What to pack for France: the season-by-season guide

France rewards preparation over improvisation. The climate data below comes straight from our relocation desk — it is the same brief we send curators before they build each arrival kit.

Spring — 9–19°C: Paris in spring: trench weather, perfect.

Summer — 20–31°C: Nice swelters; the coast is linen territory.

Winter — 3–10°C: Damp cold; wool coats and scarves.

You will walk. Every French city is best done on foot, on cobblestones that punish flimsy soles and reward a proper lug. Bring fewer, better things — the French do, and you'll fit right in.

Best time to arrive: Apr–Jun & Sept–Oct for mild gold.. Whatever season you land in, the kit logic stays the same: a strong outer layer for the weather, a mid-layer you can shed indoors, and footwear built for the streets you will actually walk.