vair luhn-dee? |
| The dish of the day | Le plat du jour | Luh plah doo zhoor |
| It's raining | Il pleut | Eel pluh |
| The bill, please | L'addition, s'il vous plaît | La-dee-syon, seel voo pleh |
| Goodbye | Au revoir | Oh ruh-vwahr |
#Packing List
- Layers: a warm jacket for March, a light one for May
- A compact umbrella or a rain jacket
- Comfortable, waterproof walking shoes
- A scarf for chilly mornings and churches
- Sunglasses and sunscreen for May
- Hay-fever tablets, if pollen bothers you
- Something smart for an evening out
#Backup Plans (Rainy Days)
On a wet day, head for the Musée d'Orsay, the Musée de l'Orangerie with Monet's water lilies, or Carnavalet, where the city's own history is told for free. The covered passages of the 2nd arrondissement, among them the Galerie Vivienne, are made for browsing out of the rain.
If a holiday closes your plans: the Eiffel Tower, the parks and the cafés in the tourist areas stay open on the public holidays, but not on 1 May for most museums.
If the school-holiday queues are long: book timed tickets online, or go at opening time or in the evening.
#Safety & Health
Pickpockets, not violence, are the problem for visitors: they work the Eiffel Tower queues, Sacré-Cœur's steps, Métro lines 1 and 4 and the marathon crowds, so carry a zipped bag in front of you. Labour Day marches are mostly calm, though some end in scuffles with police. Any pharmacy, marked by a green cross, sells hay-fever remedies without a prescription.
Emergency: 112, or 15 for medical help and 17 for police.
#What's New for Spring 2027
- Easter falls on 28 March 2027, the same day the clocks go forward
- The Paris Marathon is on Sunday 4 April 2027, its 50th edition
- Labour Day and VE Day both fall on a Saturday; Ascension is Thursday 6 May
- Roland-Garros begins with qualifying on 17 May 2027
- The Centre Pompidou is closed for renovation until 2030
#About This Guide
By Harry Nara (founder of WhenToWander), updated October 2026 for spring 2027. Climate figures are Météo-France 1991–2020 normals for Paris-Montsouris. Dates and prices verified against:
- Jogging International for the 2027 marathon date and organiser
- franceinfo for the 2027 school holidays
- Service-Public.fr for France's public holidays
- Roland-Garros for the 2027 tournament
- Louvre for admission and the free evenings
For each month in detail, see Paris in March, Paris in April and Paris in May.
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Frequently Asked Questions
When do the cherry blossoms bloom in Paris?
From late March to late April. The early white and pink cherries flower around the turn of March and April, and the double-flowered pink ones in the second half of April. The Parc de Sceaux, on the RER B, and the Jardin des Plantes have the best displays.
Is spring a good time to visit Paris?
Yes. April and May are among the loveliest months, mild at 17–20°C with the parks in flower and the terraces open. March is cooler, around 13°C, but cheaper and quieter. Plan around the marathon on 4 April and the May public holidays.
What should I pack for Paris in spring?
Layers: mornings are about 6°C in March and 11°C in May, afternoons 13°C to 20°C. Bring a waterproof jacket or an umbrella, comfortable shoes that cope with rain, a scarf, and sunglasses for May.
What are the public holidays in Paris in spring 2027?
Easter Monday on 29 March, Labour Day on Saturday 1 May, Ascension on Thursday 6 May, VE Day on Saturday 8 May and Whit Monday on 17 May. On 1 May almost everything closes, including the Louvre.
What’s the weather like in Paris in Spring?
Paris in Spring typically sees temperatures of 8–17°C with around 9–10 days of rain across the period. Pack lightweight layers that suit both cooler mornings and warmer afternoons.
How much does it cost to visit Paris in Spring?
Budget-conscious travellers can expect daily costs of €80–160, covering accommodation, food, and local transport. Flexible dates can save up to 20% compared with peak-week rates.