Winter 7 days in Paris tour

Our first trio — self planned — was in mid-March and we loved it! Crowds light, weather tolerable to good. I wore a long puffer coat, good warm boots and wool socks most days but the day we went to Versailles we were down to shirtsleeves. We experience minimal rain and great food, long walks, not-too-crowded museums.

We traveled to Paris (and London) in mid-January years ago. Dress warmly and no problem, I remember the trip fondly.

I like the website wunderground.com for historical weather. Look at your week for last 10 years or so to get the idea and the possible variability.

The first time I went to Paris, I was there for the entire winter - end of Dec to end of March. (And I've been a couple of other times in the winter as well.)

Paris gets colder than Atlanta where I live, but not so much as to be unbearable. I've never seen it snow there, but it can be a damp drizzly cold and you will definitely be wearing heavy coats, scarfs, mittens and boots most of the time.

Do you hate chilly weather more than crowds or vice versa? That is what it all comes down to. If there are fewer crowds and lower prices, it might be worth the trade off if you are from a similar climate and don't have a problem with bundling up when you go out.

Not on a tour, but I've been in Paris in February. It was dark and dreary the entire time. Who knows what the weather will be next winter.

Keep in mind daylight hours.

Mid January sunrise about 8:30 am sunset 5:30 pm
Mid March sunrise about 7 am sunset 7 pm

It looks like RS Paris tours don’t start until mid February.

I spent a week in Paris the third week in March several years ago. Weather was great - sunny and we got by wearing a just a fleece or a hooded sweatshirt.

Daughter and I went last year in mid February to celebrate a milestone birthday. A bit of a whirlwind trip and I’m not sure we saw the sun at all but we absolutely loved it. Dressed warmly and carried a small bag for our coats and scarfs when shopping inside or in a museum. Loved the fact of no line ups at Resturants and warm dinners in cozy cafes with early bedtimes as yes, it got dark early. She is hooked on mid winter breaks after that trip. We also did the dinner cruise on the Seine which was so lovely , there was a small fireplace on the boat and with music and the food was really good.

I realize this response is prior to the months you suggested but I highly recommend considering December. Four years ago we did our first Rick Steves Tour - Heart of Paris the first week of December. If you are prepared winter it can be a wonderful time. Dress in layers and be prepared for rain in terms of a jacket, shoes, hat, gloves and scarf. Bonus - crowds were less than in peak months and stores had holiday decorations. We added on a few days traveling after the Tour and visited Christmas Markets in Strausbourg and Colmar.

It seems that weather patterns in most regions are never the same two years in a row. On the Tour Description page Rick Steves provides a chart showing the average highs; lows; and number of rain days. For Paris there is little temperature variation between December; January; and February. March average temps tend to be slightly warmer and average number of rain days are typically fewer.

For us putting up with weather is an easy choice versus crowds, but that will come down to personal preferences.

Friends went to Paris in March for a week and had beautiful weather the entire time.

I went in May and the weather was awful. Lots of rain. Cold or hot. I think i had one nice day out of a week.

You never know anymore. Weather can no longer be predicted.

I haven’t done Rick’s Paris tour in winter, but I’ve spent time in Paris during the colder months and actually enjoyed it more than I expected. January and February can be grey and chilly, but the smaller crowds are a real advantage — especially for places like the Louvre, Musée d’Orsay, and Versailles.
I’d suggest packing layers, a warm waterproof jacket, and comfortable shoes because Paris is still best experienced on foot. A rainy afternoon with a café stop can be quite charming too.
March might be my favorite of those months since you have a little more daylight and sometimes get some lovely spring days, while still avoiding the peak crowds. I think the trade-off is definitely worth considering!

In January 2012, I spent seven days in Paris as an independent traveler. Of the 24 trips abroad I have taken, my seven days in winter Paris probably rank in my top-five travel experiences. I felt like I had the city to myself. No crowds at any of the major sites, which were all open.

The weather was fabulous -- 40s and 50s during the day and 30s and 40s at night. Context helps explain my opinion, as you can see I'm from Chicago. For me 40s and 50s in January is balmy and far from the Arctic wastes of my home town.