Summer is a beautiful time to visit Paris, France – especially if you can make it earlier in the summer before you hit high tourist season. Sure, Parisian summers are busy with tourists, but local Parisians love summer in this beautiful city too, and most stay out late enjoying it. My first summer living in Paris I could not get over the extra hours of literal light the City of Light provided me every evening. The sun sets somewhere between 9:45 and 9:55 pm in Paris in June and July.
Summer nights in Paris are one of my favorite times of the year, despite the later sunset meaning there are few less rounds of Eiffel Tower sparkles. The sparkle sacrifice is worth it, trust! The City of Light comes and stays alive late into the evening, and everyone partakes. You’ll find bustling café terraces, families playing in the parks of every arrondissement, friends having a picnic along the banks of the Seine, and full Bateaux Mouches riverboat cruises crossing under the many bridges filled with pedestrians and Parisian street performers.
While living in Paris, I often joked that even though the summer solstice officially marks the start of the season, summer in Paris doesn’t actually start until you spot these five sure signs. This is what summer is like in Paris.
5 Sure Signs of Summer in Paris
Light, crisp wines on terrace tables
Paris terrace season has already been in full swing for a while – that starts at the very first peek of spring- but you’ll see the color of the wine on café tables switch in the summer. Locals Parisians’ wine orders will gravitate towards light and refreshing options like Sancerres, Crémants, and Rosé. I’m not going to lie, it still brings me great joy to see a table of elderly French men sipping rosé together.
Sunbathing along Paris Plages
“Le Paris Plage” has been hosted by the City of Paris every summer since 2002. From June to August, Paris plages (beaches) pop up along the Seine and canals, complete with sand, palm trees, chairs, and umbrellas and are free and open to the public to enjoy in the summer sun. Once the plages are staged throughout the city, Parisians in all shapes and sizes are out sunbathing in their swimsuits. As a visitor, this might feel like a funny sight in the middle of a busy city of first glance, but is truly a rite of passage for a Parisian summer, and made me feel right at home coming from Charleston beaches.
Berthillon ice cream
Once July hits, “Berthillon” is suddenly in everyone’s vocabulary and dripping down most kid’s arms. Berthillon is a a special type of ice cream made exclusively on the island of Île Saint-Louis with all natural ingredients (no chemical preservatives or sweetener) and named after the family who have been producing it since 1951. Coming to the city’s small island for a scoop on a sunny day is a Paris family tradition! I like to eat mine while people watching on the nearby Pont Saint-Louis pedestrian bridge.
Tourist asking about AC
Even sweat stains can be made chic in Paris, where the use of AC is still fairly rare. This is a fact that remains true in many large European cities, not just Paris. European summers are warm, but they don’t typically reach the high temperatures of the American South, proving less of a need for air conditioning. Even with the temps rising in recent years, many French people still view AC as an unnecessary, planet-destroying luxury, or they just think the units are ugly. Seriously, some French building have regulations against adding an AC units because they would ruin the architectural integrity of the building. Don’t be that tourist surprised by the lack of AC. Instead, pack light and breezy layers, extra deodorant, treat yourself to a drink, and remember even the chicest French person sweats and its fine.
No green chairs to spare
The brightly-painted iconic green chairs that can be found in the gardens of Luxembourg, the Tuileries, and Palais-Royal have been around since 1923. The Paris Parks Department came up with this design and began placing these bright, metal chairs throughout the different gardens, hoping their weight and color would prevent them from being stolen and making their way into Parisians apartments. It worked! Over a century later, one must partake in the very Parisian tradition of sitting, reading, or napping in one of these green beauties between visiting the Louvre or rummaging through bookstores in the Latin Quarter. Just know that in the summer, that’s what everyone is likely doing on a beautiful day, so you have to guard your green chair like a hawk, otherwise the nannies, au pairs, and French children ruling the parks may snatch it up.
Don’t let people tell you Paris in the summer is overrated. Go early and enjoy it as you walk along the Seine with both tourists and locals. As days stretch out longer, the City of Light truly comes alive, and you’ll spot all five of these Parisian summer signs if you stroll the streets or linger over an afternoon picnic. As you do this, appreciate how the city’s iconic landmarks glow in the sunlight and create picturesque scenes at every turn that make you feel like a main character, even if you’re just walking to the grocery store. That’s the Paris magic.
