Paris in January

We spent the first week of January there this year. It was rainy and overcast many days, but the rain was never heavy enough to really be a problem for us. We spent most of our times in museums anyway. I would absolutely go in January again.

Scotchgard your shoes, pants from the thigh down especiall the back from the knee down, also shoulders and back of your coat. Don't be tempted to take the metro everywhere, Pairs is best seen from the sidewalk. Enjoy your trip! J

Rain pants and waterproof shoes are great. I don't care if it's not stylish. It works.

Ten years ago, we decided to brave it and went to Paris the beginning of January for 9 days. It wasn’t much different from our Seattle winter weather. We had a few rainy days and a few dry, sunny but cold days. We just wore our lined, hooded, knee-length rain coats and waterproofed our shoes/boots.

In addition to the cold and rain, there wasn’t a lot of daylight that time of year. That didn’t bother us either. Since we’d been to Paris before, we were happy to concentrate on indoor activities. We had lots of museum time and one evening we went to the ballet at Palais Garnier. Highly recommend! We did venture out to Versailles one gloriously sunny morning. It was very cold waiting in the security line but the payoff was that we got to enjoy a (relatively) empty Hall of Mirrors.

Weather is always a crap shoot. You might luck out and have some sun. In Paris this past April, we had snow!

Paris is wonderful in Jan-Feb, far fewer tourists and lines. We walked right into the Orsay, Louvre, Versailles with no one in front of us. Had the Hall of Mirrors to ourselves. Airfare and hotels are also less expensive. It’s actually my favorite time of year to be there.

I would not exactly recommend your renting a car and touring the Luberon during January, but visiting Paris is wonderful, even in the winter. The restaurants, museums, concerts, shopping, are all operational, and you always have the metro for traveling about away from the rain.

I've visited Paris many times in January and yes, many gray days, but some bright & sunny too. Not a lot of rain (I've had much rainier times there in the fall). Yes, it's cold, wear a hat and dress in layers to peel off in the museums, cafes, etc. The best part - not as many people!!!! Great time for museums visits :-). Enjoy!

Thanks, everyone! We'll prepare for cold and rain with layered clothing, hats, gloves and some serious rain gear so we'll be ready for anything. We're relieved to hear that so many of you have enjoyed winter in Paris and that it's even a favorite time of year. We're looking forward to this trip. Thanks again.

I've never particularly bothered about rain gear in January. It's not just that it doesn't rain that much, but it will potentially be cold enough that you're spending most of the time indoors. A folding umbrella will suffice. You may want waterproof shoes, but even then probably only if it snows, which is increasingly unlikely.

Cold weather gear yes, but not layers. Layers are great for country walking and other outdoor activities, but it's a lot more convenient in a city to wear a heavier coat than normal, and just normal clothes under it. You don't want to be the person who has to divest three layers in a restaurant, making the place look like a charity shop.

Growing up in Illinois around snow and cold weather, Paris in January isn't miserable. But to those who hate colder weather, it won't be heaven. But you won't need to really worry about snow (unless you're that unlucky) But let the lack of crowds be a great addition. Personally, Paris works for me all year round.

I did Paris in early December and yes, it was cold and rainy the whole time. So you just accept and prepare. And you're in Paris!

Also keep in mind the early sunset, I knew it was coming but man when it's 5 or 6 PM and already dark it can weigh on you.

But that’s the beauty of Paris even when sunset is at 5:00 pm. Paris is never dark. It’s lit up every where a tourist will be, it’s still full of life and sparkle and it’s still beautiful and enchanting.

I’m with Simon on not wearing layers. Just one very warm coat. I wore layers in NYC in the winter and quickly learned it was a big mistake. Every time i went indoors anywhere i had to take many layers off and hold them all. You need a carry bag for everything you take off., which i didn’t know to have with me for that. Then to go back outside you have to put all your layers back on. It got old very fast. One warm coat works much better imo.

Thanks again for the solid advice, everyone. I'll be on the lookout for a good warm coat when REI and Sports Basement have their after-winter sales. I grew up in Hawaii so I'm a bit cold adverse so I'll be looking for a knee-length down coat that's similar to an old Northface ski jacket (I don't ski) that's kept me nice and toasty in the most inclement weather for 25 years. I've been looking online and it's hard to find a down coat that has a thick, rain-resistant outer shell rather than thin nylon, which won't do even in light rain but I'm sure I'll find something that will work. A nice wool coat just won't cut it for me. Oh how I wish it would. It's good to know that Paris will be lit up when the sun goes down, making it more enticing to be out and about at night.

“making it more enticing to be out and about at night.” Really true Adrienne, it’s very fun to be out after dark in Paris. So much life still going on.

Have you checked LLBean and Land’s End for a coat?

Our first trip to France was in February. It was chilly, but nothing really different than here in Seattle. We loved it, and there were no lines for anything.

Thanks for the LL Bean and Lands End suggestion, Susan. I can see that they have some really nice down coats that would really work for January in Paris and I won’t have to wait for a sale because they’re also nicely priced.

I’m feeling confident that I’ll be well-prepared for this trip and will enjoy winter in Paris as many of you already have. Thanks again.

My birthday is in January and Paris is my favorite city, so of course we had to go for a birthday trip a few years ago. We enjoyed it very much and lucked out in that the weather was dry, not a lot of sun but at least it wasn't terribly cold or rainy. We focused on sights that we'd never seen before plus a few of my absolute favorites. It was my 4th trip to Paris & my husband's 3rd, we were in our mid 60s at the time. Go for it and definitely enjoy Paris at probably its least crowded time of year.

I’m grinning at some of the layers comments - I guess we all think of “layers” differently. I have a marvelous warm, mid-calf length LL Bean coat that has served me well for these kinds of trips for over 20 years. It’s light-weight yet very warm because it uses “Thinsulate™ Insulation”.

Under the coat, I wear a medium-weight top with a light (cardigan type) sweater over that. The museums can be rather chilly during the winter and once you’ve checked your coat it is nice to have that cardigan layer on (for me anyway). If a restaurant is too warm I can shrug off the cardigan onto the back of my chair — without looking like a charity shop LOL

Happy belated @Diana - my husband and I have the same bday in late January and we’ve celebrated a few in Paris!

there are videos on YOutube where people discuss how to dress for cold, sorry guys but layers are the clear winner. however there is dispute about what those layers should consist of. watch and decide.

LOL @ phread -- I say they should consist of whatever works for you LOL

Phred. Layers work for me assuming that I'm going to be outside in the weather for any length of time. Putting on 4 layers of clothing, walking 2 minutes to an overheated cafe, taking three layers off, then putting them back on before walking to the metro where I have to take two layers off, then putting them back on for a 3 minute walk to a museum, where I have to take three layers off.....

I'm going to be spending more time dressing and undressing that actually doing stuff. That's why I wear a big coat over normal clothes.

If you are a cold weather person and live in Minnesota or Alaska, fine, go in January.

Personally, I don't like the cold and the short days in Europe in the Winter. If you want to do museums, OK.

I'm neither pro layer nor con, just saying that one day the all-knowing YT algorithm coughed up some of those videos about layers and people were REALLY getting into it. I couldn't look away. Each to their own.

Oh and even if you ARE pro layer, there is heated debate (pun intended) about whether to use cotton, or merino, or silk, or fleece or whatevers.