Paris and the Heart of France in August???

Do you like heat? If you do, just go ahead and go. Bring water with you, stay hydrated, maybe get a parasol, and dress for the weather. There’s shade, there will be a beach along the Seine, it’s still Paris - and gorgeous France - after all. Amazing food, world class architecture, yadda yadda yadda.

If you do not like heat… you may be pretty miserable. Paris gets HOT 🥵 and in recent years, it’s getting worse. Small hotel rooms with no AC can be ghastly. I was frankly overwhelmed with misery last time I was there in summer (3 or 4? years ago) and wanted to cry most days. But I am extremely heat sensitive and burn to lobster red in about 5 minutes, and am a bit of a baby about it. Soooo… YMMV.

Hello. What do you mean by the heart of France? Also, it's not certain there will be a heatwave at this time of year. It depends on the year. Let's just say it's a risk worth taking, given that there's perhaps a one in three chance that the weather will be extremely hot. And if it is extremely hot, it won't last two weeks.

@Bergoula: Here is the link for the tour to see what Rick considers the Heart of France.

https://www.ricksteves.com/tours/france/best-france-tour-2026

I am certain the Paris hotels will have AC. Some of the others might have AC as well. I expect the hotel on Mont Saint-Michel might not but you also might not need it there. It has always seemed windy every time I've visited, lol.

I don't tolerate heat so travel during August would be a no for me but it really depends on your personal tolerance to hot weather.

I did travel to Paris and then did the Germany, Austria and Switzerland tour at the end of August about 10 years ago. I hit a heat wave during my time in Paris before I met up with the tour. It was 97 a couple of afternoons. My hotel (which is the hotel Rick used to use for his 21 day Best of Europe tour) had excellent AC so I got out early and was back at the hotel with ice cream in my hand by 3 in the afternoon. I was solo at that point so not on a tour and could get out at 7A to see the gardens and other outdoor sites, then museums/churches.

We were in France ---Occitanie, Dordogne, Brittany, Paris - -- last June. Unfortunately, we hit the 90 degree and humid heatwave. Unless you are used to that sort of weather, it saps your energy and sucks the enjoyment out of walking and outdoor activities. My advice, for what it's worth, is to reschedule for late September or late April / early May next year. . Early September can also get that sort of heat.

Only you know how well you can tolerate heat. I live in North Carolina so when we travel to Europe in late July, it literally always feels nicer than home. Even if it’s 90s there, it never feels as humid as at home. So I find July no problem at all. In fact, I hate being cold and have been much more uncomfortable in the UK in the summer because I’d rather be hot than cold (or wet!) Also, use Booking.com and you’ll find plenty of hotels with A/C. The bigger issue with August in France (if it’s an issue in your opinion, after all it’s your trip) is that French people vacation in August, so if it seems like more tourists around than locals, that’s why. Enjoy!

I've taken this tour in warmer weather-not August though. I do recall many of the hotels DID have a/c, but those that didn't would provide large standing fans which combined with cooler evenings allowed me to sleep if I took a shower just before bedtime. I definitely dressed for the weather & looked for shade whenever I could. It is a marvelous tour. I particularly enjoyed Guedelon, Normandy & Giverney.

We did this tour in July several years ago, and it was hot. But as I recall, most of the hotels did have AC.