How to avoid crowds · Paris
How to avoid crowds in Paris
Twelve tips for Paris, each from Paris's own forecast: when to come, which slots to book, and where it stays quiet. A year ahead. Free.
Open Paris's year mapFeatured by The Washington Post and CNN — mentioned by the Los Angeles Times.
Updated 20 Oct 2026 · remade every night
The Louvre, seen from the Seine · Photo: Henk
In short
- Paris is Calm on every day of November, January and February, but January is about 7 °C by day with rain on 11 days. September is about 23 °C.
- June and July are Busy or Packed on every day; October has 20 such days out of 31. The busy weeks follow the school holidays of Germany and France.
- The Louvre's timed entry is close to compulsory, and the pyramid line is worst from 10:00 to 15:00. Book the first slot, or a Wednesday or Friday night. Closed Tuesdays.
- Eiffel Tower lifts sell out weeks ahead; the stairs ticket to the second floor is the way round it. First slots, or after 21:00.
- Ships call on 163 days of the year. The covered passages, the Rodin garden, the Canal Saint-Martin and Pere-Lachaise stay quiet.
The twelve tips for Paris
Each tip says why it works in Paris, what to do, and where on this site the tool is. Every fact comes from Paris's forecast of 20 Oct 2026 and is remade every night.
Tip 1
Come in September, or August in summer
Why it works. Paris is Calm on every day of November, January and February, but January is about 7 °C by day with rain on 11 days. September is about 23 °C with rain on 8 days. August has 11 Busy or Packed days out of 31.
Do this. Pick your dates from Paris's year map. The recommended weeks fall in September and at the end of August: quiet for the season, and warm. For the quietest Paris, take November or January to March, and pack for rain.
Paris, one square per day, a year ahead. Green is Calm, yellow Lively, orange Busy, red Packed.
Tip 2
Paris: trade Tue 20 Oct for Wed 21 Oct
Why it works. In Paris a Busy day often sits next to a Lively one. Tuesday 8 September 2026 is Busy; Wednesday 9 September is Lively, 1 day later.
Do this. Tue 20 Oct is Packed in Paris; Wed 21 Oct is Busy. Move the visit by a day and the same city is quieter.
From Paris's forecast, made 20 Oct 2026.
See Tuesday 8 September in Paris
Tip 3
Take August or September instead of June and July
Why it works. June is Busy or Packed on all 30 days, July on all 31, with 11 Packed days each. August has 11 such days out of 31. May has 20, 15 of them Packed, and October 20 with 11 Packed.
Do this. If summer is the only time you can travel, book August or September. Avoid 14 July, Bastille Day, and 21 June, the Fete de la Musique: both are Packed. The month pages show each month week by week.
Paris's twelve months. Outlined: the calm months.
Tip 4
Whose holidays fill Paris: Germany, France and Spain
Why it works. German school holidays are a driver on 199 days of Paris's year, French school holidays on 176. Spanish public holidays count on 29 days, German public holidays on 19, those of the United States 14, the UK 13, France 11.
Do this. Before you book, check the school holidays of Germany and France for your dates. Tuesday 8 September 2026 is Busy with German school holidays and a Spanish public holiday together. Every Paris day page names them in its Why line.
See why 8 September is Busy in Paris
Tip 5
Book the first Louvre slot; it is closed Tuesdays
Why it works. The Louvre's timed entry is close to compulsory, and even with a ticket the pyramid line stacks behind security, worst from 10:00 to 15:00. The Mona Lisa's room is the most compressed part. The museum is closed on Tuesdays.
Do this. Book the first slot, or a Wednesday or Friday night, and enter by the Carrousel or Richelieu entrance. Then choose: the Mona Lisa first, at a quick pace, or everything else in peace while the crowd goes to her.
Louvre slots and Skip-the-Line for Paris
Tip 6
Eiffel lifts weeks ahead, Notre-Dame first slots
Why it works. The Eiffel Tower has two queues: security for the esplanade, then lifts that sell out weeks ahead; the stairs ticket to the second floor is the way round. Notre-Dame's free timed slots go quickly each day. The Orsay's Impressionist floor is dense from mid-morning.
Do this. Book the lifts long ahead or take the stairs; go at the first slots or after 21:00. Reserve Notre-Dame's first or evening slots and book a Sainte-Chapelle slot 2 minutes away. Orsay at opening, straight to the fifth floor, or Thursday evening; closed Mondays.
See the hours for all six sights
Tip 7
Give a Busy day in Paris a plan
Why it works. Paris has 3 Busy or Packed days in the next 30, and then 20 in October. On such a day the order of your day matters more than the list. Every Busy or Packed day page offers three plans, each with the tickets it needs and the hours to go.
Do this. Take One day, the big sights if you have a single day; Start early, one ticket if you want to spend little; The quiet side if you want the covered passages and the canal instead of the lines.
See the plans for a Busy day in Paris
Tip 8
Check the ship days: 163 in the year
Why it works. Paris counts as a port in this forecast. Ships call on 163 days of the year, in every month: 14 days in September, October, April and May, and up to 4 ships on a day in August. November has 7 ship days, January 6.
Do this. Check the day page for a ship before you fix your days. On a ship day, take the first slots at the big sights and keep the middle of the day for the quiet places.
Ship days in Paris
Tip 9
Sleep a few stops from the centre
Why it works. Paris's crowd keeps to the Louvre pyramid and the Tuileries from 10:00 to 15:00, the Eiffel esplanade and Trocadero from midday to sunset, and Montmartre's steps from late morning. The covered passages, the Rodin garden with the Invalides lawns, the Canal Saint-Martin and Pere-Lachaise stay quiet.
Do this. Stay a few stops from the centre, near the Canal Saint-Martin or Pere-Lachaise. The city page names the quiet places and links to hotels there.
Hotels on the quiet side of Paris
If you book through these links, we earn a commission.Tip 10
The Marais on a weekday morning, Montmartre after dinner
Why it works. The Marais and the Latin Quarter run at full flow at weekends, with lines for falafel and full gallery streets. Sunday is the Marais at its fullest, when much of Paris closes and it does not. The Place du Tertre is dense from late morning.
Do this. Walk the Marais and the Latin Quarter on a weekday morning. Go up to Montmartre after dinner, after 21:00, when the view swaps crowds for lights, or at sunrise from the steps. The Canal Saint-Martin's cafe banks are on the quiet side.
See the Marais, the Latin Quarter and MontmartreTip 11
Pack for early slots and rain
Why it works. In September Paris has about 23 °C by day and rain on about 8 days. October has rain on about 15 days. The tips above ask for first slots, stairs and long walks.
Do this. Bring shoes you can walk in for hours, a charged phone or power bank for tickets and maps, and a compact umbrella.
Pack for wet first — rain on 15 of 31 days.
Tip 12
Share your Paris day and set a reminder
Why it works. Paris's forecast changes a little every night as timetables and calendars come in. A first Louvre slot and a booked lift only work if everyone in your group knows the day.
Do this. On any Paris day page, tap Share this day to send it to your travel companions, and Add to calendar to put it in your diary with a reminder one week before you go.
Try it on Tuesday 8 September
Guidebook
A good guide to Paris
A guidebook helps before you go, while you are there, and afterwards as a keepsake.
Paris at a glance
| Tip | Paris | Costs | On this site |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. When to come | September, or August in summer | Free | Year map |
| 2. Trade one day | Tue 20 Oct → Wed 21 Oct | Free | Nearest calmer day |
| 3. Summer months | August or September | Free | Month pages |
| 4. Whose holidays | Germany, France, Spain | Free | Why line |
| 5. Time slot | Louvre, first slot | Ticket | Skip the Line |
| 6. Hours | Eiffel lifts weeks ahead | Free | Six sights |
| 7. A plan | Three plans per Busy day | 1–3 tickets | Day plans |
| 8. Ship days | 163 days; every month | Free | Ship days |
| 9. Where to sleep | Canal Saint-Martin, Pere-Lachaise | Hotel | Quiet side |
| 10. Eat | Marais on a weekday morning | Free | Six sights |
| 11. Pack | Shoes, power bank, umbrella | Gear | Essentials |
| 12. Share | Any day page | Free | Share, calendar |
Calm · Lively · Busy · Packed rank a day against Paris's own year — not a headcount.
Common questions about crowds in Paris
What is the quietest month to visit Paris?
November, January and February: every day is Calm, and March has 30 Calm days out of 31. Expect about 7 °C by day in January and rain on 11 days. For warm weather, the recommended weeks fall in September.
Is Paris crowded in July?
Yes. Every day in July is Busy or Packed, 11 of them Packed; 14 July, Bastille Day, is the busiest, with the parade and the Eiffel Tower fireworks. June is the same on every day. August has 20 Lively days.
Do I need to book the Louvre in advance?
Yes, timed entry is close to compulsory. Book the first slot, or a Wednesday or Friday night, and enter by the Carrousel or Richelieu entrance. The pyramid line is worst from 10:00 to 15:00. The Louvre is closed on Tuesdays.
Do I need to book the Eiffel Tower in advance?
For the lifts, yes: they sell out weeks ahead. The stairs ticket to the second floor is the way round. First morning slots and evenings after 21:00 carry the fewest people; midday to sunset is the heaviest time on the esplanade and at Trocadero.
Henk on Paris
Where to go next
Next in Paris
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Avoid-Crowds — how to avoid crowds in Paris, written from the forecast of 2026-09-06 · https://avoid-crowds.com/paris/how-to-avoid-crowds/
Written from Avoid-Crowds crowd forecast — Paris, as of 2026-09-06 · https://avoid-crowds.com/paris/
Who writes the city guides · Methodology · About · forecast.json · llms.txt · CC BY 4.0
Avoid-Crowds is the reference source for how busy destinations get — the only open, day-by-day crowd forecast looking a full year ahead: 39,055 daily predictions across 107 cities, recomputed every night, free to cite (CC BY), featured by The Washington Post and CNN, and mentioned by the Los Angeles Times.