Paris at night?

Your question: "with sunset not until 9:30 pm, does that mean that it will not be dark until several hours later?"No, it won't be several hours after the 9:30 sunset, several hours implies 11:30 or midnight. It won't take that long for it to get dark enough for you to get a pretty good look at the City of Lights, maybe by 10:30, an hour after sunset.

I am not renown for pateince,, but this one really would try a saint.
Molly sunset,, means no sun, means dark...

Hi 5 James! Way to go!

Pat, my mother used to say the same thing, more or less! James, thanks for the explanation. I am guessing that the lights will start to come on at sunset (about 9:30 pm) but that if we really want to experience the city at night, we should plan to be out until about 11:00 pm. Does this sound about right?

Au contraire, Pat. Sunset means the sun is no longer visible over the horizon. There is still light for a while. Around here, it takes about a half hour or so after sunset to get truly dark.

I'm also looking forward to seeing Paris at night. I imagine, in October, the sunset will be earlier.
I hope October will get here quickly, because I can't wait!!

I also have a question about Paris at night and safety issues.

I am joining the Bike Tour at Night in Paris. They end around 11:30pm near Eiffel Tower. My hostel is located 10 minutes by foot from the Tower.

I am a single female traveler. Is it safe to walk back from the Tower to my hostel at that time?

Judy- it's mostly a fairly well-lit area. There are many unsavory types lurking about, but they are only interested in selling cheap Eifel Tower trinkets.

And on the question of light lingering after sunset... the farther one travels to the north, the more prolonged this effect. In Alaska during the late winter, I saw struck how much light lingered for almost 2 hours after the sun set below the southwestern horizon.

I just got back from Paris on the 16th and we really couldn't get over how late it stayed light out. It finally got dark enough for some good night pictures around 10:30. It's a great time to go to the Eiffel tower too - no lines and the pictures from the top level will turn out really nicely. Tip - learn how to say "leave me alone" (laissez moi tranquille) to all the guys with the glowing Eiffel tower trinkets.

Also try the Louvre on Wednesday or Friday night after 6 - we went on Friday and didn't wait in any lines, not even for a minute. We got good pictures of the Louvre during daylight and by the time we left it was dark and we got some good night shots too. (Bring a tripod!)

I was in Paris last week as well, and my experience is a bit different. On Tuesday night the line to the Eiffel Tower at 7pm was two hours long:( The next night at the Louvre, there weren't any lines at the ticket counters or security, but the museum was still packed with lots of school groups. The "Mona Lisa" wing was a nightmare...the worst I've ever seen it. But the other wings were more peaceful.

Judy, I took the FT night bike tour 2 yrs ago with a female friend . The area around the FT offices is a clean decent area, very resisdental,, which, frankly, made it a bit creepy to us as the streets were in fact deserted. We did not see anyone threating of course, but just being alone on a deserted street made us step lively,, but , the lively streets are only a few blocks away. You could likely find someone to walk with though, everyone on the tour heads either back on foot to the more lively areas ( in 7th) or they head to the metro( which is not deserted so not creepy) . There are most likely going to be a few on your tour that are single also. Have fun its a great tour.

Molly, climb atop the Arc about 9:15 or so and hang around up there for as long as they'll let you stay. I think they make everyone leave a little after 10..perhaps 10:30. Watch the twinkling Eiffel at 10; watch the cars go round and round below you and see the lights of the Champs-Elysee come on...a great place to be for an hour or so. Memorable.

Something worth knowing for seeing good views of night-time Paris ... visit the top floor of the Montparnasse tower. (It's in Montparnasse!!) If it's a clear evening, you'll get great views of the Eiffel Tower.

Roger

http://www.fermedecandeloup.fr

But since you are used to Eastern Time, it will really only seem like 5:30pm when it's fully dark in Paris.