How to Plan One Month in Paris
Are you thinking about spending one month in Paris?
Maybe you’ve been to Paris on a shorter trip before, but you’ve always dreamed of spending more time there. Maybe living in Paris is on your bucket list, but you don’t want to commit to a full move, just an extended visit. Or maybe you work remotely, and want to spend a month as a digital nomad in Paris.
Whatever the case, this guide will help you plan one month in the City of Light!
I spent one month in Paris last year and had an amazing time. After living in Paris during college, I always wanted to go back for an extended period of time, and one month was the perfect length to stay.
I particularly wanted to spend a month studying French in Paris, after losing most of my French-speaking abilities after college. Maybe you’re interested in a similar pursuit. With one month in Paris, you can take a course in French language, cooking, or art. You can explore museums, attend shows, go for long walks, and discover hidden gems of restaurants, cafes, and bakeries. You can get a real taste of life in Paris.
Since you aren’t confined to just a few days like the typical tourist has, you can spend more time getting off the beaten path and experience what it’s like to live in (and not just visit) Paris.
Here are some important things to know to plan a month in the City of Light:
How Long Can You Stay in Paris?
Americans (and travelers of many other nationalities) can spend up to 90 days out of every 180 days in the Schengen Area, which includes France and 28 other European countries. So as long as you’ll be in Paris (and the Schengen Area as a whole) for less than 90 days, you don’t need to apply for a long-stay visa.
This means you can easily spend one month in Paris without any visa concerns.
You could also then spend another two months traveling around France or other Schengen Area countries. However, you have to make sure that your total time in the Schengen Area does not exceed 90 days.
If you want to stay in Paris for more than 90 days, you will need to apply for a long-stay visa.
When to Visit Paris
For my month in Paris, I stayed from the second week of March to the second week of April, and this was perfect for me. The weather was still chilly (which I prefer) but there were hints of spring in the air.
Here’s a month-by-month overview of when to visit Paris…
If you don’t mind cold weather, January and February are good months to visit Paris because the city is very uncrowded and prices are lower. However, the days can be short and dreary.
March and April are still quite chilly, but the days start to get longer, and by early April, you’ll start to see plenty of spring blooms and may have some warmer days towards the end of the month. These two months are still somewhat off-season, although the Easter holidays can bring big crowds.
May is a great month with warmer, mild weather. If you want to experience summer in Paris, then I would recommend June, because it’s usually not too hot at this time of year yet.
July and August are the two months I would avoid in Paris. This is the peak summer tourist season, and prices are at their highest. Most Parisians also leave the city for a month in August for summer vacation. These are also the hottest months of the year, and most places in Paris don’t have air conditioning.
September is usually still quite warm, and it’s an increasingly busy time. October is a quieter month and a great time to experience fall in Paris. The weather cools off, and the fall foliage is beautiful.
November is a good month to visit Paris if you don’t mind the cooler weather and shorter days, because of low crowds. December is fun and festive, but quite busy leading up to the holidays.
Where to Stay for a Month in Paris
I highly recommend booking an apartment if you’re staying in Paris for a month.
It’s a lot more practical and cost-efficient than a hotel. You’ll have more space and you’ll have the comforts of home (like a full kitchen, a washing machine, a living room, and so on) that you don’t necessarily need on a shorter trip, but that become a lot more important when staying somewhere for a month.
While the cost of a furnished short-term apartment is higher than the cost of renting an unfurnished apartment on a year-long lease, it’s still a huge savings compared to staying in a hotel in Paris.
Even the cheapest hotels in Paris can be over $150 a night, and $300+ per night is even more common. When you add up this cost over a month, it really doesn’t make sense to stay in a hotel!
I recommend looking at websites like Airbnb and VRBO for one month apartment rentals.
Personally, I paid $2,900 for a month in my Airbnb apartment in Paris — but you can spend a lot less.
I was extremely picky and had a lot of criteria about where I wanted to stay. The design and style of the apartment was very important to me. I wanted a one bedroom apartment, not a studio, and I wanted to be in the Latin Quarter or Saint-Germain-des-Prés, both of which are very popular, central neighborhoods. I also wanted a washing machine in my apartment. This led me to choose a more expensive apartment.
However, if you aren’t as picky, you can find apartments in the $1,500 to $2,000 range on Airbnb. If you have a higher budget and don’t mind splurging, then the sky is the limit for apartments in Paris.
Choosing a Neighborhood
Choosing the right location is very important if you’re spending a month in Paris.
I have a guide about where to stay in Paris for the first time that covers the best neighborhoods for visitors. If you’re visiting for a full month, my top picks from that list would be the 5th arrondissement (Latin Quarter), 6th arrondissement (Saint-Germain-des-Prés), and 4th arrondissement (Marais.)
However, I would also recommend looking into some of the outer arrondissements if you’re staying for a month. Most of these are less touristy and cheaper, which can be nice for a longer visit. Since you aren’t trying to pack all your sightseeing into just a few days, there’s no need to stay in a super central area.
The 11th arrondissement (near Bastille and Oberkampf) is super hip and lively with a lot of nightlife. If you’re looking for a quieter, residential neighborhood, look into the 15th or 16th arrondissements.
Things to Do During a Month in Paris
What should you do during your month in Paris? The opportunities are endless!
As I mentioned, my primary motivation was to take one month of French classes. I spent four weeks taking small group classes at a French school every morning, and I made tons of progress in that time.
I work remotely on my own business, so I was able to create my own schedule around my French classes. However, if you work remotely for a company, you can also have a pretty decent schedule. If you’re American and you work EST hours from 9 AM to 5 PM, that means you could work from 3 PM until 11 PM in Paris, with mornings and early afternoons free. I know people who have done this, and it’s not bad!
If you aren’t working, then you obviously don’t have to worry about this.
With one month in Paris, you can do a lot of sightseeing, but at a much more relaxed pace than you would if you were a tourist spending just a few days in the city. There are so many incredible neighborhoods, parks, museums, churches, monuments, cultural spaces, and more to discover in this beautiful city.
And then of course there are the thousands of amazing restaurants, cafes, bakeries, bars, and clubs. And all of the unique shops, boutiques, and markets. You’ll have no trouble filling a whole month exploring!
I personally tried to do one new thing every day during the month I was there, whether that was visiting a new park, checking out an offbeat museum, visiting a new cafe, going to an exhibition, listening to live music, or exploring a corner of the city I hadn’t been to before. I also did some unique activities like a watercolor painting class in Luxembourg Garden and a macaron making class at a pastry chef’s apartment.
Day Trips from Paris
Another thing I wanted to do during my month in Paris was take some new day trips.
When I lived here during college, I did a handful of day trips, but there were so many more I wanted to do. The great thing about Paris is that there are so many incredible destinations just a day trip away.
There are many cool places less than an hour from the city, and even more less than two hours away.
I wrote a whole guide to the best day trips you can take, but here are a few highlights:
- Versailles: See the incredible palace and gardens of Louis XIV, the Sun King.
- Chantilly: A beautiful, lesser-known chateau if you’ve already been to Versailles.
- Giverny: Visit the home and gardens of famed Impressionist artist Claude Monet.
- Reims: This pretty, smaller city is the champagne capital of France.
- Disneyland Paris: This theme park is fun for kids, or just kids at heart.
- Fontainebleau: Another amazing chateau if you love exploring palaces.
There are literally dozens of different destinations you can visit on a day trip from Paris. The great thing about doing this is that you can use the city as your base, and not have to constantly move around. You’ll be able to explore lots of different destinations, but return to the same place each night.
With my four weekends in Paris, I managed to fit in five day trips. I even squeezed in a visit to a new country (Luxembourg) because it was two hours and 15 minutes by train from Paris.
How to Plan One Month in Paris
This guide showed you how to plan one month in Paris.
Staying for a month is the perfect amount of time to get to know the city on a deeper level without being confined to just a few days like the typical tourist has. You can afford to take your time, get off the beaten path, discover hidden corners, and find “your” Paris as you begin to fall into a routine during the month.
It’s also a good way to get a taste of living in Paris, without actually having to commit to a full move. If you have the time and ability to spend one month in Paris, I highly recommend it — you won’t regret it!
Enjoy your trip to Paris!
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