France›Month by month

When to go

France, month by month

Where in France is at its best each month, and where to skip. Each verdict comes from the place's stated best season and the closures, weather warnings and festivals Tourisma has for it: in the middle of the season is a great month, its first or last month a good one; a weather warning (monsoon seas, smoke) moves a month down, a closure (a park shut, the boats stopped) moves it down to mixed at most, and a shut place is better avoided.

France in January

Plan January

At their best

No place is in the middle of its season this month.

Good, at the edge of the season

Mixed: Ajaccio (Corsica), Amboise (Loire Valley), Annecy, Antibes, Arles, Avignon, Bayeux (D-Day Beaches), Biarritz, Bonifacio (Corsica), Bordeaux, Cannes, Carcassonne, Cassis, Colmar, Disneyland Paris, Èze & Villefranche-sur-Mer, Gordes (Luberon), Honfleur & Étretat, Lourdes, Lyon, Marseille, Mont-Saint-Michel, Nice, Paris, Reims (Champagne), Saint-Malo, Sarlat-la-Canéda (Dordogne), Strasbourg, Versailles.

France in February

Plan February

At their best

No place is in the middle of its season this month.

Good, at the edge of the season

Mixed: Ajaccio (Corsica), Amboise (Loire Valley), Annecy, Antibes, Arles, Avignon, Bayeux (D-Day Beaches), Biarritz, Bonifacio (Corsica), Bordeaux, Cannes, Carcassonne, Cassis, Colmar, Disneyland Paris, Èze & Villefranche-sur-Mer, Gordes (Luberon), Honfleur & Étretat, Lourdes, Lyon, Marseille, Mont-Saint-Michel, Nice, Paris, Reims (Champagne), Saint-Malo, Sarlat-la-Canéda (Dordogne), Strasbourg, Versailles.

Can fall this month

  • Nice Carnival and Menton Lemon Festival

France in March

Plan March

At their best

No place is in the middle of its season this month.

Good, at the edge of the season

Mixed: Ajaccio (Corsica), Amboise (Loire Valley), Annecy, Antibes, Arles, Avignon, Bayeux (D-Day Beaches), Biarritz, Bonifacio (Corsica), Bordeaux, Cannes, Carcassonne, Cassis, Colmar, Disneyland Paris, Èze & Villefranche-sur-Mer, Gordes (Luberon), Honfleur & Étretat, Lourdes, Lyon, Marseille, Nice, Paris, Reims (Champagne), Saint-Malo, Sarlat-la-Canéda (Dordogne), Strasbourg, Versailles.

Better avoided

Can fall this month

  • Nice Carnival and Menton Lemon Festival

France in April

Plan April

At their best

No place is in the middle of its season this month.

Good, at the edge of the season

Mixed: Mont-Saint-Michel, Ajaccio (Corsica), Annecy, Antibes, Biarritz, Bonifacio (Corsica), Bordeaux, Cannes, Cassis, Colmar, Èze & Villefranche-sur-Mer, Gordes (Luberon), Nice, Saint-Malo, Strasbourg.

France in May

Plan May

At their best

Good, at the edge of the season

Mixed: Biarritz, Chamonix (Mont Blanc).

Can fall this month

  • Cannes Film Festival
  • Roland-Garros (French Open)

France in June

Plan June

At their best

Good, at the edge of the season

Mixed: Cassis, Marseille.

Can fall this month

  • Fête de la Musique
  • D-Day anniversary
  • Roland-Garros (French Open)

France in July

Plan July

At their best

Mixed: Ajaccio (Corsica), Amboise (Loire Valley), Antibes, Arles, Avignon, Bayeux (D-Day Beaches), Bonifacio (Corsica), Cannes, Carcassonne, Cassis, Disneyland Paris, Èze & Villefranche-sur-Mer, Honfleur & Étretat, Lyon, Marseille, Mont-Saint-Michel, Nice, Paris, Sarlat-la-Canéda (Dordogne), Versailles.

Can fall this month

  • Bastille Day (Fête nationale)
  • Festival d'Avignon
  • Les Rencontres d'Arles (photography)
  • Jazz à Juan
  • Fêtes de Bayonne

France in August

Plan August

At their best

Good, at the edge of the season

Mixed: Ajaccio (Corsica), Amboise (Loire Valley), Antibes, Arles, Avignon, Bayeux (D-Day Beaches), Bonifacio (Corsica), Cannes, Carcassonne, Cassis, Disneyland Paris, Èze & Villefranche-sur-Mer, Honfleur & Étretat, Lyon, Marseille, Mont-Saint-Michel, Nice, Paris, Sarlat-la-Canéda (Dordogne), Versailles.

Can fall this month

  • Les Rencontres d'Arles (photography)
  • Fêtes de Bayonne
  • Ganesh festival procession, La Chapelle (dates shift yearly)

France in September

Plan September

At their best

Good, at the edge of the season

Mixed: Cassis, Marseille, Mont-Saint-Michel.

Can fall this month

  • Les Rencontres d'Arles (photography)
  • Ganesh festival procession, La Chapelle (dates shift yearly)

France in October

Plan October

At their best

Good, at the edge of the season

Mixed: Mont-Saint-Michel, Annecy, Biarritz, Chamonix (Mont Blanc), Saint-Malo, Strasbourg.

France in November

Plan November

At their best

Good, at the edge of the season

Mixed: Ajaccio (Corsica), Amboise (Loire Valley), Annecy, Antibes, Arles, Avignon, Bayeux (D-Day Beaches), Biarritz, Bonifacio (Corsica), Bordeaux, Cannes, Carcassonne, Cassis, Chamonix (Mont Blanc), Disneyland Paris, Èze & Villefranche-sur-Mer, Gordes (Luberon), Honfleur & Étretat, Lourdes, Lyon, Marseille, Mont-Saint-Michel, Nice, Paris, Reims (Champagne), Saint-Malo, Sarlat-la-Canéda (Dordogne), Versailles.

Can fall this month

  • Christmas markets of Alsace

France in December

Plan December

At their best

No place is in the middle of its season this month.

Good, at the edge of the season

Mixed: Chamonix (Mont Blanc), Ajaccio (Corsica), Amboise (Loire Valley), Annecy, Antibes, Arles, Avignon, Bayeux (D-Day Beaches), Biarritz, Bonifacio (Corsica), Bordeaux, Cannes, Carcassonne, Cassis, Disneyland Paris, Èze & Villefranche-sur-Mer, Gordes (Luberon), Honfleur & Étretat, Lourdes, Marseille, Mont-Saint-Michel, Nice, Paris, Reims (Champagne), Saint-Malo, Sarlat-la-Canéda (Dordogne), Versailles.

Can fall this month

  • Fête des Lumières
  • Christmas markets of Alsace
All of FrancePlan a trip to France