Janvier · Practical guide
The holidays are over, the sales begin, and the days are still short. Here is the weather, what the sales rule actually says for 2027, and what to book.
Updated October 25, 2026 · Prices checked October 25, 2026 · Tour prices refresh daily
Photo: Xenia Bunina / Unsplash
January is the quiet month. The Christmas lights come down, museum lines shrink, and the winter sales take over the department stores. The weather does not play along: a typical January high in Paris is 7.6°C (46°F), the low is 3.2°C (38°F), and about ten days bring rain.
New Year’s Day 2027 is a Friday, and several of the big museums close. School is back on Monday, January 4. If you are choosing between December and January, December is the festive one; this page is the practical one. The December guide covers the holidays themselves, and what’s open at Christmas covers December 24 through January 1. Later in the winter, Valentine’s Day and the school holiday are in Paris in February.
N° 01Short on time
1erSmall groupBest indoor museum
Babylon Tours
A skip-the-line Orsay visit with the entrance ticket included. The semi-private option keeps the group to six, which is the right size when you want to be inside and done in a couple of hours.
Free cancellation
From$71.70
lowest listed option
2eSmall groupBest food tour
Secret Food Tours
One operator, three routes: Notre-Dame and the Latin Quarter, Montmartre, or a shorter walk in the center. Book it when the forecast is wet and you would rather eat than stand in a museum line.
Free cancellation
From$91.04
lowest listed option
3eSmall groupBest cooking class
Le Foodist
A class and a sit-down lunch in the Latin Quarter, with a market visit on one option. The cancellation terms are stricter than a normal tour, so book it only once your dates are fixed.
From$226.50
lowest listed option
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N° 02Le temps
Météo-France climate normals for Paris-Montsouris, 1991–2020, and sunrise and sunset for central Paris in January 2027.
| Measure | January |
|---|---|
| Average high | 7.6°C (46°F) |
| Average low | 3.2°C (38°F) |
| Days of rain | 9.9 in a typical January |
| January 1, 2027 | Sunrise 8:43am · sunset 5:04pm · 8 hr 20 min |
| January 15, 2027 | Sunrise 8:38am · sunset 5:21pm · 8 hr 43 min |
| January 31, 2027 | Sunrise 8:22am · sunset 5:45pm · 9 hr 24 min |
Sun times are calculated for central Paris (48.86°N, 2.35°E), Europe/Paris, checked October 25, 2026. Bring a waterproof coat and shoes with grip. The stone hills in Montmartre are slick after rain. Source: Météo-France climate sheet, Paris-Montsouris.
N° 03Les soldes
The winter sales follow a standing national rule. The commerce code lets each period run from three to six weeks. The economy ministry says the order of May 27, 2019 fixes the length at four weeks, starting at 8:00 a.m. on the second Wednesday of January, or the first Wednesday if that second Wednesday falls after the 12th.
In 2027, January 1 is a Friday, so the Wednesdays are January 6 and January 13. January 13 is after the 12th, which moves the start to Wednesday, January 6, at 8:00 a.m. Four weeks runs through Tuesday, February 2. Ministry pages read on October 25, 2026 state the rule and do not print a separate 2027 calendar. Treat those dates as what the rule produces, and check the shop if your plan depends on opening morning.
January 1 is a public holiday. The Louvre, Versailles, the Catacombs, and Sainte-Chapelle close. Orsay is not on that same standard list, so confirm it. The Eiffel Tower has stayed open on January 1 in past years. Summit maintenance for 2027 is TBC. In 2026 the summit was closed January 5 to February 6.
On the education ministry’s calendar for zone C (Paris), the Christmas break starts after class on December 19, 2026, and classes resume on the morning of January 4, 2027. The first weekend is still the holiday. Fares for 2027 were not posted when we checked. Through December 31, 2026 a Métro-Train-RER ticket is €2.55 and a bus-tram ticket is €2.05.
N° 04Réserver
Book what does not need a blue sky: a museum with the ticket in the reservation, a food tour, or a cooking class. Leave the Eiffel summit until 2027 maintenance dates are published.
The semi-private Orsay tour meets at 5 Rue de la Légion d’Honneur and includes the permanent-collection ticket. Temporary shows are extra. The small option caps at six, there is a private family option, and a larger option runs to 12. It is not step-free. A Tuesday is an Orsay day: the Louvre is closed. For a private Louvre visit on any other day, use private Louvre tours.
Small groupBabylon Tours
Free cancellation
From$71.70
lowest listed option
Secret Food Tours lists three routes: Notre-Dame and the Latin Quarter from Pont Marie, Montmartre from Anvers, and a two-hour center walk from 21 Rue des Petits Carreaux. Groups cap at 12, or 16 on the short option. The listing cannot do vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free, and it is not wheelchair accessible. Cancel free until 24 hours before.
Small groupSecret Food Tours
Free cancellation
From$91.04
lowest listed option
The Le Marais walk is separate. It meets at 133 Rue Saint-Antoine, stays at 12 guests, and includes falafel, a croissant, a croque-monsieur, cheese, an unnamed dish, and wine, with a non-alcoholic option. Vegan and gluten-free are refused. Choose it when you are already staying in the Marais.
Small groupSecret Food Tours
Free cancellation
From$101.30
lowest listed option
Le Foodist teaches at 59 Rue du Cardinal Lemoine. The market option is described as a 9:00 a.m. start; class and lunch, 10:30 a.m. Ages 12 and up. No vegan and no dairy-free. The market option’s title says four courses and the description also says three, so read the option you select. Cancellation is a full refund at least six days ahead, half between two and six days, and none inside two days.
Small groupLe Foodist
From$226.50
lowest listed option
The shared day tour runs four, five, or nine hours. The long option lists a Louvre ticket and metro tickets, and Tuesday can swap in Orsay. The Eiffel stop is outside the tower, Notre-Dame is exterior, and the group runs to 20. The cruise is only on the option that lists it.
Walks - France
Free cancellation
From$112.68
lowest listed option
For the evening, use the Seine dinner cruise guide. Dinner boats are compared there, not on this page. The Catacombs close on January 1 and every Monday. Versailles is low season and still closed Mondays and January 1; day trips are in the Versailles guide.
N° 05Le tableau
From-prices are the lowest listed option in US dollars, checked October 25, 2026. They move with the date you pick.
| Tour | Format | Length | Reviews | From | Book |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orsay semi-private guided tourBabylon ToursA cold January day when you want the museum handled and the group small Free cancellation | Museum · semi-private | 2–2.5 hours | 4.971,100 reviews | $71.70lowest listed option | Check |
| Secret Food Tours, by neighborhoodSecret Food ToursA wet afternoon when you would rather eat than queue for a museum Free cancellation | Walking · tastings | From 2 hours | 4.815,441 reviews | $91.04lowest listed option | Check |
| Le Marais food tourSecret Food ToursStaying in the Marais and wanting the food to come to the neighborhood Free cancellation | Walking · tastings | Tasting walk | 4.831,321 reviews | $101.30lowest listed option | Check |
| Le Foodist market class and lunchLe FoodistA January morning indoors, with lunch included, if your dates are already fixed | Cooking class | Class and lunch | 4.961,183 reviews | $226.50lowest listed option | Check |
| Paris in a day, with a Louvre optionWalks - FranceOne daylight block for the big outdoor sights plus a museum, without booking each ticket yourself Free cancellation | Walking · shared | 4, 5, or 9 hours | 4.792,662 reviews | $112.68lowest listed option | Check |
N° 06À savoir
01
The rule points to 8:00 a.m. on Wednesday, January 6. The first morning is the busiest. If you want the markdowns without the crush, go on a weekday the following week. The four-week window, on this reading of the rule, runs through February 2.
02
The 2027 summit maintenance dates are TBC. In 2026 the closure was January 5 to February 6. Book a second-floor or outside-the-tower plan until the tower’s own site posts the 2027 window.
03
Nine or ten January days are wet. Put Orsay or the Louvre on the wet day and keep Montmartre for a dry afternoon. The food tours above are the backup when both are miserable.
04
Louvre, Versailles, the Catacombs, and Sainte-Chapelle close. Eat, walk, and look at the tower from the ground. The sales have not started yet.
05
Snow is possible and not the normal case. A coat you can wear in a museum, a scarf, and waterproof shoes cover a typical week.
N° 07Good to know
Yes, if you want fewer crowds and you do not mind cold, damp days. Highs average 7.6°C (46°F). The winter sales, indoor museums, food tours, and cooking classes are the reasons to come. It is the wrong month if your trip is built around long evenings outside or a guaranteed Eiffel summit.
The standing rule starts them at 8:00 a.m. on the second Wednesday of January, or the first Wednesday if the second falls after the 12th, for four weeks. In 2027 that calculation lands on Wednesday, January 6, through Tuesday, February 2. The economy ministry had not posted a separate 2027 calendar when we checked on October 25, 2026.
Météo-France’s 1991–2020 normals for Paris-Montsouris put the average high at 7.6°C (46°F), the average low at 3.2°C (38°F), and rainy days at 9.9. On January 1, 2027 the sun rises at 8:43 a.m. and sets at 5:04 p.m.
The Louvre, Versailles, the Catacombs, and Sainte-Chapelle close on January 1. Orsay is not on that same standard list, so confirm it. The Eiffel Tower has stayed open on New Year’s Day in past years. Summit maintenance dates for 2027 are TBC.
Quieter than December and much quieter than June. Zone C schools in Paris resume on the morning of January 4, 2027, so the holiday crowds drop off after the first weekend. The Louvre is still closed every Tuesday, and it still asks everyone to book a timed entry in busy periods.
An Orsay or Louvre visit with the ticket included, one food tour, and a cooking class only if you will not change the date. Use the dinner-cruise guide for the evening rather than a random boat, and leave the Eiffel summit until 2027 maintenance dates are published.
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