I see other posts referencing the difference in AC in Parisian hotels and what we have in the States. We are visiting London and Paris the end of July and are anticipating the need for a small fan.
Of course we could bring one but that takes a good bit of luggage space and the risk of it being damaged during the flight. Are there Walmart/Target type stores that are easily available? We are staying in Westminster in London and the 8th Arr in Paris, not too far from the Champs Elyssee.
Are you from North America? Definately do not bring a fan, unless it is battery. One built for North American electricity (110V 60Hz AC), when plugged into European electricity (230V 50Hz AC) will at best burn out, at worst blow fuses and annoy the hotel staff.
AC is not normal in the UK, and not universal in Northern France. Large new build hotels will have it, others not. The usual situation if it gets hot in July (it may not) is to open a window.
Some figures I looked up:
London July, daily mean 19.°, average high 23.6° average low 15.5°
Paris July, daily mean 29°, average high 34° average low 23°
If those figures are not to your taste, any reasonably large supermarket or electrical store will sell a fan. There will be no big supermarkets in the centre of either city.
Any electrical item bought in the UK will work in France, and vice versa (same electricity. The plugs will be differnt and require an adapter.
Even though a hotel may not have air conditioning, it will often have fans that are available for guests to use in their rooms. I wouldn't buy something that the hotel probably will provide for free.
I wouldn't take a fan - even though most electronics are switched these days and can run on either electrical system it seems a silly thing to pack and carry unless you're talking about a really small fan like those people use in office cubes etc. If you do that make sure it says it works on both 110 and 220 an then you will just need an adaptor to change the US plug to a France plug - to prongs - and to the scary, giant English 3 prong system.
fnac is relatively common store in France that carries a wide variety of household products and will definitely carry fans if you want to buy one in France, but be aware that France and England use different plugs and would need an adaptor.
My advice is give it a try and see if you actually have an issue before worrying about it too much. Many hotels in Paris are have thick walls and don't heat up as much as you would expect. While it's good to anticipate solutions if you know you have a particular issue don't forget that the locals live there all the time and they know how hot it gets and how to deal with it. Unless you're dealing with an Air BnB that explicitly warns they don't have AC you'll probably be okay.
Also communicate your needs/preferences to the hotel staff - they know which rooms are best for which things - views, quiet, etc.
Have a great trip!
=Tod
We’ve bought fans in Paris a couple of times when our accommodations had none. These days places in Paris are much more likely to offer fans after the great heatwave of 2003. Ask first at your accommodation. When we need to buy a fan in Paris we just go to the nearest Monoprix or FNAC and choose a small-medium sized one from their selection.
We have never needed a fan in London in the summer time but you never know.
Just as a quick note, I think Chris' Paris July figures are off -- Météo France has average highs of 25.2 C (77 F) and lows of 15.8 C (60 F) for Paris in July. Average highs of 34 C (93 F) and lows of 23 C (73 F) would be similar to Bangkok in its hot season in March or April, and while I'm not a climate expert I think it's safe to say Paris, even in July, does not have a climate resembling that of Thailand at any time of year!
We went to Norway, Scotland and Ireland last summer and being from Alaska, we get hot in temps others would not. When we were is Oslo, it was 85F! We opened all windows and asked the front desk for fans. Most hotels/B&B’s will have them. Still was a tad too warm for us, but we survived!
There are little housewares stores all over Paris -- you spot them by the luggage roped up outside and various other items like pots of artificial flowers, mops, ladders etc. They usually have small fans as does BHV, Darty and assorted other stores -- In a heat wave they may be scarce for a few days. I bought one a couple of years ago for the friend's apartment I was staying in and was a bit dismayed to discover that the box contained not a fan but a dozen tiny parts and a couple dozen tiny screws to build a fan. Luckily my friend's place did have the appropriate tool kit -- I could not have put it together without a screwdrive set for various sizes for example. So if you are buying for a hotel room, be sure the thing you buy is actually assembled.
Unless you run very hot or there is a major heat wave, you should not need a fan in a Parisian hotel room with working AC. The difference with AC in Paris versus the US is that the temperatures are not set as low as they are in the US (thank goodness) and that the systems may not be turned on until a temperature that is too high for you. The idea of anyone needing a fan in London is sort of hilarious to me but then again I like warm weather. Having been to London three times in summers, unless there is a heat wave, you should be fine. I'd buy the fan, if I even bought one, in Europe and that way I would not have to deal with luggage space issues and not have to worry about causing electrical problems for the hotel when my US appliance fried their system. A few years ago, in Bayeux, the part of the hotel where we staying in lost power because an American guest plugged something in using a travel adapter.
Do your hotels not have air conditioning, or are you worried that it will be inadequate? I've read the warnings, too, but I've had a/c problems only 2 or 3 times across perhaps 120-140 different hotels that claimed to be air conditioned. In one case the the central a/c was acknowledged to be broken. In a second, only room-temperature air was circulated, so I suspect the hotel was saving money by not running the chiller. The vast majority of the time my a/c has been fine. It may help that I stay mostly in budget hotels; it's easier to cool down a small room.
Yes the hotels have AC and I don’t think a fan will be needed in London but recent reviews of our Paris hotel have mentioned it did not really cool the room.
That would be my clue to book a different hotel if possible. We have always found AC in hotels to be adequate -- it is when you don't have it that you need a fan and those hotels usually have fans to provide.
Aah, that does indicate a possible problem, because I think it would be unusual for a hotel that considers itself air-conditioned to have fans on hand. But perhaps you aren't as heat-sensitive as those reviewers.
I'll give you my tip for surviving hot, muggy nights without a/c: Take a tepid shower upon returning to the room in the evening and perhaps again right before bed. I lived in Washington DC for several months without a/c, and the showers helped a lot.
And take good earplugs so you can open windows for ventilation (if mosquitoes are not an issue).
Are the reviews that the AC did not work or that it was not turned on? As mentioned above, hotels with AC will not have fans and that makes it really horrible for the heat sensitive when the AC breaks and the hotel staff does not get it fixed quickly. I have never had a problem with AC in Paris not cooling my room and neither has my husband who likes the room so cold that I have to use blankets.
I can only speak to one experience. In 2016 I spent 3 days in Paris, in August, and it was in the mid-90s each day. Fortunately our hotel (Hotel Elysee Mermoz) had very good AC. If you end up needing and buying a fan, rather than pack it home, perhaps you can "donate" it to the AC-less hotel front desk for future guests?
