Autumn in France/
France in the Fall

On this page ►

Pros and cons of Autumn travel

Paris and cities

Rural France

Autumn in France..... the pros and the cons

Of course, where there are advantages, there are also disadvantages. But generally speaking, when it comes to visiting France in the fall rather than the summer, the pros will outweigh the cons for many travellers.

The pros

• Price: hotels, gites, b&bs and even campsites that remain open may well offer cheaper rates from the start of September onwards. It is advisable to look around; sometimes the savings can be impressive, specially in tourist areas. On the other hand, hotels etc. in cities and beside main roads and motorways will not usually lower their prices just because it is no longer Summer.
• Availability: in resorts and in rural France, there is usually plenty of accommodation available. Booking in advance may be advisable, in order to get best rates, but those who prefer to just turn up and look for a hotel room wherever they happen to be, will not usually find everything full. On the other hand, local events can sometimes lead to accommodation filling up at specific moments.
• Weather: Late September and October can be pleasantly warm, notably in the south of France. Autumn rains are possible anywhere, but if high pressure sets in, long days with peerless blue skies are not unusual at this time of year.  Except on the Mediterranean coast, November is not a particularly good month for visiting France.
• No crowds: Visit sites, attractions, villages and monuments that remain open, without the crowds and queues of the summer months. Except in cities, driving in France is easier outside the peak holiday periods.

The cons

• Monuments and attractions: while museums, major monuments and attractions stay open for most of the year, the same is not true of less important sites. It may be impossible to visit castles or other smaller commercially-operated attractions, which cannot afford to stay open.
• Restaurants : in areas depending on tourism, many restaurants may be closed. On the other hand, those that remain open may well be the better ones, since they cater for locals, not just passing tourists.
• Weather : Days are shorter than in the Spring and the Summer, nights can be cool or even cold, depending on the location and the month, and from November onwards, grey and rainy days are common in most areas except the Mediterranean fringe.

Paris in the Fall

Paris in the Autumn is very much a working city; the French capital is like any other major world city, and it is also very much open for business for tourists throughout the year. Paris hotels remain open all year round, as do the city's museums, art galleries and other attractions. While there may be queues at major monuments in Paris any day of the year, from late September onwards, they will tend to be shorter than in the warmer months of the year.
   Paris is a fabulous city at any time of the year; but "Paris in the Fall" is just as attractive as the fabled "Paris in the Spring" . Along the Seine, on the Champs Elysées, along city avenues and in the public gardens, the flush of autumnal colours gives the city a different look.
    In addition, once Parisians are back in town, the city's cultural life gets back into full swing; Paris like any great city offers a full programme of cultural events, including concerts, cinema, opera, theatre, shows, ballet and other events to suit all tastes.
     The same is true, to a lesser degree, in other French cities; cultural life takes off again after the summer recess.
       Shopping is great from October to December, as shops stock up with the best and biggest range of items, in the runup to Christmas; while the sales take place after the New Year, competition ensures that there are plenty of special offers and bargains to be had in city shops in France in the weeks and months before Christmas.
      In the final weeks of Autumn (in France, Autumn finishes officially on 21st December, the Winter solstice), many French cities and towns - and notably Strasbourg, Paris, and Colmar - put on Christmas markets.

Autumn in rural France

For hikers, ramblers, nature lovers and other visitors who are just looking for peace and relaxation, late September to early November is ibe if the best times of year to visit rural France, particularly in the southern half of the country. Autumn colours come early in the more upland areas, while Autumn can be decidedly slow in coming to areas on the plains of Southwest France and around the Mediterranean.
   October is a particularly good time to visit sites such as the Cathar castles, the Camargue with its migrating birds, or the Ardèche gorge, or take a trip into the Pyrenees on the little yellow train. For those just wanting to enjoy the French countryside in the mellow fruitfulness of its Autumn colours, official and unofficial hiking trails tend to be deserted, except at weekends, and the same goes for monuments that are either still open for guided tours, or, like some ruined rural castles, open to all-comers. For an autum city-break, the Mediterranean resort of Nice is generally a good choice.
   
Villages that are reputed as "plus beaux villages de France" - places such as Saint Cirq Lapopie or Montflanquin, are no longer packed to bursting with busloads and carloads of tourists, and their car parks are almost empty, except at weekends. As long as the weather is good, this is the best time to visit them, at a time when window boxes are still decked with the last of the summer flowers, and many of the tourist shops and boutiques, except for those run by local craftsmen, are closed.
  In other French villages, those that do not normally cater for hordes of tourists, local cafés, restaurants and markets will have gone back to their slow ways, serving their local customers and a few passing travellers as they have done for many years. And here and there, farmers and producers will be offering fruit and vegetables and other local fare "en direct du producteur", or straight from the producer.
   In Autumn, after the harvests are in, the fields are tilled, the fruit is picked, the pace of life in rural France is distinctly slower and more relaxed. The evenings draw in, and in rural inns, roaring log fires will often be lit to greet the passing traveller.

Site guide ....	About-France.com	Tourist attractions
Maps of France	Paris	Driving in France
Visiting France	French  grammar	Regions of France

Click here for a detailed map of France, which you can scroll and zoom on any area.