10 Things to Do in Paris in Springtime

Spring in Paris is undoubtedly one of the best times of year to visit the French capital. This is thanks to the pleasant climate with mild temperatures and a wide variety of events and activities typical of these months. If you want to or are going to travel to this historic city in spring, in this post I will share a list of the best things to do at this time of year and all the useful information you need.

As the good weather arrives in Paris , Parisians take to the streets to enjoy pleasures that they cannot experience for most of the year. I'm talking about something as simple as having a coffee on a nice terrace. This is a luxury reserved for spring and summer, as the rest of the year the temperatures are not suitable.

One of the best places to enjoy this is the Montmartre neighbourhood. Its steep streets are home to dozens of typical Parisian cafés with small terraces and beautiful façades. One example is the Café des Deux Moulins, near the Moulin Rouge, which was the setting for the famous film Amélie.

But there are many more that I invite you to discover, and to make sure you don't miss anything, the best option is to book a guided tour of the Montmartre neighbourhood, which I assure you will not leave you indifferent.

In mid-May, almost to bid farewell to spring and welcome summer, one of the most magical nights of the year takes place in Paris. Museum Night is celebrated throughout the country, but it is in the capital where it is most enjoyed.

The major museums also participate in this event, opening their doors at night, and the activity is complemented by concerts and artistic and cultural events throughout the city, in a perfect itinerary to enjoy culture on a magical Parisian spring night.

Many Parisian museums, such as the Louvre, usually participate in Museum Night, but if you are not in Paris on that date or do not like to stay up late, you can always visit them during their regular opening hours:

• Book skip-the-line tickets for the Louvre Museum: the largest in the world, with 35,000 objects and works of art such as the Mona Lisa and the Venus de Milo.

• Book tickets for the Musée d'Orsay: home to hundreds of works by the most important artists of Impressionism and Post-Impressionism, such as Van Gogh and Matisse.

• Book tickets for the Picasso Museum in Paris: home to 5,000 of Picasso's masterpieces, as well as his own personal collection.

If you choose to travel to Paris during the Easter holidays, you can take advantage of this opportunity to experience these celebrations in Parisian style. There are two ways to enjoy them:

From a more religious point of view, it is an ideal time to visit the city's many beautiful churches:

• The Basilica of the Sacred Heart.
• The Sainte Chapelle, for which I recommend booking tickets online.
• The Madeleine Church.
• Notre Dame, whose exterior you can admire by booking a tour of the Île de la Cité, Notre Dame, Sainte Chapelle and the Conciergerie prison, where you will receive explanations about its architecture. Unfortunately, the cathedral has not been open to visitors since the fires of 2019.

On the other hand, the typical alternative for enjoying Easter has more to do with the sense of taste than with sight. I'm talking about the famous chocolate eggs and rabbits that are typical of this holiday. Paris is a city of pastries, and its streets are lined with hundreds of bakeries offering these chocolate delicacies. If you have a sweet tooth, booking a tour of Paris's bakeries could also be a great plan, right?

When the trees are in bloom, the temperatures rise and the days are sunnier, walking around Paris is a real pleasure. Doing so on foot is always recommended, but it greatly restricts the distance we can cover. That's why in spring one of the best recommendations is to rent a bike and explore Paris while enjoying the good weather. There are several options for doing so:

• Book the Paris Pass tourist card, which allows you to take public bikes and explore the city centre or even discover the outskirts of the capital with interesting places such as the Bois de Vincennes. There are so many advantages to the Paris Pass that I recommend reading this post to find out everything you need to know.
• Book a guided bike tour of Paris, where you'll spend four hours with an expert guide visiting the most important monuments in the French capital.

It is always advisable to get to know Paris from different perspectives. And one of the most beautiful ways to do so is on one of the best cruises on the Seine. In fact, the weather is so pleasant in spring that you can even take a night cruise on the Seine.

During the tour , you will see monuments such as Les Invalides, the Musée d'Orsay, Notre Dame Cathedral, the Louvre Museum, the Grand Palais and the Eiffel Tower.

You can choose to accompany your cruise with dinner on board or choose from several options and combinations.

As spring progresses, clear days and skies become more common, so one of the best ways to take advantage of this is to see Paris from above from the best viewpoints in Paris.

The most famous of these is, of course, the Eiffel Tower. It is also the highest, but there are other alternatives such as:

• The viewpoint at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart.
• The Montparnasse skyscraper, the second tallest building in France, for which I recommend booking your tickets in advance.
• The upper terrace of the Arc de Triomphe, for which you can also book tickets online.

Paris is even more beautiful from above.

The Palace of Versailles is one of the essential excursions to do if you travel to Paris. The charm of the place lies not only in the palace, but also in its gardens. Considered one of the most beautiful in Europe and the world, the royal gardens of Versailles are especially beautiful in spring.

The floral decorations are incredibly beautiful at this time of year and the gardeners take special care to make them look spectacular. During these months, you can also enjoy the show put on by the palace fountains, playing with lights and music.

Booking tickets for the Palace of Versailles, the gardens and Marie Antoinette's estate is a must in spring.

Paris is a city full of beautiful parks and gardens that are cared for with special attention. It is in spring when these places look their best, mainly because of the flowers, which offer walkers a very colourful and beautiful picture postcard view.

There are dozens of parks and gardens that are perfect for a pleasant spring stroll:

• The Tuileries Garden, between the Louvre and the Place de la Concorde.
• Montsouris Park in the south of the city.
• Belleville Park, on the hill of the same name, with one of the best views of the capital.
• Buttes Chaumont Park, located in a former quarry east of Paris.

If you ask a true Parisian what their favourite springtime activity is, there's a very good chance they'll say having a picnic. It's a very typical sight in Paris at this time of year in places such as the Champ de Mars under the Eiffel Tower.

But of all the options in the French capital, the favourite among Parisians, and my personal recommendation, is the Luxembourg Gardens, which feature meticulous floral decorations and large lawns where you can enjoy a typical spring picnic when the weather is nice. An essential activity in Paris in the spring.

Spring is also a time for major sporting events, and two of the biggest take place at this time of year:

• The Paris Marathon takes place in early April and brings together more than 60,000 runners and many more spectators along the race route, which passes by such iconic landmarks as Notre Dame, the Louvre and the Eiffel Tower.
• The French Open, or Roland Garros, is the most important tournament on clay courts and always brings together the best tennis players in the world. It is held in late May and early June at the Stade Roland Garros complex in Paris.

The weather is one of the key factors when deciding when to visit Paris or any other city. In this regard , spring has plenty of reasons to convince you.

In March, April and May, the hours of sunshine gradually increase, and with them the temperature. From a maximum of just over 10º in March, we move to an average of 20º in May. In general, the climate is very pleasant with very mild temperatures.

The only downside to spring, and this is a common issue in almost every month of the year, is the rainfall. May is one of the rainiest months of the year and it is generally almost impossible to avoid the rain in spring.

In general, tourist numbers are not overwhelming in the spring months, considering that Paris is one of the most visited cities in the world, and it is not too difficult to find accommodation.

The exception is Easter, as many people take advantage of this holiday period to visit Paris, and during this time there is a considerable increase in demand and tourist numbers.

Prices for accommodation and tourist attractions in Paris depend largely on demand. As spring is not yet high season, demand is not as high and prices therefore remain reasonable.

The exception is Easter, as many people are on holiday and demand for accommodation rises considerably. And with demand, prices also rise.

In spring, you can experience everything from sunny, pleasant days to rainy and windy days. For this reason, you should pack carefully and be prepared for various scenarios. What you should not forget to pack is:

• Lightweight, comfortableclothing for sunny, spring-like days.
• Something warmer for cloudy days and evenings.
• Comfortablefootwear for long walks through the streets of Paris.
• An umbrella or raincoat in case you get caught in the rain.