Hi,
We have 2 weeks off at xmas and I am trying to decide whether to bring my children to paris and southern germany then or to wait till next summer. They have never been and I am trying to way the cons of the weather with the pros of %26quot;xmas is sooner so I would be there sooner%26quot; and cost. Any thoughts on how much the weather will effect our trip??? Thank you!
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Last summer we took our then 12 and 8 year old to Paris for 10 days, and they loved it. I am not sure if it would have been such a success if it was cold and rainy. While our kids loved the museums, the churches and the cafe´s, i believe it would have been difficult to keep them happy for the entire stay without the time spent in parks and playgrounds where they could just enjoy the lovely weather and meet other kids.
If you plan to visit Disneyland or Parc Asterix it may also be a better experience in nice weather.
Rowing a boat in the canal at Versailles as the fountains and music started, on a sunny afternoon, is often mentioned as the highlight of our trip when they talk about it, and would be impossible to experience during the winter months.
But i have never been to Paris in December, and there might be great possibilities for magic moments at that time of year too, like Christmas decorations?
And if deciding gets too difficult, why not let the adults go in December, and do %26quot;on-site%26quot; research for the June/July-trip with the kids? :-)
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I went to Paris last December and loved it. The crowds and heat, not to mention the humidity, of summer in Paris isn%26#39;t for me. I love the lack of crowds/lines and the cooler weather. Being from CT., it won%26#39;t be that cold to you; in the 40%26#39;s and 50%26#39;s most days. If it rained, it was for a very short time. So we used our umbrellas, no big deal.
And the Christmas decorations are spectacular! The shop windows are so clever and just really over-the-top. I highly recommend it.
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Thank you both for your insight. It is very helpful!! I like the idea of a %26quot;research%26quot; trip but the kids might be sad if we are gone for xmas!! I suppose Paris is fabulous no matter what! Thank you again!!!
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We took our kids to Europe in August/September 2004 (aged 8 and 10) and then again in December 2007/January 2008 (11 and 13.)
Despite the opposite seasons our time in Paris (5 days on the first trip and 10 days on the second) was remarkably similar. The big difference was in the time spent out of the city.
For us from a very warm part of the Southern Hemisphere Christmas during a REAL winter was a novelty and was the major reason for our trip at that time of year.
Although the temperature was significantly colder than my kids had ever experienced the only time it was an issue in Paris was in the evening. It got dark very early and we rarely went out at night. During our Summmer trip we were out until at least 10pm every night eating outdoors and just walking. We were regularly out until midnight which is VERY late for an 8 year old!
In January we had 1 night looking at the lights of the Eiffel tower and along the Seine until maybe 9pm but the rest of the time we were back in our apartment by about 7pm. We mainly ate in at night and occasionally visited restaurants near our apartment.
The shortness of the days was the major difference between our trips and could impact on your sightseeing time. But then again your family should be used to the weather and short winter days.
The other thing that my kids were surprised by was that in the middle of winter everything in the parks looks dead! We have very few deciduous trees in our area and although they have learnt about the leaves falling off they had never seen it on such a scale. We had to work hard to convince them that all the trees weren%26#39;t dead and that it would be green again in Spring. Our sub tropical garden looks the same all year round.
My daughter thought that Paris looked %26quot;sad%26quot; with no flowers, no green grass and bare branches. Again you should be used that but I still think that Paris is prettier in the Spring/Summer with everything in bloom.
We had similar amounts of rain (not very much!) on both trips and my kids still played in parks - the one behind Notre Dame was their favourite for some reason but most of our time during the winter trip was indoors.
We walked more in Summer as we found the weather to be extremely pleasant. Maybe we%26#39;re used to it or maybe we were lucky but it certainly wasn%26#39;t too hot for us. On the other hand during Winter we used the Metro constantly to escape the cold. However many visitors from North America find that the summer is too hot in Paris (read the obsession with air conditioning or the lack of it!) and that the winter is milder than their own.
Our time outside Paris was the big difference. During summer we hiked and sailed and swam and did outdoor things. During winter we skied, ice skated and sat inside around big roaring fires!
During Christmas there are lots of decorations and the atmosphere is fantastic. However during summer there is also a festive feel with fairy lights and carousels etc.
The weeks around Christmas/New Year are peak season. There are lots of tourists and apartment prices are often as high as summer.
I don%26#39;t know if my post has helped you or not. I suppose you need to decide what type of things you want to do and then work out what impact the weather has on those activities.
For me there is no wrong time to visit Paris.
Enjoy your trip whenever it is. HarleyB
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Southern Germany has Weinachtsmarkts but they%26#39;ll be shut down by Christmas. They%26#39;re active throughout Advent in case you%26#39;re there in the weeks ahead of Christmas. How old were the kids? Europe%26#39;s drinking age is not the same as the US, and it could be a good place to get them spoiled with the good stuff so that they%26#39;ll never touch the popular bad stuff. There%26#39;s also mulled wine at the Weinachtsmarkts.
June%26#39;s airfare may easily be double. But June%26#39;s sunlight lasts about twice as long in Paris %26amp; southern Germany.
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OOPS. Subject title says preteens. Please forget that I mentioned alcohol. Weinachtsmarkts would still be quite a spectacle.
Cold weather will be perfect excuse for delectable hot chocolates in the Weinachtsmarkts and also in Paris (eg Deux Magots, etc). It%26#39;s also good time to get Pot au Feu in Paris to warm up.
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Thank you again! Especially Harley B for all the time you put into the post. I really appreciate all the info and have a lot to think about. Thanks again!!!
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It cost is a concern I would choose July over June. Juen is peak season and hotels prices are at highest,, I find after the first week or two of JUly the prices dip and many hotels have %26quot;L%26#39;ete Promotions%26quot; ( summer specials) , prices then rise again in September.
I think longer days and ability to enjoy the outdoors in the summer make it preferable for young kids,, I mean, window displays etc may be nice, but not enough to keep the average 8 yr old entranced..
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Harley I thought your post had many good points and laid out interestig facts side by side.. ( I can just see your poor kids thinking all the trees are dead,, LOL )
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Joan my daughter was distraught about the trees!
My son was more interested in whether they had died because they hadn%26#39;t been watered or whether they had been poisoned or there had been a fire but my daughter was so upset when she thought they were dead.
They both thought we were just trying to make them feel better when we insisted they weren%26#39;t dead.
It seems quite funny now but it was a big deal at the time!!
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