(up to date July 2024). Strolls by way of lush gardens, picnics with the Seine glistening at your ft, lengthy evenings nursing a rosé on a café terrace. Paris in the summertime is downright magical. Nonetheless, when temperatures rise and the solar begins to scorch fairly than soothe, Parisians flip to summer season actions that’ll assist them settle down and escape the sweaty crowds making an attempt to do the identical.

For surefire methods to beat the warmth, listed below are 9 of our favourite Paris summer season actions that’ll maintain you refreshed and offer you an excuse to find town’s hidden treasures.

Go For a Swim

The swimming pool at the Canal de l'Ourcq in Paris
Ali Postma

Paris Plages

No, we don’t imply diving off a bridge on the Canal Saint-Martin (though we’ve seen individuals do it!). Every summer season, Paris opens up Paris Plages. These are ephemeral metropolis facet ‘seashores’ alongside the Seine, Bassin de la Villette, and Canal St. Martin. This 12 months there are distinctive opening dates and occasions because of the Olympics. Make sure that to examine the opening dates and occasions.

Paris Swimming Swimming pools

Do you wish to swim laps? Or perhaps you favor one thing extra bucolic. Maybe it’s the glamour of artwork deco that you’re in quest of. No matter your desire, there’s a Paris pool to fit your sensibility and maintain you cool. A few of our favorites embody the historic Piscine de la Butte-aux-Cailles and the Aquaboulevard de Paris, the most important city water park in Europe, good for households.

See a Film

Most Paris film theaters are air conditioned. When you’re French is missing you possibly can watch movies in English with the designation ‘VO’ (model originale). Higher but, head to Misplaced in Frenchlation. They provide screenings of the very best French cinema with English subtitles, broadcast at unbiased cinemas. There may be additionally a convivial cocktail hour simply earlier than.

Rex theater building in Paris.
picture by Cecile Hournau

Cling Out at An Air Conditioned Paris Lodge

When visiting Paris within the hotter months, it’s more and more useful to ensure your lodging has air-con. All 4 and 5 star motels are required to. Many 3 star institutions have it as properly, however do examine first. If you wish to escape the warmth for just a few hours you possibly can all the time go to a lodge lounge or bar even in the event you’re not a visitor. And don’t neglect that a large perk at most of the finer Paris motels is a swimming pool. The Môlitor Lodge and Spa is certainly one of our favorites. Take a look at our picks for Paris motels with swimming pools.

The exterior pool at the Molitor Hotel.
picture by Ludwig Favre

Wander round a small (air-conditioned) museum

In an effort to preserve their valuable collections, most museums can have air-con so take your choose of the roughly 140 Paris museums dotted across the metropolis.

Nonetheless, as a substitute of being packed like sweaty sardines into the Louvre the place the physique warmth generated by the variety of guests will negate the cool air, take this chance to discover certainly one of beautiful but smaller Paris museums.

We significantly love the Musée Rodin and the Musée Montmartre (whose gardens make you are feeling such as you’re in a French impressionist portray) in addition to Musée Guimet with its unbelievable assortment of Asian artwork and air-con.

A woman floating face up in water. A statue of Rodin called the Thinker surrounded by triangular bushes
pictures by, left: Haley Phelps /proper: Stephan Valentin

Discover shade in a secret backyard

When you nonetheless lengthy to be in nature, enterprise into certainly one of Paris’ secret gardens. You could find many positioned within the fashionable Marais neighborhood. Calm down within the splendid (and shaded) grounds of the Musée des Archives Nationales, take pleasure in a cool glass of white wine within the Café Suédois’ hidden courtyard, or take a nap on the grass within the Jardin des Rosiers.

Savor an ice-cold deal with

Terraces

There’s nothing like a second of gastronomic plaisir to make us neglect concerning the hovering temperatures, ideally on one of many beloved Paris terraces. You’ll discover Paris’ finest artisanal beers at Paname Brewing Firm subsequent to the Bassin de la Villette—a post-swimming drink, maybe?

Savor Some Ice Cream

When you’re in search of one thing a bit sweeter, you possibly can’t go flawed by stopping for an ice cream in Paris. We love the pistachio gelato at Pozzetto within the 4th and the rose petal Lebanese ice cream at Glace Bachir within the 3rd.

Close-up of berry gelato in a cup
Pozzetto

Journey underground to the Catacombs

When you’re so overheated that you haven’t any need to see the solar, head underground to Les Catacombes de Paris, one of many world’s largest ossuaries with a historical past courting again to the late 18th century. The dimly lit crypts lined with fastidiously organized bones encourage guests in direction of introspection and meditation—and supply a welcome respite from the warmth.

A plaque with an inscription surrounded by a wall of skulls in Paris Catacombs.
Les catacombes de Paris

Drink Loads of Water

With heatwaves changing into more and more frequent, you don’t must spend cash to remain hydrated. Quench your thirst at one of many many water fountains throughout the Metropolis of Gentle. This map of Paris water fountains will allow you to keep hydrated.

Take a Seine River Cruise

Top-of-the-line methods to see the websites is by taking a Seine river cruise. Calm down and really feel the water’s breeze.

A seine river cruise at sunset.
picture by Joe De Sousa

Store Til You Drop

The bigger procuring facilities and department shops like Galeries Lafayette, Printemps, BHV, Samaritaine, Westfield, and many others in Paris will little question have air-con but additionally giant crowds. Nonetheless they’re a dependable method to settle down in a metropolis the place air-con is scarce. A lesser identified and fewer crowded choice is the Beaugrenelle Buying Heart which incorporates its personal department of Galeries Lafayette amongst a plethora of different shops.

The rooftop terrace of Galeries Lafayette and the cupola captured to the right.
Galeries Lafayette Paris Hausmann (left: rooftop; proper: cupola) pictures by Pronoti Baglary

Written by Diana Liu for HiP Paris. Trying to journey? Take a look at Haven In for a wonderful trip rental in Paris, France or Italy. Trying to lease long-term or purchase in France or Italy? Ask us! We will join you to our trusted suppliers for wonderful service and charges.

WRITTEN BY

Diana Liu

Diana Liu is a Paris-based author and photographer who’s at present finishing her Grasp in media and artistic industries at Sciences Po. She co-founded ChopChicks in Paris, a weblog and neighborhood eating expertise that brings individuals collectively to find the wealth of Asian eating places and Asian tradition in Paris. She’s written about meals, style, artwork & tradition, and French politics for Inspirelle, ChopChicks, Wheretoget Journal, and different publications. See extra of her images on her Instagram @sheandhercat, and uncover Paris’ finest Asian eating places and be a part of her for dinner at ChopChicks in Paris.