Paris in December

It will be cold and probably rainy. But you can still stroll and eat in sidewalk cafes, although you will be inside. You'll want hot drinks, and most Paris cafes make great hot chocolate. You can buy hot roasted chestnuts and crepes on the street. It gets dark pretty early, so your days will be short. But Paris is still wonderful and you can still have an amazingly good time.

Expect highs in the mid to high 40s during the day, and nights anywhere from the high 20s to high 30s. High humidity is a given, with fog and probably some ocassional rain. Overall, rather mild weather (although last year was much colder than normal). Except in some of the coldest parts of Europe, winter weather barely puts a dent in strolling and the sidewalk cafe scene. Most cafes have an awning (sp?) or large umbrellas to shield customers from precipitation and outdoor heaters to keep them warm. The short hours of daylight can limit sightseeing in the countryside, but have no effect in the cities, which are well illuminated. Paris is, of course, the "City of Lights".

Just pack for layers, and realize you are in PARIS!! Last November, as we came out of Notre Dame it started to snow. It was beautiful. The cold weather is just more reason to drink coffee and hot chocolate.

As Tom said, last year was colder than normal. We were there from 12/29 - 1/8 and we froze our tails off. I don't think it got over 34 degrees, and that was the warmest day! That said, we only got a little rain one day and it snowed one day. The rest of the time it was dry.

It was too cold (for us) to grab a crepe and stroll the streets. Every afternoon we had to go inside somewhere to get out of the cold and get something hot to drink (and maybe a choc. mousse or creme brulee... ;). We did find a couple of sidewalk cafes that had plastic around the perimeter and heaters. Was it the same as being there in the warmer weather? No, absolutely not. Did we stroll the streets anyway? Yes, but not as long. I think we used the metro more than we would have just to get out of the cold. The city was beautifully decorated for Christmas and as long as you prepare for the cold you should have a great time. I hope it is not as cold for you!

Extra cold and prob rainy, but to me Paris is terrific anytime you can go. If the rain is really bad just make it a museum day!

Hi
I was in paris Dec 08 it was wonderful, cold and rainy yes, but being from NJ it wasn't colder than what I was used to. I didn't find it to be as crowded as when I was there in June/july. Plus everything is decorated for the holidays and there are the christmas markets. I ate outside in a sidewalk cafes in Decemeber and a lot of them have heaters so you can still be warm but enjoy eating in a sidewalk cafe. Happy travels and enjoy