Which month is better... May or July

I'd take May in a heart beat especially if it meant I could fly business class. Jul and Aug are the busiest and most crowded. Also more likely to have very hot temperatures. Europe isn't big on a.c. So it can get uncomfortable and affect your desire to see everything you want. May temps are cooler and you may have some showers (we got those in Jul as well) so don't forget to bring a light rain coat.

Other advice, skip Rouen and add Giverny - Monets house and garden.

You might also add some chateaux - Versailles but also many others. Last time I considered a Paris trip I found several one day tours from Paris.

Buy Rick Steve's Paris guide. I like his pocket guides but in this case you can get a more current one if you wait until Jan 2021 when the next update comes out.

The differences would be weather and crowds and maybe prices. May would be colder and wetter (but not necessarily cold and wet), with fewer people and lower prices. I think May would be nicer for those reasons.

I can't think of any reason to go in July if you can go in May. It will be cooler and maybe a little wetter, especially in Normandy, but not likely enough to make much difference. And not as hot, which can be a real summer problem in Paris. And certainly not as crowded. I think there's a big holiday in May that you might have to work around. July has Bastille Day, which I've never experienced but would like to, but I wouldn't time a trip just for that. Days will be long enough, though not as long as early July. The airfare and business-class seating are frosting on the cake.

Also make sure you know what Air France business class is. It's nice but might not be what you're expecting. I have it booked for a Sep 2020 tour that isn't likely to happen and I'm happy with it but it isn't the same as bc on Delta. If you Google the aircraft model along with business class Air France you'll likely find YouTube videos. That's what I did.

There’s almost no place in Europe that isn’t better in May than July. Definitely pick May, you’re getting the longer days with fewer crowds.

There's a perceptible uptick in ridership on trains in July because the French themselves are on the move. I had trouble finding a place to store my suitcase, which was too unwieldy for me to lift overhead.

From a weather standpoint, I'd expect Bayeux, Mont-St-Michel and Rouen (which I liked a lot) to be better in July, but there's always a possibility of an unpleasant surprise. In late June/early July last year I ran into two or three days of 90+F temperatures in Brittany, so you just never know.

Edited to add: These are the May holidays:
May Day, May 1
VE Day, May 8
Ascension Day, May 13
Pentecost, May 23
Whitmonday, May 24

Someone on this forum previously mentioned that a lot of things were closed in Paris on VE Day, including grocery stores and some restaurants. I found there was no public transportation from the Nice airport into town on May 1, 2017. The city's streets were nearly dead, with most restaurants closed. Other than that, I haven't noticed issues on the May holidays during my two recent trips to France.

The best time to travel is months after an effective vaccine is distributed to the world. That's it. It's not the complicated.

Otherwise, May beats July by a landslide for reasons mentioned above and more.

May! May! May! We always try to visit in April and/or May. Early June is okay. Weather in May is springtime weather. Always preferable to hot, crowded summer vacation days. Hope you have a great trip!

May
All day
All the way
You dig?
One day in May is my birthday

May, yes
But Disneyland?, why?

May is wonderful! I have been in Paris in May a few times, including two years ago. Cooler temperatures were fantastic. Walking around Paris sweating in July is not pleasant. Also, in May there were far fewer tourists. No question about this: go in May!

Id definitely go for May aswell, the weather is still great and less crowds win win

I will add to the chorus by saying May (which may also be helpful for your daughter if she wants to work/intern/study uninterrupted during the summer).

1 May is the biggest holiday to watch out for -- no public transport outside of Paris (where it will run on a Sunday schedule), most shops and restaurants closed, nearly all museums closed -- but it doesn't sound like you will be traveling on that day anyway.

Thank you all for the helpful advice about May!

It seems like the better time to go, for sure. :)

And as for why Disney? Because my family all likes Disney, especially my kids. We have been blessed to visit DisneyWorld a few times, and my daughter is very excited to see Disneyland Paris. Her sister, my older daughter, is really jealous that she will see Phantom Mansion before her. LOL

And you were right to check on the plane seats. The prices/features are definitely not the same. So I will have to probably bite the bullet and pay more for some business seats, so that I don't arrive with pinched nerves in my back and neck. At least I have another year to keep saving money, which I've been doing for three years already.

It does help that most of the Airbnbs look to be cheaper in May. Makes me wonder if the tours are also cheaper. Or the train tickets.

I was planning on driving to MSM, but now I'm actually thinking about looking for transportation from bayeux. We are staying for a night, so I'm worried that there is nothing that drops you off one day and brings you back the next. That is my next research project.

Anyway, thanks again!! I have been using Rick's books to plan this trip for over a year, and now have to rethink things with a completely different month and travel days of the week in mind. But I am a person who loves to plan!!

I may be writing for advice again, and I appreciate the help and patience.

I will add to the chorus for May......lovely month in France. The 3 times we have been there we always make it a point to try and go before Memorial Day......when the tourists seem to come out in droves. The flowers are blooming, the weather is nice.....go then. We have been in France in July when there was a heat wave and nearly died.....had to strip down each night and wash our sweat-filled clothes out to hang and dry for the next day.......thankfully we had hotel AC but it was pumping throughtout the night! We loved Bayeux (charming town, lovely cathedral, the tapestry), drove to MSM and spent a magical night on the island (bucket list item and so worth it) and thought our day visit in Rouen was worth it to see its cathedral and Main Street walk through the old town.....have a great trip!

I'm glad that you chose May.

Train tickets are not cheaper in one month than another, but the discounted fare tickets sell out much faster so it seems more expensive in the busier times.

You can probably get somewhat cheaper Disney packages in the periods before schools break up in July.

Another that is glad you chose May. It’s not as warm, prices are generally cheaper, and there are fewer tourists. Was at Disneyland Paris in 2004 when it was half price admission after 5pm. We saw everything and went on every ride at the park. Essentially, we were disappointed since it was so small. Hopefully more attractions have been added since then.

I'd be surprised if you could find any kind of tour from Bayeux to MSM that stayed at MSM overnight. There are all-day tours but (based on others' accounts) I think they would be rushed and the Mont crowded in midday. Why not rent a car and just drive over there and back? Driving in France is easy outside the big cities. Use Via Michelin to plan your route.

Go in late May. I would avoid July due to crowds and heat. There have been heat waves in recent years.

Because it's France, make sure you research any impending labor strikes during your dates. When we were in France in December, the transportation strikes caught us off-guard- no trains, buses, flights on the specified days. The dates had been posted 6 weeks in advance, but we were ignorant of the ongoing French labor situations. Hopefully our ignorance is your gain.
Have a great trip!

I spent a week in Paris in mid-May and it was lovely--not too crowded and just a bit of rain one morning.

May can be hot, or it can be beautiful, or it can be cold. I was there early May and it was cool and rainy. A few weeks later (the end of my trip), it was really nice. I went to Burgundy and felt early May was too early to visit but that wasn't true of Paris, you can visit anytime.

July is pretty much always hot and much more crowded. I avoid high season for the crowds as much as the cost.

What you see is based on your personal interests. Rouen has an extensive medieval center. If you're interested in that, it can't be replaced by Giverny. Giverny, on the other hand, is a beautiful garden and great for art lovers. What do you like most?

I was at MSM in late September; it was only somewhat crowded. I'd expect similar in May. In July, it will be crazy crowded and likely not as enjoyable. It's not far to St. Malo from MSM, it might be worth a half day to visit the walled city, again much less crowded in May than July.