Paris in the Summer
For some, the best time to visit Paris is summer. Paris in the summer becomes even more vibrant than it usually is – from pop-up terraces and bar-péniches to street festivals, you can see it all.
Parisians might flee the city during the warmest months, but there are many things to do in Paris in summer and plenty of reasons to stick around.
So, what to do in Paris this summer? Follow this Summer in Paris guide to avoid the crowds, beat the heat, and get the most out of the summer months in Paris.
Are You Planning a Trip to Paris Last Minute?
If you are booking a last-minute trip to Paris, I’ve got you covered! Below are our guides, top tours, hotels, and more:
» Plan: Paris Travel Planner; Paris Arrondissements Guide; Check out the best Paris Metro tickets for tourists
» Book your flight tickets with Omio; book your train tickets with Omio
Book your transfer from the airport to the city with Welcome Pickups.
» Where to Stay: Best Districts to Stay in Paris
- Le Pavillon de la Reine (historical 5-star hotel in Le Marais)
- Hotel La Comtesse (mid-range hotel with Eiffel Tower view from all the rooms!)
- Hotel Ducs de Bourgogne (super central 4-star hotel near the Louvre)
» Top-Rated Paris Tours & Tickets:
- Louvre Museum Skip-the-Line Ticket
- Eiffel Tower Summit Access Ticket
- Seine River Night Cruise
- Château de Versailles and Gardens
- Catacombs Skip-the-line tour with VIP access to restricted areas
Want skip-the-line access at museums & attractions in Paris? Get your hands on a Paris Museum Pass!
» Don’t leave without travel insurance! SafetyWing Essential plan works well for long and short trips (from 5 days up). Can also cover electronics theft through their add-on.
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Paris Summer Months
When is summer in Paris? The Paris summer months are June, July, and August. Check out my specific guides for these months, always updated with seasonal activities, insider tips, and the best temporary exhibitions.
Best Things to Do in Paris This Summer
Here are some great Paris summer activities for making the most of the warmest months.
1. Enjoy the Longer Evenings (and Paris by Night)
If siestas are the only thing getting you through the hottest part of the day, don’t worry: you can catch up on culture in the evening.
In summer, the sun is out in Paris up to 9 p.m., and sometimes even later. Also, most of the attractions and parks in Paris have longer opening hours during the summer season, so you can plan your itinerary right into nightfall.
And why not book any of the night tours in Paris? Temperatures are definitely more pleasant for exploring at night!
Then, it is time to head to one of the best rooftop bars in Paris for an apéritif or two before enjoying the nightlife in Paris.
2. Drink and Dine Al Fresco
Outdoor terraces are the place to be in Paris in summer, when drinking and eating indoors feels like a crime.
Although Paris is a busy and bustling city, there are still beer gardens, pop-up terraces tucked away behind the back of old buildings, and tables that spill onto the street for a drink or two.
For dinner, you will find some favorite addresses of restaurants with a terrace in the Paris restaurant series, but of course, there are many more!
There are also cool picnic spots in Paris – try the park Buttes-Chaumont or Bois de Vincennes for a more local feeling. For the perfect Parisian picnic, don’t forget must-haves like a baguette, cheese, and a bottle of French wine.
TIP: These wine tote bags are perfect for carrying your bottles of rosé and keeping them safe and fresh!
3. Shop at the Summer Sales
This year, France’s annual summer sales, known as summer sales, will take place from 25 June to 22 July, and it’s a great time to get good bargains from your favorite brands.
To get the most out of your purse, visit the Golden Triangle (Avenue Montaigne, Avenue Georges V, and Avenue des Champs-Elysées) for luxury clothing, and the Grands Boulevards for a mix of luxury and more affordable brands. Without forgetting other great shopping malls like La Samaritaine, Les 4 Temps at La Défense, and Les Halles!
4. Catch Music, Theater, and Cinema Outside
Summer in Paris kicks off with the Fête de la Musique or Music Festival (always on 21 June), with many street performances and small concerts in bars.
Then, there are plenty of cultural, musical, and sports programs held in beautiful outdoor settings, at all times of the day. Enjoy the screening of cult films and short films at the Open Air Cinema Festival set in the Parc de la Villette from mid-July to the end of August, and Les Etés du Louvre (2 to 25 July 2025), a month of open-air artistic programming throughout the Louvre grounds. You can also dance at the Solidays and Rock en Seine music festivals to the sound of French and international artists.
Jazz lovers will enjoy the Paris Jazz Festival (29 June to 7 September 2025) at the Parc Floral, while Chopin lovers are expected at Parc de Bagatelle for his annual festival (22 June to 14 July 2025).
And there’s much more! Check out the best events in Paris this summer.
5. Celebrate France’s National Day
On July 14, Paris (and France) celebrates the National Day, also known as Le 14 de Juillet.
The festivities start the night before (13 July) with the Bal des Pompiers (Firemen’s Ball), when each arrondissement’s main fire station opens up its courtyard to the public for a special night of dancing and singing (there are foods and drinks too).
The celebrations continue on 14 July morning at the Arc de Triomphe, where the military parade begins its march toward the Place de la Concorde. You can also watch the planes soar through the sky.
At night, pack a picnic basket and blanket, and head to Champ de Mars to enjoy a free concert at the foot of the Eiffel Tower while waiting for the Grand Finale: a spectacular fireworks display which usually kicks off at 11 p.m.
6. Take In the Parisian Canals
One of the most pleasant things to do in Paris in the summer is strolling down the canals. Canal Saint-Martin is a cultural hub and one of the most popular places in Paris, while Bassin de La Villette – Canal de l’Ourcq has a more local feeling. They are both great places to go for a break from sightseeing.
And why not try a Canal Cruise? Navigate through the canal locks and mysterious tunnels while learning more about this picturesque area of Paris.
A fun alternative is to sail an electric boat along Canal de l’Ourcq (no boating license required), perhaps with a baguette, cheese, and a bottle of rosé wine for a French apéritif onboard.
7. Go for a Dip
If the heat is getting unbearable, cool down in one of Paris’s original swimming spots. In addition to the Art Nouveau and Art-Déco pools (Molitor, Pailleron, Pontoise,…) and the floating-swimming pool on the River Seine (Joséphine Baker), you can “escape to the beach” at Paris Plages, which has temporary beach and bathing areas set up at the Bassin de la Villette and Canal Saint-Martin.
And after more than a hundred years, it will be possible to swim in the Seine River again!
Starting from 5 July 2025, locals and visitors will be able to dive into the famous river at three different areas: Bras Marie (the most central), Grenelle, and Bercy.
8. Bar Hop by the Seine
In the summer months, many temporary bars and cafés pop up along the banks of the Seine River and on its barges, especially in Paris 7 and Paris 8, but also on the east in Paris 4 and Paris 13.
These summer bars and péniches are a fun place to be, and they offer everything from cocktails and tapas to world cuisine, from live music to table football. You can sample it all without so much as going downstairs to the river banks.
9. Check Out an Exhibition
Even if you’re not a culture buff, the idea of a couple of hours in an air-conditioned room should be enough to tempt anyone into Paris’s excellent museums and galleries.
Summers in Paris usually come with many interesting proposals, so skip the permanent collections and look for your favorite temporary exhibitions or visit the lesser-known museums in Paris.
For the list of best temporary exhibitions in Paris this summer, check out my quick guides to June, July, or August in Paris.
11. Escape the City for a Day
There are many fun things to do in Paris this summer, but the summer months are also an excellent time to explore other places around for a weekend or just a day.
Of course, there’s a day trip to Versailles to see the stunning water fountain shows, and places like Monet’s Garden or Mont Saint-Michel are popular summer day trips from Paris.
But there’s more! Check out the cutest small towns near Paris or book one of these easy weekend getaways from Paris by train for other travel ideas.
Finally, history enthusiasts will be happy to learn that there are many exciting castles near Paris with beautiful parks, easy to reach by public transportation.
Travel Tips for Summer in Paris
12. Book in Advance
Paris in summer is the high season, so be sure to book as much as you can in advance, from train tickets or flight tickets to accommodation in Paris.
Hotels, especially good ones and hotels with a pool, sell out fast or charge ridiculous prices for last-minute bookings.
Same for the top attractions in Paris: tickets to the Louvre, Eiffel Tower, or the Moulin Rouge can be booked out months in advance (60 days for the Eiffel Tower).
Below, I list the main Paris attractions for which you will need advance tickets and have added links to my favorite, trusty providers for your convenience.
13. Useful Items
What to wear in Paris in summer? My Paris style guide for women and Paris style guide for men will help you pack properly and sensibly without looking like a tourist.
Once you have chosen the perfect Paris summer outfit, you don’t want to forget sunglasses, a hat, and sunscreen.
If you like to tick off lists, here are my packing lists for Paris this summer:
As you’ll be on your feet all day, make sure to wear comfortable walking shoes and carry plenty of water to avoid getting sunstroke or dehydration.
14. Learn How to Avoid Crowds in Paris
Summers in Paris come with crowds, and they are even more annoying with the higher temperatures. Check out this post on how to skip the longest lines in Paris, where I tell you the best days and time slots to book for the main attractions in Paris.
If you want to avoid the biggest crowds in Paris, then check out this post.
15. Walk Instead of Taking the Metro
Replace the Paris metro with walks to avoid the heat and sweating. Some trains don’t have air conditioning inside, so they are real ovens in the summertime.
As you can see in the picture below, walking times between distant points within Paris are not that long. If I haven’t convinced you yet, check out this metro map, with the walking distances between metro stations. In many cases, it’s less than a 10-minute walk!
For longer trips, check out my best tips for surviving the metro of Paris in the summer.
16. How to Deal with Canicules (Heatwaves) in Paris
2024 was the hottest year on record globally, with temperatures in Europe above average for 11 months of the year. Here are my best tips for dealing with hot temperatures in Paris this summer:
- Check out the weather forecast and plan accordingly. I usually announce heatwaves in Paris and France in our Facebook Group.
- Wear high-factor SPF, avoid being outside in the middle of the day (we have great free museums for a last-minute visit), and wear light-colored clothes made from breathable materials (check out my suggestions for Paris for men and women).
- Drink lots of water! Tap water is safe to drink in Paris, so get a refillable bottle and use this map to locate all the free drinking water spots in Paris.
- Consider night tours (vs. day tours under the sun), temperatures in Paris are definitely more pleasant for exploring at night!
17. Be Connected
Most of the hotels in Paris offer free Wi-Fi, but if you need to call, text, and browse the internet during your explorations, a prepaid SIM card will come in handy.
Check out this post about the best prepaid SIM cards for France and Europe, plus other options to stay connected. You can even buy one before leaving home, so you are set once you land in Paris.
18. Beware of Pickpockets in Paris
Generally speaking, it is safe to travel to Paris – as safe as a big European capital can be, that is. But there are some things you should know about safety in Paris.
In summer, Paris is also a pickpockets’ playground, and they are especially active in tourist sights, the metro, or outside terraces. It would be a pity if they spoiled your summer in Paris!
I recommend using an anti-theft crossbody bag or, if you feel more comfortable, an anti-theft backpack for your trip to Paris. These travel bags are stylish and can usually be attached to chairs or tables when you are on a summer terrace.
And there you have it, a quick guide with the best summer activities in Paris and top insider tips. Bon voyage!
