Everyone comes in spring and summer. But if you ask me, the best-kept secret is Paris between November and February — when the crowds thin, the city slows down, and it feels, for a few weeks, like it belongs to Parisians again.
The sights, without the queues
All the places I send guests to — Notre-Dame, the Louvre, even Versailles — are calmer in winter. You can linger under the arcades of Place des Vosges with barely a soul around, walk straight into a museum on a grey afternoon, and photograph the islands at golden hour without a hundred other people in the frame. The city you came to see is finally yours to enjoy at your own pace.
Long walks in the cold
Wrap up and let the cold work its magic. The parks are at their most romantic under a dusting of snow — the Jardin du Luxembourg and the Tuileries — and there's nothing quite like following the banks of the Seine as the light fades and the lamps come on. Ten minutes from the door, the islands and the quays turn into something out of a film.
A cosier kind of Paris
Winter suits this city. Café windows fog up, terraces trade parasols for heat lamps and blankets, and there's nothing better than ducking in from the cold for a long lunch or a thick hot chocolate — the one at Carette on Place des Vosges is a ritual of mine.
And the apartment is made for exactly this weather. Come home, sink into the sofa with a good coffee (bring back a bag of beans from Noir, my favourite roaster round the corner), cook an easy dinner in the kitchen, or curl up with a film — there's Netflix, Disney+, Prime Video and Apple TV. Draw the curtains, pour a glass of wine, and let the day settle. Some of the best evenings in Paris are the ones you spend in.
The festive weeks
From late November, the Marais and the grands boulevards light up. Shop windows turn into little theatres, there are Christmas markets and skating rinks across the city, and the whole neighbourhood glows after dark. It's a magical time to wander with no particular plan — just follow the lights.
And a few practical perks
The quiet months are kinder on the wallet, too: flights are often cheaper, the best restaurants have tables, and everything is easier to book at short notice. If you've dreamed of Paris but dreaded the summer crush, this is your window.
The perfect antidote to a grey day
And if the cold gets into your bones, this is exactly the season for my aquatic reset — an hour of warm water and weightlessness, then back out into the crisp Paris air feeling brand new.
November and February might just be my favourite times to hand you the keys. Come see the city the way I love it best — quiet, glowing, and entirely yours.