November Paris is grey, wet, early-dark and almost empty. For museums and cafés, there is no better month.
Weather#
| Typical | |
|---|---|
| Days | 10 to 11 °C |
| Nights | Around 6 °C |
| Rain | Frequent drizzle |
| Dark by | Half past five |
December is colder, brighter with lights, and busier.
The museum month#
The Louvre, the Orsay, the Orangerie, the Pompidou (check its renovation closure), the Rodin, the Marmottan. In November you walk into most of them, and the 3-day itinerary can take two museums a day without pain. First Sundays are free at many of them and busier.
What's on#
Armistice Day on the 11th, with the ceremony at the Arc de Triomphe. Beaujolais Nouveau on the third Thursday: every wine bar opens the new vintage at midnight and the next evening is a city-wide party. The Champs-Élysées lights and the department store windows in the second half of the month. Things to do in Paris.
Cafés, brasseries, covered passages#
The covered passages of the 2nd and 9th were built for this weather. Brasserie lunches run long. The onion soup and the chocolat chaud make sense for the first time all year.
Crowds and prices#
The low season proper. Hotels in the Marais and Saint-Germain are at their cheapest, and a table at a good bistro is a phone call away. Pickpockets do not take the month off; is Paris safe?
What to pack#
A warm, rainproof coat, a scarf, waterproof shoes, an umbrella that survives the Seine wind. Layers for over-heated museums.
Plan it#
Post your dates on Roavi Community and see who is around. Roavi has almost no Local Friends in Paris yet; browse who is on Roavi and post early. Meet other travellers in Paris.
Paris in November? Museums, brasseries, no queues. Find your people.
Post on CommunityFrequently Asked Questions
Is November a bad time to visit Paris?
It is the greyest month, not a bad one. The trade for the weather is the emptiest museums of the year and the lowest prices. If your Paris is the Louvre, the Orsay, bookshops and long lunches, November is close to ideal.How cold is Paris in November?
Highs around ten or eleven Celsius, lows around six, with drizzle rather than heavy rain. It is the damp and the early dark, not the temperature, that you notice. A warm coat and a scarf are enough.What is open in Paris on 11 November?
It is Armistice Day, a public holiday. Museums mostly stay open, banks and offices close, there is a ceremony at the Arc de Triomphe in the morning, and shops are open in tourist districts.When do the Christmas lights come on in Paris?
The Champs-Élysées lights are switched on in the second half of November, usually around the third or fourth week, and the department store windows on Boulevard Haussmann are unveiled around the same time.