Willy LabreWhen to visit Paris
There truly isn’t a bad time to be here, and each season offers its highlights.
In December and January, the Grand Palais – a recently-renovated building built at the turn of the 20th Century – hosts the largest indoor ice rink in France (3,000 square metres) under its large glass dome with morning, afternoon and evening sessions.
Safety tips
Phone grabbing or pickpocketing in the Metro are your most notable day-to-day risks. In the centre, ignore anyone asking you to sign petitions (they’re fake) or play a game with cards or plastic cups – these are distraction ploys.
European emergency number: 112
SOS Médecins (Doctor): +33 147077777
Spring is arguably Paris’s best time. The enormous Parc de Sceaux, south of the city, has its own bursting of cerisiers (cherry blossoms) in April. As soon as it gets warm, the Buttes Chaumont and the Quais de la Seine are crawling with picnickers. Buy a bottle from a cave (wine cellar) and squeeze between groups.
The first day of summer, 21 June, is World Music Day, and the city becomes a cacophony of bands, musicians, singers and parties. Bastille Day is 14 July, which means fireworks. August is a dormant month in Paris – French people take les vacances seriously and take several weeks off. During this month, every restaurant and bar opening hours should be checked. For those in town, there’s Paris Plage (on the right bank of the Seine, the Canal Saint-Martin and the Bassin de la Villette): river- and canal-side deckchairs and sun umbrellas, sporting activities, games and pop-up outdoor swimming.
Autumn brings back-to-school energy in September – dubbed “la rentrée“, meaning lots of new exhibition openings and good energy post summer relaxation.
Paris is steeped in its history, and that carefully maintained relationship to its past is a special one – especially as modern cities see relentless turnover and developmental change. Paris’s prominent past and bountiful traditions are worth savouring, but those who are making Paris a dynamic, delicious and creative contemporary place today are not to be overlooked. Paris attracts an international crowd, and the art, cuisine and tourism services reflect this, showcasing ever-expanding ways to reinvent French culture.
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