If you're looking for flowers in bloom and mild temperatures, this is the time to find them. Bring a jacket, as daytime temperatures run from 55 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit. Take a stroll through Paris's scenic Latin Quarter on the Left Bank---the brisk movement will keep you warm, and you'll get to see bookstores, jazz clubs, independent boutiques, and a host of ethnic cafes scattered along the Boulevard St.-Michel.
Don't miss the Jardin du Luxembourg, where spring blooms bring out children, artists, lovers and anyone looking for a pleasant walk through avenue of newly green trees. At more than 60 acres, this is the largest of Paris's public gardens, with special activity areas for children that include a vintage carousel and open-air puppet theater.
Many Parisians take extended summer vacations to escape the heat, so you may find the city nearly empty of locals if you arrive in late July or early August. It won't be empty of tourists, however, as this is the high season for foreign travelers visiting the city. Time your visit to coincide with Bastille Day on July 14, and you'll get to see parades and street festivals organized for France's version of Independence Day.
A hot summer day is the perfect time to escape to an air-conditioned museum like the Louvre, the Musée d'Orsay, the Musée Picasso or the Pompidou Center. Make sure you also check out the Paris Summer District Festival, which runs from mid-July to mid-August. All over the city, districts stage shows that highlight the city's staggering range of artistic diversions. In 2009, scheduled events included hip-hop performers, modern dance troupes, a klezmer band, tightrope walkers and open-air theater performances. Some events are free, while others require tickets (ranging from 8 to 18 euros).
Airfare and lodging prices level off once the kids are back in school, but the weather in Paris remains beautiful, with temperatures ranging from 45 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit. It's also the start of the Parisian social season, with film, performing arts, and fashion premiers taking center stage. If you visit during the third week of September, take advantage of the Journée du Patrimoine, where hundreds of historic buildings and monuments are open to the public, for free, for two days.
There's no better time to tour Versailles, Louis XIV's magnificent chateau and gardens. Walk beneath a canopy of golden leaves in La Salle des Marronniers (Hall of Chestnut Trees), a beautiful grove dotted with classical statuary. Marie Antoinette's birthday is November 2, and you can commemorate the famous queen by viewing her bedroom exactly as she left it in 1789, at the start of the French revolution. Her influence can also be seen in the rustic Hamlet, a small cottage she ordered built, complete with barnyard animals, for times when she needed to escape the pressures of palace life.
