As some of you may notice from earlier posts, I have long been planning a trip to Paris for this November which is usually the best time for hubby to travel. Well, his boss is expecting and her due date falls smack dab in the middle of our scheduled trip so we must reschedule.

Hubby says he will make it up to me by arranging to go in the springtime. Usually, we would not travel from January 1 until the end of the first week of May. Is the middle of May going to be too touristy and expensive? Would March or April be better for airfare if I am unsuccessful in getting an award ticket? What is the best month for Paris in springtime?

Thanks in advance for suggestions.

Mid-May is a gorgeous time in Paris. Beautiful weather (even when it is raining), and some great fresh produce in the markets. Maybe the very best time to be in Paris. The tourist crowds were missing this year (but I went off the beaten path and made a conscious effort to avoid crowds).

There will be several statutory holidays in May in France, so you might want to keep those in mind when you make your plans. Thursday May 1 is Labour Day (and next year it will also be Ascension Day. This will also be a holiday in a number of other European countries, so they might come to France for a holiday. Many French people will "fait le pont", which means take Friday off and have a long weekend away. Expect very busy airports, train stations and highways into and out of Paris, as well as higher than average hotel bookings for the weekend. Book earlier than you'd normally plan to book. Also keep in mind that some smaller restaurants are likely to close (possibly even for the full week) and almost all shops will close on May 1. Many museums might close, but probably not all of them.

Monday May 12 (Pentecost Monday) is also a holiday in France and, again, you can expect long weekend holiday travellers to clog up airports, trains and hotels. Not quite as many shops, restaurants and museums will close, though.

Thanks for the heads up. My original thought was to arrive on Thursday May 15th, which sounds like a good time since it falls just after two holidays. I'll make my hotel reservations in the next week or two.

Hopefully the tourist crowds will be missing next year, too!

We went to Paris last year for Spring break - 3rd week in March. It wasn't too crowded. But, we learned the expression "il fait froid" while standing in line at the Musee D'Orsay. Other visitors in line with us were from Chicago and Connecticut. They weren't bothered. YMMV. I'd take May over March next time.

I just returned from a May 14 to June 10 trip to Paris. The earlier part of the trip was the nicest, as it gets closer to the end of May and early June the amount of tourists increases noticeably. Early to mid May is one of my favorite times to visit Paris. The weather is generally cooperative and the crowds bad at all compared to later in the summer.

We've been to Paris in May twice. The first time towards the beginning of May - and watch out there because May 8 (V-E Day) is a holiday, too. In that week we had every kind of weather you can have, except snow. Crowds were nonexistent, but it was 2003. The second time, in May, was nearer the end of May 2005. It was quite a bit more crowded and quite a bit warmer. We were dressed too warmly - it was more summery than springy.

On at least some airlines, notably AA, you can use fewer miles to get to Europe if you travel before May 15.

Our 'best' trip to Paris, so far, was in January of this year. No crowds, no lines, people begging you to eat at their restaurant, and okay weather.

I love Paris in the Springtime.

I was looking for advice on weather in overall France for either a) mid-end of April b) early May or c) mid-late May. Wondering if I'll experience dry vs. wet weather and what the preference is for nice weather a), b) or c).

Thanks!

We were in Paris early April 2002(?), late May 2006, and early June 2007. We found the April visit a bit chilly but not too bad. We generally had good weather for each trip with rain limited to just sprinkles except for a one short shower last May.

To be honest, I don't recall a huge difference in tourist crowds for times we went. But, I think the key is to get a museum pass and/or schedule your visits to the attractions outside of peak hours.

For our last two trips, we booked low cost carriers (Martinair (to Amsterdam) and Zoom) from a local travel company (Jubilee Travel) that has various types of weekly specials. In watching their website, it seemed the best deals to Europe were found during early April and late October. But when watching the prices on the Zoom website, they went up and down a couple of times between the time we booked to our flights. I'm assuming they are fairly robust in adjusting their prices due depending on seat availability.
I'm also guessing that when Easter falls would impact pricing for weeks adjacent to it.

Check out Weatherbase.com.

Getting overall weather for France is not possible as there are a variety of climate zones which are very different. Spring around Nice and Cannes is very different from Paris in timing, rain and warmth.

If you are asking about Paris, you'll never know until you get there. Usually in May it is fairly nice, April is (despite the song) very chancy. April can be both cold and rainy--and so can May.

Nonetheless, Paris is great. If you are not paying in dollars.