Easter in Paris: What to Expect & Is It Worth It?

Easter in Paris…sounds nice, doesn’t it? Spring flowers, mild temperatures, the view from the Eiffel Tower without a coat on. Sure, that sounds nice, but it’s not always the reality.

We found that out firsthand. We spent three days in Paris over Easter weekend in 2018, arriving on Good Friday and staying through Sunday before catching a morning train to Luxembourg on Monday. This was our third visit to Paris in ten years. Our prior trips had been in mid-April and mid-October, never over Easter itself, and we’ve since been back a fourth time, in September 2023.

That Easter visit gave us chilly, wet weather and the biggest crowds we’d ever seen in the city. I wouldn’t call it “nightmare” level crowds, but the lines to get into the Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame were hours long. Yes, hours is plural.

I would love to tell you that Easter in Paris is a glorious experience, but that’s not necessarily the case. There are some things you should know before planning that Easter weekend in Paris.

Easter in Paris: The Essentials

IS EASTER SUNDAY A HOLIDAY IN FRANCE | No, only Easter Monday is a public holiday

EASTER SUNDAY 2026 | April 5

EASTER SUNDAY 2027 | March 28

BUSIEST ATTRACTIONS | Eiffel Tower, Notre-Dame, Catacombs, Arc de Triomphe

WHAT’S CLOSED | Centre Pompidou (renovation until 2030); most small shops on Sunday

HOW TO AVOID THE LINES | Book timed tickets and the Museum Pass in advance

BETTER TIME TO VISIT | Late April into May, or October

Easter in Paris: What to Expect

Paris Could Be Cold and Wet

Or it can be warm and sunny. It’s spring…anything is possible.

Our first trip to Paris was in mid-April, and we got the good version: mostly sunny skies, temperatures in the mid-60s to low 70s, trees getting their leaves back, flowers blooming everywhere. It was everything you picture when you imagine spring in Paris.

On average, daytime high temperatures range from 8°C to 18°C (45 to 65°F) from the end of March into April. Rain showers are very common during this time.

In 2018, Paris (and Europe) experienced a colder than normal winter. These cool temperatures persisted into early spring.

During our Easter visit that year, the high temperatures only reached 10°C (50°F). It was overcast for most of our visit, with a few scattered rain showers during the day. The weather wasn’t terrible, but it was cold in the mornings and evenings and we got rained on a few times.

Since winter still had not released Paris from its grip, very few flowers and trees were blooming. This created a rather dreary atmosphere for a springtime visit to Paris, a real contrast to the mid-April trip where everything was already in bloom.

However, those cold temperatures made it even nicer to pop into a café and get a warm drink. Few people were sitting outside at the street cafes during our visit, which is unfortunate, because it is one of the best things to do while in Paris. Some places have heaters, which we took advantage of.

Julie and Tim in Paris on Easter weekend

That Easter trip gave us weather that was colder and wetter than normal. This isn’t always the case, as our mid-April visit proved. A chilly day or a rainy day is to be expected, but not a whole string of them like we had that year.

Hopefully, you will get to see Paris with sunshine and warm temperatures.

Expect to Wait in Line

I was surprised at the length of the lines to get into the big tourist attractions. They were ridiculously long. We are talking several hours wait to get into places like the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, the Catacombs, and Notre Dame.

We took this photo of the line to get into Notre Dame on Easter morning (and this is just a small part of it!).

We have never seen lines this long in Paris. And to be honest, we have never seen so many long lines in one city at one time.

We tried to visit the Catacombs, arriving 45 minutes before opening time. The line was already so long that we were nowhere near the entrance to the Catacombs. And once it opened, the line painfully inched forward. We gave up, not wanting to waste our precious time in line. Since then, the Catacombs now offer advance ticketing.

What Will Be Open on Easter Sunday & Monday?

First, an important distinction: Easter Sunday itself is not a public holiday in France, Easter Monday is. That means Easter Sunday behaves like any other Sunday in Paris, just a much busier one, while Easter Monday brings the extra closures that come with a bank holiday. If your trip spans both days, plan your must-see sights for Sunday and save more flexible activities for Monday.

Museums and monuments: The major sights keep their normal Sunday hours on Easter Sunday. The Eiffel Tower, Louvre, Musée d’Orsay, Arc de Triomphe, Sainte-Chapelle, the Catacombs, and Versailles are all open. One exception worth knowing: the Centre Pompidou is closed for a multi-year renovation until 2030, so leave it off your list regardless of when you visit.

Notre-Dame reopened in December 2024 after its post-fire restoration, and it’s back on everyone’s Easter itinerary. It also hosts several Easter Mass services that day, so visiting hours are more limited than usual and it’s at its most crowded right around the services. If you want to see the interior without a service underway, check the schedule in advance and time your visit around it. Or just enjoy the outside, since the bells and the crowds on the square are part of the experience.

Shops: Most small, independent shops follow France’s usual Sunday closing rules and stay shut, Easter or not. Bigger stores in Paris’s designated tourist zones are allowed to open on Sundays and generally do. Supermarkets are hit or miss: many, like Monoprix, open for a few hours in the morning and close by early afternoon, while smaller corner grocers (Franprix, Carrefour City) tend to stay open longer.

Restaurants and cafés: These are open, and Easter Sunday lunch is a genuinely big deal in France. Expect roast lamb and other seasonal specials on menus everywhere. Tables fill up fast, especially at midday, so book ahead if you want a sit-down Easter meal.

Bakeries and chocolate shops: Most boulangeries open Sunday morning but close by early afternoon. Chocolatiers and pâtisseries lean hard into the holiday. Their windows fill with elaborate chocolate eggs, bells, and rabbits, and are worth a stroll past even if you’re not buying.

Banks, post offices, and public transport: Banks and post offices are closed, same as any Sunday. The Métro, RER, and buses run their normal Sunday schedule with no Easter-specific reduction.

If your trip includes Easter Monday, know it’s genuinely different: banks and post offices stay closed as expected, and so do a lot of small businesses that are normally open on weekdays. Museums and major attractions generally stay open on Easter Monday too, so sightseeing isn’t affected much. It’s the shops where you’ll notice the difference.

Easter’s date moves every year (the first Sunday after the first full moon following the spring equinox), so it’s worth checking the calendar before you book. It falls on April 5, 2026, and March 28, 2027.

Verdict: Is It Worth Visiting Paris at Easter?

Maybe.

If this is your first visit, I would not recommend visiting Paris at Easter. During your first visit, you want to take in the view from the Eiffel Tower, climb the Arc de Triomphe, see the Louvre, and climb the tower of Notre Dame. If you visit during Easter weekend, you will be waiting in queue after queue and you will have a horrible first impression of Paris. If you can visit one or two weeks before or after Easter, when lines are more manageable, I think you will have a much better experience.

If this is not your first visit to Paris, then a visit at Easter can be a very nice experience. For the attractions you want to visit, book your tickets in advance so you can skip the ticket lines. Then spend your remaining time wandering the less crowded neighborhoods and trying new restaurants.

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Tips to Have the Best Experience in Paris at Easter

If you are set on visiting Paris at Easter, there are some things you can do to make sure you have the best experience.

Buy the Museum Pass/Pre-Book Your Tickets in Advance

The Museum Pass is a card that covers the main sites in Paris (the Louvre, Saint Chapelle, Versailles, the Tower of Notre Dame, the Arc de Triomphe, and more) and allows you to skip the ticket line. You will still have to wait in the Museum Pass line, and in some places, this still can be quite long (it was at the Catacombs) but it will cut down on your waiting time.

For places that are not covered by the Museum Pass, such as the Eiffel Tower, you should book your tickets in advance. Again, you still will have to wait in line for the elevator but you will get to bypass the ridiculously long ticket line.

Get There Early

Getting to an attraction before opening time will also cut down on how long you have to wait in line. This helps a lot, even if you have the Museum Pass.

Don’t Spend All of Your Time at the Touristy Spots

If you just wander five minutes away from the main touristy areas, crowds magically disappear. We spent a lot of time wandering and exploring different neighborhoods. There are a lot of great spots to visit in Paris other than the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre, so don’t be afraid to take an afternoon and explore one of the “less popular” neighborhoods.

The areas that were the most crowded during our visit were Notre Dame and Ile de la Cite, the Champs-Elysees and the Arc de Triomphe, Place du Tertre in Montmartre, and Champ de Mars and the Eiffel Tower. Le Marais wasn’t too bad, nor was Saint-Germain-des-Pres. Ile de la Cite was crazy but nearby Ile Saint-Louis was quiet and uncrowded. Even consider a visit out to La Defense, a place that almost felt like a ghost town compared to the rest of Paris.

This is Place du Tertre in Montmartre on Saturday afternoon.

Just a five minute walk from Place du Tertre are quieter (and prettier) streets in Montmartre.

Best Time to Visit Paris

Paris is a very popular destination, for very good reasons. It can be crowded almost all year, with the largest crowds between May and September and during the holidays of Easter and Christmas.

The best times to visit Paris are late April into May and the month of October. Temperatures are pleasant and crowds are not at their peak.

The weather in Paris from June through August is warm and sunny but this is also a time when many people take their vacations, so the city can get quite crowded.

Where We Stayed

On this most recent visit to Paris we stayed at Hotel Le Relais Saint Honoré. Our favorite thing about this small, boutique hotel is its excellent location. The Louvre, Tuileries Garden, Place de la Concorde, and Palais-Garnier are all within a 10-minute walk. The Tuileries and Pyramides metro stations are less than 5 minutes away. The rooms are small but tastefully decorated and the staff is friendly and speaks English.

For more recommendations on where to stay, read our article Where to Stay in Paris on Your First Visit. Learn where to stay for a great view of the Eiffel Tower and get recommendations whether you are looking for a budget hotel, luxury hotel, or if you are traveling as a family.

Frequently Asked Questions about Visiting Paris at Easter

Is Easter Sunday a public holiday in France?

No. Easter Sunday is a regular Sunday in France. Normal Sunday closing rules apply, but nothing extra shuts down for the holiday itself. Easter Monday is the actual public holiday.

Is the Louvre open on Easter Sunday?

Yes. The Louvre follows its normal Sunday hours on Easter Sunday. It’s closed on Tuesdays and a handful of fixed dates (January 1, May 1, December 25), none of which fall on Easter.

Are restaurants open in Paris on Easter?

Yes, and they’re busy. Easter Sunday lunch is a big deal in France, with many restaurants running special menus featuring lamb. Book ahead, especially for midday.

Is Notre-Dame open at Easter?

Yes, Notre-Dame reopened in December 2024 after its restoration and is open on Easter Sunday. It also hosts several Easter Mass services that day, so visiting hours are more limited and crowds peak around service times.

Is Paris crowded at Easter?

Yes. Easter is one of the busiest weekends of the year in Paris, on par with peak summer. Expect long lines at the Eiffel Tower, Notre-Dame, the Catacombs, and the Arc de Triomphe.

What’s closed in Paris on Easter Monday?

Banks, post offices, and many small businesses that are normally open on weekdays close for the holiday. Museums and major attractions generally stay open, so sightseeing plans aren’t affected much.

Plan Your Trip to Paris

Deciding how many days to spend? → Our 2 Days in Paris and 3 Days in Paris itinerary guides walk you through exactly how to spend your time.
Not sure where to stay? → Our Where to Stay in Paris guide covers the best neighborhoods and hotels for first-time visitors.
Want to eat like a local while you’re there? → Our 10 Foods to Eat in Paris guide covers the dishes worth seeking out — and where to get an Easter lunch reservation won’t be needed for.
Traveling with kids over the holiday? → Our Ten Fun Things to Do in Paris with Kids guide covers family-friendly stops.
Planning a visit to the Eiffel Tower while you’re in town? → Our guide How to Visit the Eiffel Tower covers timing, tickets, and which levels are worth your time.

Have you visited Paris during Easter? Comment below if you have any questions or advice for other readers.

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We Visited Paris at Easter: Here’s What to Expect