What to pack for France in May?

Question

I'm going to France May 12 to the 25th. What kind of weather should I expect and what should I pack? I heard May is highest in rainfall, so I figure rain gear, but not sure what else. And I already know I need some fancy outfits, I'm more looking for what to wear for casual/sight-seeing/walking, stuff like that.

Thanks =)

Answer 1

In May in Paris the average high temperature is 18 degrees celsius/64 degrees farenheit, and the average low is 9 celsius/49 farenheit. It will rain 16 out the 31 days in the month.

Wear whatever you are comfortable in under such weather conditions. Good sturdy walking shoes that are water repellant are an absolute must. If you don't have some then buy them.

No one in  Paris will care in the slightest what you are wearing. You will be in a sea of tourists, everyone will know you are tourist, and no one, therefore, will worry about what you are have on.

P.S. You do not, in fact, need "some fancy outfits" although taking along the proverbial "little black dress" would be a good idea if you're planning on eating at one of the more elegant restaurants.

I have been traveling to Paris for 30+ years with various wives and girlfriends. They inevitably want to carry a dozen outfits with them. I usually manage to convince them to cut this number down but everyone who has bough more than one such outfit comes to admit that it was a dumb idea. Every extra ounce of weight in you luggage will slow you down and make doing things like taking the RER from the airport or climbing the stars to your hotel room or just getting your bag thru customs a wretched experience.

And its futile to try and keep up fashionwise with the Parisians. I was married to a women's wear buyer for one of the largest department store chains in America. She knew everything there was to know about fashion and still complained that she felt that she looked like a klutz in Paris.