Paris in August

My family was in Paris at the beginning of August 2007 and again in 2009. My advice: don't worry. Not all the locals are gone. A few restaurants/hotels will be closed, but not the majority. You will have a great time. As to the weather though, in 2007 it was actually chilly and overcast/rainy the whole three days. In 2009 it was warm/hot and sunny. I'm guessing probably a 25-30 degree F temperature difference between the two visits, at almost exactly the same time frame each year!

Most every trip I have taken to Paris in last 15 years or so ,,, is either in July, or August.. (its the way it works for my scheduling also).

It is fine. Everything does not close down.. and not all locals go away,, for goodness sake, not everyone can afford to go,, and not everyone has "a house in the country"either. I will tell you, my Parisian relatives do leave,, but they would not mingle with tourists anyways, so you are missing nothing, LOL
True, a few small restaurants/shops close, especially family run ones, but in a city of thousands,, you will not starve.

No major sites close at all, although there seem to be few special exhibits planned for summer months.

As for tourists,, there will always be tourists,, but certainly not all Americans,, I have stood in lines and listened to chatter around me in German, Italian, Spanish,Japanese, and a few languages I couldn't identify,, its very international.

I don't do the "living as a local thing", but I am sure you will have fun cooking and cleaning just as much in August as you would in May,, work is work to me.. LOL

Since you have two weeks, I suggest you at least do an overnight in London. Its worth it,, and I love Paris,, so for me to concede to any time away is saying something.

I also suggest you buy your Eurostar ticket as soon as they become available online for your dates. The prices do NOT go down as time goes on.. Tickets usually become available 90-120 days out. You should be able to get return tickets for a reasonable price, last summer I think I paid 60 GBP. When booking look at tue, wed and thurs trips, rates seemed cheaper on those days, and avoid rush hour trains.. just play onsite to find best price.
Eurostar is so convenient,, city center to city center in 2.5 hours,, its great.

As for day trips out of city, Versailles seems an obvious choice,, and it should be. It is a lovely daytrip, take a picnic, spend time in the gardens, visit Marie Antionettes Hamlet..

It's fine! Actual Parisians still remain in August! A lot of folks take their vacation in July - and people are returning in late August for "la rentree" (back to school).

It can be pretty darned hot, so check the weather and don't be surprised if you end up in shorts and tank tops.

Touristy spots in Paris are ALWAYS touristy, too - we just got back from a week in Paris between Christmas and New Year's, and the "hot spots" were fairly packed. So don't let that bum you out.

The neighborhood you'll be staying in is wonderful, as well. Le Marais is absolutely delightful! Don't miss le Carnavalet - it's a museum devoted to the history of Paris, and it is FREE. Also in le marais - boutiques, cafes, and what's left of the medieval street plan of Paris. Cannot be enthusiastic enough about le Marais!

Cooking in the apartment - super idea. The Euro cost $1.41 last time I checked, and so it is pricey to eat out. Don't be afraid of going to Monoprix or Franprix for groceries, either. You will be pleasantly surprised at the quality of the produce and cheese and bread, etc., and the prices are often much less than "colorful" outdoor shopping streets.

That being said, do not miss Rue Cler. Rick's absolutely right about it. It rocks!

Having done the Paris/Londond side trip deal - via the Chunnel - I think I would advise that you not make it a "day trip" to London. If you've got 15 days, I'd suggest planning to spend at least one night in London. It is, after all, a massive and amazing city. Plus, the trip is long enough that you'd be utterly exhausted if you tried to cram it into one 24-hour period - if, in fact, that is even logistically possible!

Other side trips outside the city that I'd recommend include Versailles (the gardens are amazing in the summer - check to see that you'll be there when the fountains are going, and do splurge on the Royal Apartments) and Chartes - a delightful village, plus such an amazing, amazing cathedral.

Tracy, we were in Paris the first week of August. We actually like it a lot, the weather was nice around 25 degree Celsius, they we're still a lot of tourists but not that crowded, and from a lot of different countries too. I would definitely go again at that time of the year. For a few days London is great idea, but Normandy is very beautiful and only a few hours away by train. Have fun!

Thank you all so much! I'm very excited about the trip, and all of your comments are just making me more enthusiastic. I especially appreciate your thoughts on London. We've not booked the flight yet, though we've reserved the apartment; perhaps we will fly into London and spend a few days there first, and then fly out of Paris. I've been obsessively watching flight prices, so I feel like this might actually be economical (or at least 'not cost more money but cost more time'--and we have lots of time!) I'll be posting a 'where to stay in London' question in a matter of days. (hours?)

Tracy - As others have said, you have nothing to worry about. Our first trip to Paris was the first week of August 2006. After arriving in Germany during a heat wave, Paris was downright pleasant to sometimes chilly. One thing I thought was really fun being in Paris that time of year is they turn a section of the right bank of the Seine into a beach. I guess that's for the locals who can't leave town! Anyway, we bought a pass for the batobus (boat bus) and it was a great way to get around. Do a river boat (batobus or other) after it gets dark. It is beautiful. There were people dancing on the banks and music. Lots of fun!

Last year we got an apartment for 10 nights over New Years. I loved having a place to spread out a little and to be able to cook. We saved a lot of money by not having to eat all of our meals out and I enjoyed being in the kitchen cooking while looking out at Notre Dame in the distance.

I'm sure you will have a fantastic time!

My husband and I spent 4 days in Paris on Aug of this past year. We had similar concerns but could also only travel then.

Certainly everything was not shut down but there was a lot of really small local places closed. It was actually amusing because they had small handwritten signs with cute messages to locals. The only time we had a problem was that we needed to do laundry and the laundry mats were closed.

Be sure you get the museum pass - this is KEY to everything you do that involves touristy in Paris. Also be sure to picnic in the park around the Eiffel Tower that was our favorite thing to do.

The real downside to Aug was not that Parisians are gone but that it seems that every other person on earth had decended upon Paris. I thought I was prepared for the crowds of tourists but I was totally not. If you want some tips or my thoughts on dealing with that send me a PM and I'll let you know.