Paris in August is a different city altogether...
still magic, but different. Traditionally, this is the month that Parisians leave for vacation. This is still true, although many Parisians now take only a couple of weeks during the summer, saving their vacation days for other times during the year. Still, Paris becomes noticeably calmer in August. Newly chic Montmartre is bustling with Parisians the rest of the year, so August is when we feel most keenly the slower pace of village life. August is when we feel most on vacation—even when we’re working.

Paris in August won’t exactly feel like your personal playground, but getting around is easier—the metro is less crowded, the lines at the museums are shorter. Many of the smaller shops and restaurants are closed, but a fair number stay open. You’ll find museums and department stores open, and less crowded than usual. Some parts of the city will be bustling with tourists, while others will be gloriously still and peaceful. And August is the easiest month to get a reservation in restaurants, though be sure to call ahead to find out their vacation schedules.

The Mayor has gone to great lengths in recent years to make Paris in August more fun, both for tourists and for residents who stay in town. The most lavish of the new amenities is Paris Plage. This beach in the center of Paris stretches for three kilometers along the Seine.

From mid-July to mid-August the road running alongside the river is closed to traffic. The cobblestones are strewn with imported sand, creating great urban sandboxes where kids play and grown-ups sunbathe. Café tables and chairs are hauled out, umbrellas sprout up, hammocks stretch between the treetrunks. The courtyard of nearby City Hall becomes a beach volleyball court. There’s even a pool, open to adults in the mornings and evenings, and kids the rest of the day. Picture yourself strolling with an ice cream in hand in the afternoon, then returning at sunset for an aperitif. And if you’re too busy sightseeing to get to the beach during the day, you have until midnight to enjoy it.

The parks, of course, are full of life. Stoll along the Coulée Verte, the elevated train trestle converted to a green walkway.

Wander on foot or bicycle through the Bois de Vincennes. Take a rowboat out on the lake in the Bois de Bologne. Or sit outside on a warm summer night and watch a movie in the Parc de la Villette (July through mid-August). Listen for music down by the river: last summer there was a Brazilian cultural festival featuring outdoor concerts by the Seine.

So what’s closed? Many neighborhood restaurants and little stores usually close for at least part of August. In Montmartre, our favorite boulangerie, La Flute Gana, and the trendiest restaurant, La Famille, were closed last August. But there’s an open boulangerie almost as wonderful nearby, and our favorite neighborhood restaurant—Un Zebre à Montmartre—is open all month. It’s the same all across Paris—some places close while others remain open.

As for the weather, August can be quite hot. But the apartment is cross-ventilated and cooled with a ceiling fan; if you like to swim, there is a wonderful indoor public pool just across the street. And the nights are balmy and perfect for strolling up to Sacré Coeur or down to the river.

Check out our special rates for August!