Parisians sitting at exterior cafe tables

5 reasons to visit Paris in July

By Ian Packham

The mass exodus of Parisians keen to head south to the shores of the French Riviera begins in July, which seems a little like Monet putting down his paintbrushes in favor of some gardening. Why? Because July is one of the best times of year to visit Paris.

Paris in July experiences wonderful summer temperatures of around 23°C, and also hosts some of France’s top annual events. Intrigued? You should be! Here’s 5 very good reasons to visit Paris in July.

1. Bastille Day celebrations

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Better known in Paris as Le Fête Nationale (National Celebration) and Le Quatorze Juillet (July 14) Bastille Day commemorates the storming of the Bastille prison. Taking place on July 14 1789, it kicked off the French Revolution.

Little remains of the prison itself, except for a star-shaped outline on the sidewalks of Place de la Bastille. However, as France’s national day, it’s far from forgotten. The main event is a military parade – the largest in Europe. This makes its way along the Champs-Élysées from the Arc de Triomphe to the Place de la Concorde.

Attended by the French President and notable guests – most famously US President Donald Trump – it ends with a magnificent fly past by the Patrouille de France aerobatics team. For more on them, head to the Museum of Air and Space. The attention then turns to the Eiffel Tower.

Constructed to mark the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution, the base of the Eiffel Tower is the location of a major concert. As darkness falls, the biggest fireworks display of the Paris year erupts around the tower. Whilst that’s enough for many, the celebrations continue all night long at the central fire stations of each of the 20 arrondissements (districts), which fling open their doors to the public.

2. Museums by night

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Part of the European Night of Museums extravaganza, Paris’s Nuit des Musées (Museums Night) sees many of the city’s much-loved collections offering free after hours opening. Guests can explore their treasures and take part in special events including workshops. Just some of those which take part are the Picasso Museum and the Museum of Arab History.

But if you miss this one-night-only event there are several other options for exploring Paris’s landmark attractions after dark. Nights at Les Invalides combines an immersive sound and light show with the chance to explore Napoleon Bonaparte’s burial place on the banks of the Seine by candlelight.

Alternatively, you could turn to the Palace of Versailles gardens on Saturday evenings throughout July. Specially lit for the occasion, music drifts around the groves and fountains before the sky erupts into a sea of fireworks.

3. Make the most of the good weather

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With glorious July sun and warm evenings pretty much on tap, there’s plenty of reason to linger in Paris’s public outdoor spaces. Take a Bateaux Parisiens Seine river cruise and you might be surprised to see beachgoers lining the river’s banks. Those unable to up sticks to the French Riviera for the summer season are at least able to sink their feet into the imported sand of the Paris Plages beaches.

Of the many reasons there are for exploring the parks and gardens of Paris in July, one of the best has to be the Fête de Tuileries. Located just behind the Louvre, it takes the form of a traditional funfair, complete with wooden carousels, a ghost train and hall of mirrors.

Meanwhile, Parc de la Villette hosts an open-air cinema for much of the summer. One best suited for night owls, screenings can only take place once it’s got dark enough, meaning the mix of classic and modern movies don’t get their curtain call until 10:00 – 10:30PM.

4. Join the festival crowds

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On the eastern side of the city, the Parc Floral within the Bois de Vincennes becomes the site of the two month long Paris Jazz Festival. The eclectic line-up includes many of the greatest names in jazz, which in the past has seen both Gregory Porter and Sandra Nkaké take to the stage.

Crossing musical genres, Festival Fnac Live has a commanding position in the courtyard of the Hôtel de Ville (City Hall) building. The free event lasts three nights and welcomes somewhere in the region of 100,000 revelers keen to see acts that have included Sting, Shaggy and Ed Sheeran.

The lesser-known Canal de l’Ourcq around the Bassin de la Villette also comes into its own in July. As well as being a lovely place to soak up the sun with a canal-side stroll, it hosts a number of July events ranging from concerts to urban art trails suitable for all the family.

5. Bikes and shopping bags

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If one major July spectacle on the Champs-Élysées in July wasn’t enough in the form of the Bastille Day celebrations, then there’s the grand finale of the Tour de France to look forward to. The bike pack arrives in the capital after a route covering approximately 2200 miles.

Ending with several laps of the Arc de Triomphe – and the impressive feat of cycling over cobbles whilst sipping from a Champagne flute – it’s a great way to get close to any cycling heroes.

If it’s shopping bags rather than bikes that interest you, Paris in July is still the place to be. The time of the traditional summer sales, stores throughout the capital can offer significant discounts on ordinary retail prices, with the best deals generally appearing towards the end of the sales period.

Should luggage space prevent you from making too many purchases, the stores of streets like Boulevard Haussmann are still well worth visiting. They include department stores Au Printemps and Galeries Lafayette, whose impressive art nouveau interiors have been drawing crowds for over 100 years.

Saving on attraction admission in Paris in July

With so much going on, you might think you’re going to need a significant win on the loto (the French lottery) to pay for it all. But even if lady luck isn’t standing by your side, it’s still possible to do all you want without worrying about the cost. Although Paris is considered an expensive city to both visit and live in, there are ways visitors to the French capital can ensure their money lasts.

Explore Paris with Go City and you’ll get the benefit of reduced admission on many of the city’s top tourist attractions. What’s more, you can do this without needing to make any firm decisions about what you’d like to visit or when until you’re all set to immerse yourself in Paris in July.

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Alexander III Bridge over the Seine lit up at nightfall
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Free things to do in Paris

If it’s the idea of Parisian prices that’s putting you off visiting one of the world’s favorite cities, we’ve got a secret to share with you. You don’t have to spend a fortune to be able to see its world-famous attractions and landmarks. There are enough free things to do in Paris to keep even the most hardcore travelers busy for several days. Not convinced? Just check out our pick of the crop below. Discover Montmartre Whilst its hidden sights are perhaps best uncovered as part of a Montmartre & Sacré-Coeur walking tour, or by making use of the Petit Train, it is possible to take in much of Montmartre on a self-guided exploration of the area. Paris’s bohemian artistic quarter, it has been the haunt of a fascinating cast of characters since before it even became part of the city in 1860. Its atmospheric cobbled side streets and public staircases are the perfect place for a stroll, with sights including Renoir’s Garden and the Lapin Agile cabaret club to look out for. For those with budgets that don’t stretch as far as a show, check out the quarter’s street artists instead. Popular spots include the steps leading to the doors of the Basilica of the Sacré-Coeur, which are free to enter (the crypt and dome require a ticket). Rather unusually for a Paris suburb, you can also take in the ripening grapes of the vineyard in Rue Saint-Vincent, producing just 750 bottles of wine in any one year. Look out for special events Even the popular kids don’t have as much in the diary as Paris. Pick a month and there’s probably a public spectacle that awaits, from Chinese New Year to Christmas markets. Many of the French capital’s top annual events are also pleasingly light on the wallet. June, for instance, sees Fête de la Musique (World Music Day) fill the streets of the capital with sound on the longest day of the year. A significant number of major parks and squares get in on the act with performances spanning the world of classical works and the latest urban music. More frequently, free concerts take place from January through to June and September to November at the American Church in Paris. It lies between the Eiffel Tower and Les Invalides – the burial place of Napoleon Bonaparte. Less than a month later on July 14 the Champs-Élysées is cleared of its usual traffic for the grand military parade which forms the centerpiece of the nation’s Bastille Day celebrations – perhaps the most important day in the cultural calendar. Museums open their doors long into the small hours during October’s Nuit Blanche (White Night), whilst those including the Louvre also offer free entry on the first Sunday of each month. Enjoy the art scene Art fans looking for other free things to do in Paris won’t be disappointed. In addition to the Louvre’s gratis entry days, there are several museums with important collections free to enter 365 days a year. The Paris Museum of Modern Art (Musée d'Art Moderne de Paris) is one. Ignore the ‘Paris’ in its name, the artworks it contains come from some of the world’s greatest 20th and 21st Century artists whatever their home city. Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse and Bridget Riley are all represented, alongside their many contemporaries. To discover artworks that are yet to make it into any museum head to the banks of the Canal Saint-Martin. It’s a hotspot for street art, which creates an intriguing contrast between the old locks and ironwork footbridges along its three-mile length. Take advantage of Paris’s green spaces Perfectly aligned with the south side of the Eiffel Tower, the Champ de Mars is an exquisite place to spend a couple of hours. The mix of trimmed lawns, mature trees and tower views makes it an ideal place for a picnic. The older sibling to New York’s High Line, the Promenade Plantée brings the idea of a public park into the 21st Century. Raised above much of the city on a disused railway viaduct and even passing narrowly between buildings, it has plenty of spots to take in the vistas. Elsewhere, Paris’s largest cemetery, Père Lachaise, attracts a steady stream of visitors. Covering 110 acres, its tombstones and mausoleums span more than 200 years and two million interments. Amongst the better known are singers Édith Piaf and Jim Morrison, and Irish playwright Oscar Wilde. Admire the architecture There’s nothing freer or more freeing than getting about a new city on foot, uncovering the hidden sights you might otherwise miss, smelling the aromas of bakeries, cafés and restaurants, and hearing the everyday sounds of an area. Paris has no shortage of free walking tours taking place with an English language guide, although you’ll have to be at the designated starting point for their launch times. Going solo, it’s difficult to get lost if you stick to the right or left banks of the Seine, which are dotted with many of Paris’s most important landmarks from Notre Dame Cathedral to the Jardin des Plantes botanic gardens. The river’s banks are even more magical after nightfall, when its landmarks are picked out in stunning clarity by illuminations. Continue into the east of the city and you’ll quickly catch sight of the four striking towers that make up the National Library’s François-Mitterrand campus. They mark the corners of a lovely hidden garden at the same time as preserving a collection containing an estimated 14 million individual documents. Cross the Seine on the undulating form of Passerelle Simone de Beauvoir Bridge and you’ll end up in Parc de Bercy, liberally sprinkled with monuments. Knowing where to splash the cash in Paris Taking advantage of free things to do in Paris is a great way of staying on budget and exploring much of the French capital. However, there are some attractions you won’t want to miss which require an entry ticket. There’s help at hand here too though, and it comes in the shape of Go City. Save on admission to attractions you were going to visit anyway with our Paris passes!
Ian Packham
The Eiffel Tower from across the River Seine
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Should you visit Paris in August?

A few short years ago August would have been seen as a terrible time to visit Paris. And whilst some still stick to this old cliché, many others, us included, now see August as one of the best times of year to visit the French capital. Why the about face? It’s simple really. Although hotels might ratchet up their prices, Paris in August enjoys great weather and a plethora of events sure to have you returning year after year. Relive Seurat’s A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte The River Seine rightly takes the limelight when it comes to the best loved things to do in Paris in August. And let’s face it, why wouldn’t it? What could be better than enjoying a drink or late-night DJ set from aboard one of the peniche boat bars moored along its banks? Or opting for a river cruise passing by the city’s most famous sights on a warm mid-summer evening? Or even the chance to flop into a deckchair, as if you’re in the south of France rather than the center of the capital? The latter is possible thanks to the Paris Plages program of beaches and pools which crop up along the right bank of the Seine in July and August each year. If you prefer your seas a little warmer, head instead to the Aquarium de Paris. Suitable for adults as much as younger visitors, its tanks contain everything from jellyfish to sea turtles and no less than four species of shark. Delve into the capital’s history One of the most important occasions in Parisian history is marked on August 25 – at the Liberation of Paris Festival. It commemorates the surrender of Nazi forces in August 1944 to a mix of Free French, British and American troops. The festival kicks off at midday with firemen replicating the climb up the Eiffel Tower to unfurl the French tricolore. This is followed by a parade and then music at the Hôtel de Ville. The Order of the Liberation Museum is open daily for anyone interested in the full story. To pay your respects to the great and the good of French history, consider instead the Latin Quarter’s Panthéon. Built by King Louis XV to house the relics of the city’s patron saint, after the French Revolution it was converted into a national mausoleum. Among the 80 burials and memorials are those to philosopher Voltaire, writer Victor Hugo and Nobel prize winning scientist Marie Curie, one of just a handful of women honored. On the western edge of the nearby Jardin du Luxembourg stands one of several replicas of the Statue of Liberty in Paris. It’s one of around one hundred statues dotted about the garden, at 1/16th the scale of the New York original. Paris in August with the kids Younger visitors to Paris may not appreciate the significance of events such as the Liberation of Paris Festival. But they certainly won’t get bored with the number of child-friendly things to do in Paris in August. With the added bonus of soothing tired legs, an open-top Hop-on Hop-off bus is a great way to connect up sights from the storefronts of the Champs-Élysées to the gothic masterpiece of Notre-Dame Cathedral, which has survived revolution and fire during its 800 year history. Thrill seekers should instead turn their attention to Parc Astérix. The second-largest theme park anywhere in France, it boasts over 40 attractions, including seven rollercoasters and a further seven water rides. All are based on the comic book series following the lives of ancient Gaul’s tribes. Meanwhile, the Place de la Concorde is occupied from July until the end of August with the Fête des Tuileries. An authentic traditional funfair, attractions here include a tin can alley, hook-a-duck, carousels and stalls selling candy-floss and freshly-made donuts. Make the most of the summer weather Yet another reason to stay in Paris in August is the giant screen belonging to the open-air movie theater which stands amongst the trees of Parc de la Villette in northern Paris. Bring a picnic, rent a deckchair and a blanket, and enjoy evening screenings of everything from French indie cinema to cult classics. Movies are shown in their original language with French subtitles as necessary. Few subtitles are needed for the Rock en Seine festival, which literally rocks the Domaine National de Saint-Cloud park at the historic gates of Paris over three days in August. Creating a memorable contrast with their 17th-Century surroundings, the five stages host internationally-renowned bands such as Royal Blood and Eels alongside homegrown up-and-coming talent. Summer in Paris doesn’t come to an end until the arrival of the Tréteaux nomades traveling festival at Montmartre arena. Almost impossible to pigeon-hole, the festival uses French characters you’ll know and love from classic works – for example Quasimodo and Cinderella – in totally new and sometimes subversive ways. Enjoy first class art It’s difficult to visit Paris in any month of the year without a stop at the Louvre, dominating the right bank of the Seine. With enough artworks to keep you busy for an entire lifetime, highlights include the da Vinci’s Mona Lisa and the Venus de Milo. Almost immediately opposite on the rive gauche (left bank) stands the beaux arts edifice of the Musée d’Orsay. Built as a railway station in 1898, it has been a gallery dedicated to French art since a major renovation in 1986. Monet, Degas and Gauguin are all well represented. Fans of modern art need look no further than the Musée National d’Art Moderne at the Pompidou Center – Europe’s biggest modern art museum. A who’s who of the 20th-Century art world, its walls hang with greats including Pablo Picasso, Frida Kahlo and Willem de Kooning. Save on attraction admission in Paris in August One of the sunniest months of the year in the French capital, Paris in August is not to be avoided as some would have you believe. Alive with summertime activities and outdoor events, it is in fact a great time to visit Paris. Make the most of your trip by saving on admission to many of the top attractions with Go City. The All-Inclusive Pass allows you to see as many attractions as you like within a given period at reduced cost. The Explorer Pass gives you 60 days in which to marvel at up to seven different attractions.
Ian Packham

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