Things to do in Paris in January: weather, events and outings

Paris weather in January: cold, damp, rarely freezing

According to Météo-France's 1991-2020 climate normals for the Paris-Montsouris station, January has an average temperature of 5.4°C, with lows around 3.2°C and highs around 7.6°C. Along with December, it is the coldest month of the year, but genuine cold snaps are rare: there are on average 7 frost days (a low of 0°C or below) and less than one day below -5°C. Snow rarely settles for more than a day within the city limits.

Total rainfall is low (47.6 mm over the month) but it rains often: about 10 days with at least 1 mm. Sunshine is limited, around 59 hours for the whole month. Daylight is the other constraint: on 1 January 2027 the sun rises at about 8.46am and sets at about 5.03pm; on 31 January it rises at about 8.24am and sets at about 5.45pm. Plan outdoor visits (gardens, viewpoints, walks along the Seine) for the middle of the day and save museums for late afternoon.

Crowds and hotel prices in January

January is traditionally the quietest month of the year for Paris hotels. The Paris hotel industry overview published by Coach Omnium in 2026 shows that in 2025 the monthly occupancy rate never fell below 70%, with January as the low point, against a peak of 87.5% in June. In other words, Paris is never empty, but January is when you have the widest choice and the best chance of finding negotiated rates.

Three periods break this calm:

• 1 to 3 January 2027: the end of the Christmas school holidays for zone C (Paris), which finish on the morning of Monday 4 January. Prices stay at holiday-season levels.
• 19 to 28 January 2027: men's fashion week (19 to 24 January) followed by haute couture week (25 to 28 January), according to the calendar of the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode. Hotels in the 1st, 3rd, 8th and 16th arrondissements fill up. See our Fashion Week guide.
• Days of major trade fairs at Porte de Versailles or Villepinte, which put pressure on hotels near the exhibition centres.

The best window for a tight budget is therefore 4 to 18 January 2027, on weekdays. To choose your neighbourhood and price range, see our guides to where to stay in Paris and hotels by budget. If you are still deciding which month to travel, our article on the best time to visit Paris compares the seasons.

1 January: public holiday and closures

1 January is the only public holiday of the month. In 2027 it falls on a Friday. After New Year's Eve (see our guide to New Year's Eve in Paris), the city wakes up late: many shops, bakeries and restaurants are closed, and public transport runs a reduced holiday service.

For sightseeing, check before you set off:

• Closed on 1 January: the Louvre, the Palace of Versailles (the gardens remain open), and City of Paris museums such as Carnavalet and the Petit Palais.
• Open on 1 January: the Eiffel Tower, open every day of the year, and the Musée d'Orsay, which closes only on Mondays, 1 May and 25 December.

Sunday 3 January 2027 is the first Sunday of the month: several national museums are free that day, including Orsay, where booking a time slot is still compulsory. The full list is in our guide to free museums in Paris.

Epiphany and the galette des rois

Epiphany falls on 6 January, but in France it is celebrated on the first Sunday after 1 January: Sunday 3 January 2027. In practice, the galette des rois fills bakery and pâtisserie windows all month long. In Paris the most common version is the puff-pastry galette filled with frangipane; you will also find the brioche des rois, a brioche ring topped with candied fruit, more common in the south of France.

Tradition says the galette is cut into as many slices as there are guests, plus one, and the youngest person, hidden under the table, decides who gets each slice. Whoever finds the fève (a small charm baked inside) becomes king or queen and wears the paper crown supplied with the galette. To choose where to buy one, see our selection of the best bakeries in Paris: most of them sell their galette from the first days of January.

The winter sales: 6 January to 2 February 2027

The 2027 winter sales start on Wednesday 6 January at 8am and end on Tuesday 2 February 2027, a four-week period in line with the framework set by the French Commercial Code since 2020. The dates apply both in Paris and online. The first Saturday, 9 January, is the busiest day in the department stores on boulevard Haussmann.

Practical rules, the best neighbourhoods and tips for avoiding the crush are covered in our guide to the sales in Paris. To choose between the two neighbouring department stores, read our comparison Printemps or Galeries Lafayette.

Exhibitions to see in January 2027

January is often the last month of the big autumn exhibitions. Several close during the month, so book a time slot as soon as you arrive, as the final weeks are the busiest.

• Cezanne et nous (Cezanne and Us), at the Grand Palais, until 17 January 2027. Cézanne shown alongside the artists who claimed him as an influence. Tuesday to Sunday 10am to 7.30pm, late opening on Fridays until 10pm; timed ticket €20.50 full price, free for under-18s.
• Zurbarán (1598-1664), at the Louvre, Hall Napoléon, until 25 January 2027. A retrospective of the Spanish Golden Age painter, focusing on his large canvases for Andalusian monasteries, his portraits and his still lifes. The museum ticket includes the exhibition: €22 for residents of the European Economic Area, €32 for other visitors since January 2026. Closed on Tuesdays, late opening on Wednesdays and Fridays until 9pm.
• Mary Cassatt, l'indépendante (Mary Cassatt, the Independent), at the Musée d'Orsay, until 31 January 2027. The first major exhibition in France devoted to the American Impressionist painter, marking the centenary of her death, with around 80 works. Closed on Mondays, late opening on Thursdays until 9.45pm; ticket €16 online.
• Gustave Fayet, collectionneur-créateur (Gustave Fayet, Collector and Creator), at the Fondation Louis Vuitton, until 8 March 2027. The collection of this art lover who acquired Van Gogh, Gauguin and Redon very early on, alongside his own creations.

The Grand Palais also opens two exhibitions in December 2026 that will run throughout January: Girls, on adolescence, fashion and rebellion (9 December 2026 to 21 March 2027), and Mika Ninagawa avec EiM (Mika Ninagawa with EiM) (16 December 2026 to 21 March 2027).

Fairs, festivals and key dates

Beyond the sales and exhibitions, January 2027 has a handful of confirmed, dated events:

• Salon de la plongée (the diving show), 14 to 17 January 2027, Paris Expo Porte de Versailles (hall 4). Open to the general public, 10am to 7pm, late opening until 9pm on Friday 15.
• Nuits de la lecture (Reading Nights), 20 to 24 January 2027, on the theme of childhood: free readings, workshops and talks in libraries and bookshops, including in Paris.
• Festival mondial du Cirque de demain (World Festival of the Circus of Tomorrow), 21 to 24 January 2027, under the big top of the Cirque Phénix, pelouse de Reuilly (12th). Young circus artists from around the world compete; seats are booked on the festival's website.
• Rétromobile, the classic car show, 3 to 7 February 2027 at Porte de Versailles: worth noting if your trip runs into early February.

Chinese New Year 2027 does not fall in January: it is on Saturday 6 February 2027 (Year of the Goat), and the parades in the 13th arrondissement and Belleville take place around that date. See our guide to Chinese New Year in Paris. For an overview of the whole year, check our Paris festival calendar.

What to do in Paris when it is cold or raining

With ten days of rain on average and afternoons that darken quickly, January is a good time to plan your stay around indoor places:

• Late-opening museums: Thursday at Orsay, Wednesday and Friday at the Louvre, Friday at the Grand Palais. The galleries are noticeably quieter after 6pm.
• Covered passages: between the Grands Boulevards and the Palais-Royal, a string of 19th-century arcades lets you walk under cover for hours. Route in our guide to the covered passages.
• Department stores: during the sales, but also for their domes and panoramic rooftop terraces, which are free to visit.
• Cinema, concerts and shows: January is a full season for Paris venues, and last-minute tickets are easier to get than in December.

For more ideas, our guide to Paris on a rainy day offers a selection by neighbourhood.

What to pack for January

• A warm, waterproof coat, or a light down jacket with a rain jacket on top: the damp makes 5°C feel colder than it sounds.
• Closed, waterproof shoes: cobblestones and riverbanks are slippery in rain or frost.
• A hat, scarf and gloves, especially useful in the evening and at windswept viewpoints.
• A compact umbrella, easy to stow in a bag for the security checks at museum entrances.
• Layers: museums, the metro and department stores are well heated, and you will often switch between cold and warm.

January 2027 in Paris at a glance

Dates and prices checked in September 2026; opening hours on public holidays may be adjusted by venues.

Further reading

If you are arriving for the New Year, start with our guide to New Year's Eve in Paris. To make the most of the sales, follow our guide to the sales in Paris, and for grey days, keep our ideas for Paris on a rainy day close at hand.