Winter in Paris at a glance: weather and daylight
According to Météo-France's 1991-2020 averages for the Paris-Montsouris station, the three winter months are much alike: lows around 3°C, highs around 8°C, and rare snow that seldom settles within the city limits. The cold is mostly damp, and the wind along the Seine makes it feel colder than the thermometer suggests.
| Month | Average low / high | Rain | Sunshine | Detailed guide |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| December | 3.8°C / 8.0°C | 62 mm | 57 h | Paris in December |
| January | 3.2°C / 7.6°C | 47.6 mm | 59 h | Paris in January |
| February | 3.3°C / 8.8°C | 41.8 mm | 84 h | Paris in February |
Daylight is the real constraint. On the winter solstice, Monday 21 December 2026, the sun rises around 8:42am and sets around 4:56pm, giving just over 8 hours 15 minutes of daylight. The days then lengthen: by the end of February, sunset is around 6:30pm and the day lasts almost 11 hours. Keep the middle of the day for walks and gardens, and save the activities in this guide for late afternoon and evening.
Why visit Paris in winter
- Fewer crowds: from early January to early February, queues shorten at the major museums and monuments. January is the low point of the year for Paris hotel occupancy.
- Lower prices: outside the Christmas and New Year holidays, trade fairs and fashion weeks, January and February are among the cheapest months for accommodation. Compare neighbourhoods in our guide to Paris hotels by budget.
- The exceptions: 19 December 2026 to 3 January 2027 (Christmas school holidays and the two réveillons) is the most expensive stretch of the winter, and the Paris-region (zone C) winter school holidays, from 6 to 22 February 2027, fill up the places aimed at children.
- A full cultural season: the big autumn exhibitions run on into January, and the winter sales then last from 6 January to 2 February 2027.
Hammams and warm baths
The hammam of the Grande Mosquée de Paris (39 rue Geoffroy-Saint-Hilaire, 75005 Paris; metro Place Monge or Censier-Daubenton, line 7) is open every day of the year from 10am to 9pm and is reserved exclusively for women, aged 12 and over. Basic entry costs €30, including a towel and a mint tea; packages with a scrub or massage range from €50 to €140. It does not take reservations: come on a weekday morning to avoid waiting. The mosque's tea room and restaurant, at the same address and opposite the Jardin des Plantes, lets you extend the break with mint tea and North African pastries.
For a mixed hammam, Les Bains du Marais, now located at 14 rue Saint-Fiacre (75002 Paris; metro Grands Boulevards or Bonne Nouvelle), offer a hammam and sauna where swimwear is compulsory, except during sessions reserved for women (Wednesday 11am to 4pm) and men (Thursday 4pm to 10pm). Access costs €40 Monday to Thursday and €50 Friday to Sunday and on public holidays, with a reduced €29 rate Monday to Wednesday between 4pm and 9pm.
Another refuge, this time without steam: the Pavillon des Canaux (39 quai de la Loire, 75019 Paris; metro Laumière or Jaurès), a café in a house on the Bassin de la Villette where you can settle into the old bathroom, bathtub included, with a hot drink in hand. Open Tuesday to Sunday from 11am, closed on Mondays.
Remarkable indoor swimming pools
Swimming in warm water under a glass roof while it rains outside is one of the most Parisian experiences of the winter.
- Piscine Pontoise (19 rue de Pontoise, 75005 Paris; metro Maubert-Mutualité, line 10): a 33-metre Art Deco pool built in 1934 and listed as a historic monument, surrounded by two tiers of changing cabins under a glass roof. Adult entry costs €5.20 during the day; during school term, the pool opens late Monday to Friday from 8pm to 10:45pm, for €11.50.
- Molitor (13 rue Nungesser-et-Coli, 75016 Paris; metro Michel-Ange-Molitor): the 1929 Art Deco pool complex, restored and now part of a hotel, has a 33-metre covered winter pool and a 46-metre outdoor pool, both heated all year. For anyone who is neither a hotel guest nor a club member, access is through a spa day (a one-hour treatment plus use of the pools), from €350 per person.
- Piscine Joséphine-Baker (quai François-Mauriac, 75013 Paris): this glass-roofed floating pool on the Seine is due to close permanently for structural reasons. The City of Paris has asked to keep it running until spring 2027, but no decision had been published by the end of September 2026: check that it is open before you go.
Hot chocolate and tea rooms
Thick hot chocolate, served with whipped cream on the side, is a Parisian winter ritual.
- Angelina (226 rue de Rivoli, 75001 Paris; metro Tuileries or Pyramides): founded in 1903 opposite the Tuileries Garden, this tea room serves its "L'Africain" hot chocolate and its Mont-Blanc every day, from 8am to 7:30pm Monday to Thursday and until 8pm Friday to Sunday. The wait can be long at weekends: come early.
- Carette (4 place du Trocadéro, 75016 Paris, and 25 place des Vosges, 75003 Paris): a tea room founded in 1927 on the Trocadéro, open every day, with a second address under the arcades of the Place des Vosges.
Bouillons and winter dishes
Bouillons, working-class canteens born in the 19th century, serve warming dishes at modest prices: egg mayonnaise, soup, pot-au-feu, salt pork with lentils, beef bourguignon.
- Bouillon Chartier (7 rue du Faubourg-Montmartre, 75009 Paris; metro Grands Boulevards): founded in 1896, open every day from 11:30am to midnight, no reservations. Two other branches, on Boulevard du Montparnasse and opposite the Gare de l'Est, keep the same hours.
- Bouillon Julien (16 rue du Faubourg-Saint-Denis, 75010 Paris; metro Strasbourg-Saint-Denis): a 1906 Art Nouveau dining room listed as a historic monument, open every day from 11:45am, where you can book a table.
Tropical greenhouses: summer under glass
- Grandes Serres of the Jardin des Plantes (57 rue Cuvier, 75005 Paris; metro Jussieu or Gare d'Austerlitz): four greenhouses devoted to tropical rainforests, deserts, New Caledonia and the history of plants, run by the National Museum of Natural History. Winter hours, from 26 October 2026 to 28 February 2027, are 10am to 5pm, last entry one hour before closing, closed on Tuesdays. Tickets cost €9, €7 reduced, €28 for a family pass.
- Jardin des Serres d'Auteuil (3 avenue de la Porte-d'Auteuil, 75016 Paris; metro Porte d'Auteuil): the City of Paris botanical garden, with a palm house whose dome rises to almost 16 metres and contemporary greenhouses devoted to the plants of four continents. Winter is orchid season. Entry is free; in midwinter the garden closes in the late afternoon, around 5pm in previous seasons. It pairs easily with Molitor, a ten-minute walk away.
Historic cinemas, libraries and department stores
- Le Grand Rex (1 boulevard Poissonnière, 75002 Paris; metro Bonne Nouvelle): opened in 1932, it houses the largest cinema auditorium in Europe, with around 2,700 seats under a starry ceiling. An interactive behind-the-scenes tour, Rex Studios, lasting about 50 minutes, was offered in 2026.
- Le Louxor (170 boulevard de Magenta, 75010 Paris; metro Barbès-Rochechouart): a 1921 cinema with neo-Egyptian decor, saved from demolition and reopened in 2013. A full-price ticket costs €11.50.
- La Pagode, on rue de Babylone, closed since 2015, is due to reopen after restoration work: the reopening announced for late 2026 or early 2027 had no date at the end of September 2026.
- The BnF's Salle Ovale (5 rue Vivienne, 75002 Paris): a reading room under a glass roof, free and with no registration, closed on Mondays and open until 8pm on Tuesdays. Full details in our guide to visiting the BnF.
- The department stores on Boulevard Haussmann can be explored in the warm, with their domes and rooftop terraces, such as Galeries Lafayette.
Museums open late
When night falls at 5pm, late openings stretch the day:
- The Louvre stays open until 9pm on Wednesdays and Fridays; it is closed on Tuesdays.
- The Musée d'Orsay closes at 9:45pm on Thursdays.
- The Palais de Tokyo is open from noon to 10pm every day except Tuesday, and until midnight on Thursdays.
- The Grand Palais stays open until 10pm on Fridays during its exhibitions.
The galleries are noticeably quieter after 6pm. To visit without a ticket, see our free museums in Paris.
What to do depending on the weather
| Weather | Idea | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Drizzle, 5 to 8°C | Covered passages, then a bouillon | Grands Boulevards, 2nd and 9th |
| Heavy shower | A large museum or a historic cinema | Louvre, Orsay, Grand Rex, Louxor |
| Dry cold and sunshine | A midday walk, then the greenhouses | Jardin des Plantes, Auteuil |
| Frost or snow | Hammam or indoor pool | Grande Mosquée, Pontoise |
| Dark by 5pm | A museum late opening, hot chocolate first | Louvre, Orsay, Palais de Tokyo |
| Grey Sunday | The BnF's Salle Ovale, then a tea room | Rue Vivienne, rue de Rivoli |
Opening hours and prices checked in September 2026; winter garden hours and late openings may be adjusted by each venue.
To plan a whole day in the rain, with covered passages and smaller museums, see also Paris on a rainy day.
Packing, holidays and closing days
Bring a warm, waterproof coat, closed shoes that can handle wet cobblestones, a hat, gloves and scarf for the evenings, and layers you can remove: museums, the metro and shops are well heated. Detailed packing lists are in each of our monthly guides. For the hammam or the pool, pack a swimsuit; a swimming cap is often required in pools.
Two public holidays shut much of the city: Friday 25 December 2026 and Friday 1 January 2027. The Louvre and the City of Paris museums close on both days, Orsay on 25 December only, and the Palais de Tokyo also closes on 25 December and 1 January. Full list in our guide to public holidays in Paris; for the festive season, see Christmas in Paris.
Further reading
For dated events, open the guide for your month, linked at the top of this article. If you are still deciding when to travel, the best time to visit Paris compares the seasons; for a trip for two in February, read Paris for couples, and if you come back in the warmer months, Paris in summer takes over.
