How to Escape the Paris Heat: No Easy Feat

(But yes, it's possible!)

If you’re planning a trip to Paris in the near future, you might find yourself somewhat alarmed by the recent weather reports – for the last two weeks, Paris has been in the high 30s and 40s (that’s 99 -100  degrees Fahrenheit, folks), even reaching an astonishing, sizzling 108* on Monday. Add that to the fact that the vast majority of Paris remains sans air-conditioning, and you’ve got quite a conundrum on your hands: do you still go?  

Ten years ago, this kind of weather would have been unheard of in Paris – which is why, unlike in the US, most shops, restaurants, and even hotels lack air conditioning. But over the last few years, Paris has been experiencing massively intense heat waves in the summer (so much so that they even have a name for it now – a canicule) and this summer has reached all-time highs. So what’s a weary Paris traveler to do? How can you escape the heat when people are literally boiling eggs on the streets of Paris? Should you cancel your trip?

Never fear! I just spent a week in Paris during the canicule, and I’ve got all the secret spots and hot tips (pun intended 😉 ) for escaping the Paris heat and staying cool. Don’t cancel your trip – you CAN make the best of this and still enjoy your time in the most extraordinary city in the world.

Hot Tip # 1: Be strategic about your daily plans:

Unlike in the US, the hottest part of the day in Paris is often NOT midday; because the sun doesn’t set until 10:30 or 11 PM, the temperature spikes around 5 or 6 PM. Plan accordingly!

I recommend folks get up early and do most of their outdoor walking/neighborhood exploring in the morning hours, with frequent breaks in the places listed below for a reprieve from the heat. If you are particularly heat-sensitive, plan to be back at your (hopefully air-conditioned) hotel for a siesta or break from 5-7 PM, then venture back out as the heat starts to wear off in the later hours of the evening.

Hot Tip # 2: Make use of the shade!

The saving grace of the Paris heat wave is that it’s a dry heat. Unlike in places with extremely high humidity that follows you everywhere you go, shady spots in Paris tend to feel SIGNIFICANTLY cooler than areas in direct sunlight. Take advantage of the plethora of parks and gardens throughout the city and plan your route around them – with frequent stops to rest in the shade, people-watch, read a book, and have some gelato. There’s nothing more Parisian than whiling away the hours in a park, so you’ll get to experience Paris like the locals do – while also getting a much-needed break from the heat.

Some of the most convenient parks for shade:  

• Tuileries Gardens, 1^st Arrondissement (near the Louvre, Place de la Concorde, and just across the Seine from the Musée D’Orsay)

• Jardin Joseph Migneret Gardens, 4th Arrondissement (a true hidden gem in the Marais – only locals know about this one!)

• Square Rene Viviani, 5^th Arrondissement (right near Shakespeare and Company, Notre Dame, and other tourist attractions)

• Jardins des plantes, 5^th Arrondissement (Latin Quarter, near Rue Mouffetard and Rue Monge)

• Luxembourg Gardens, 6^th Arrondissement (near the Latin Quarter, Saint Germain-des-Pres, etc.)  

• Champs de Mars, 7th Arrondissement (under the Eiffel Tower)

• Park Monceau, 8^th Arrondissement (near the Arc de Triomphe)

  
  

And some parks that are farther afield - but worth it:

• Bois de Bologne, 16^th Arrondissement (near Musée Marmottan)

• Park Montsouris, 14^th Arrondissement (near Montparnasse and Buttes-aux-Cailles – lots of beautiful birds and wildlife to see in this park)

• Parc des Buttes Chaumont, 19th Arrondissement (near Belleville)

• Bois de Vincennes, 12^th Arrondissement (largest green space in Paris)

• Parc de la Villette, 19th Arrondissement (located on a beautiful spot along the canal, this sprawling park has lots of shady rest areas – and the nearby Cite des Sciences museum for kids is air-conditioned!)

  
  

Hot Tip # 2: Walk the Coulee Verte

Paris’ version of NYC’s High Line, the Coulee Verte Rene-Dumont is an old railroad that’s been converted into a meandering walking path, with lots of benches and pretty gardens along the way. While some of the path is in the sun, many parts of it are shaded – and the benches provide a great spot to rest and take a break from the heat.

Hot Tip # 3: Make use of Monoprix!

Believe it or not, this Paris superstore IS air-conditioned! And there are tons of Monoprix stores sprinkled throughout the city. I survived the Paris heat by always ducking inside one of these stores whenever I came across them – they provided an excellent reprieve for the heat (and many of them sell cute souvenirs and affordable clothes, too!) Fair Warning: the smaller, Monop’ stores are not always air conditioned, so be on the lookout for the bigger, true Monoprix stores.

Hot Tip # 4: Make use the of the museums!

I’ve never gone to as many museums on a Paris trip as I did during this heatwave – and it was marvelous! Paris boasts some of the most renowned museums in the world, and most

of them are air-conditioned. Just beware – the bigger, more crowded museums often won’t FEEL air-conditioned because of the massive amounts of people. So I’d stay away from museums like the Louvre (which shuts down anyway on the hottest days) and explore some of the lesser-known museums, like Musée de L’Orangerie with its airy rooms and huge, wraparound Monet water lily paintings or the Musée Marmottan, with one of the biggest collections of Monet paintings in the world. (Notice a theme here? Maybe Monet liked air-conditioning 😂.)

Hot Tip # 5: Ride the Batobus

The Batobus essentially functions as a hop-on, hop-off BOAT – it stops in all the hot neighborhoods, near most of the main tourist sites. While the boat itself is not air-conditioned (and I do not recommend sitting in the interior of the boat, which can feel quite hot when the sun blazes in through the glass roof), standing on the open-air platform at the back of the boat exposes you to a wonderfully cool breeze. It’s also a MUCH more pleasant, less sweaty mode of transportation than the (mostly) un-air-conditioned metro.

Hot Tip # 6: Embrace your spiritual side

Most of Paris’ churches are largely made of solid stone, which act as a barrier against the heat. While the more crowded churches like Notre Dame might still feel hot, some of the less-visited churches will provide a cool respite. A few recommendations:

• Saint-Eustache, 1^st Arrondissement   

• Saint-Gervais, 4^th Arrondissement

• Saint-Sulpice, 6^th Arrondissement

• Any other churches you stumble upon – go on in!

Hot Tip # 7: Go swimming!

Paris now allows swimming in the Canal Saint-Martin and (starting in July) parts of the Seine. For the first time in….well, ever…this water has now been deemed clean enough to swim in! So brave the bacteria and take a dip in the cool waters. Many of the Seine swimming spots are also located near hot tourist attractions, so you can enjoy an unparalleled view of the Eiffel Tower or Notre Dame while swimming in the Seine.

Canal and Seine swimming spots

Canal Saint-Martin:

• Passerelle Michèle-Morgan (bridge), 10th Arrondissement

• Basin de la Villette, 19th Arrondissement

Seine:

• Louis-Philippe (4th Arrondissement) - view of Notre Dame

• Bercy (12th Arrondissement) - view of François-Mitterrand Library

• Bras de Grenelle (15th Arrondissement) - view of the Eiffel Tower

If you’re not quite into swimming in Paris’ public waterways, check out the many public pools sprinkled throughout the city instead. They’re cold, they’re chlorinated, and they’re clean – and they’re open to tourists for a nominal fee of 6.50 euros! Here are a few of my favorites:

• Josephine Baker, 13th Arrondissement - floating pool on the Seine!

• Buttes-aux-Cailles Swimming Pool, 13th Arrondissement - renowned for its art deco design

• Piscine Emile Anthoine, 15th Arrondissement - under the Eiffel Tower with beautiful views

• Auteil Swimming Pool, 16th Arrondissement - surrounded by nature in the Bois de Bologne park

Feel free to contact me for a full list of pools!

Hot Tip # 8: Seek out the cooler tourist spots

Parisians are known to flock to the Pantheon to experience its cool interiors, and for those not afraid of the macabre, the catacombs far underneath Paris offer a chilling (har har) break from the unrelenting heat. Pere Lachaise cemetery also boasts tons of shady spots and benches, and is a surprisingly relaxing spot to get away from the heat and rest your feet.

Hot Tip # 9: Choose an air-conditioned hotel or apartment

I cannot stress this enough – if you were planning to save a buck by staying at a hotel without air-conditioning, don’t do it! Being able to come back to a place to cool off – and giving your body a chance to regulate overnight – is key to surviving the Paris heat wave. Remember, many, many hotels do not have air-conditioning; if they don’t advertise it as an amenity on their website, the hotel probably doesn’t have it. If you have ANY doubts about whether your hotel is air-conditioned, do your due diligence and call and ask. Air-conditioning in French is “climatization!”

Hot Tip # 10: Don’t let the heat take away from your stay

Even in the heat, Paris is the most incredible city in the world to explore. If you’re strategic about your time, plan lots of stops in the cool spots listed above, and don’t stay out in the heat ALL day long, you’ll still be able to have a wonderful time in Paris and see the main sights. Plus, in order to get away from the heat, you might even be forced to be creative, get off the beaten path, and experience Paris more like the locals do. And what more could you ask for in a perfect Paris trip?

For mor hot tips about how to get off the beaten path and escape the heat in Paris, please follow me on Instagram!