What is Weather in France Like?

You will experience a myriad of different weather in France, depending on what region you are in. You will experience weather that is typical for coastal areas or weather that is unique in the French Alps. Wherever you choose to live in France, trust that the weather in your region will be quite different from the rest of the country.

When you retire in France, you will go through the different seasons during the year. Yet, it will be quite a different experience compared to the US. When planning for your retirement in France, the weather is something you should research when you are deciding on where you want to settle.


You’ll find that the weather can be quite different from one city to the next.

Don’t Believe Everything you Read!

There are some facts about the weather in France that you may not know. Paris is often portrayed as experiencing a lot of rainfall, but it actually has one of the lowest average amounts of rainfall among France’s major cities. Nice, on the other hand, is popularly known to be a sunny area but it actually has the highest average rainfall among the major cities of France.

In France’s North Atlantic coast, you would experience a maritime climate. In here, the winter months aren’t so gruelling but can still get a bit chilly at times when there are no clouds in the area to retain some of the heat. The summers are warmer compared to other areas in France. Rainfall can be expected the whole year round but the heaviest ones come between May and June. Paris actually belongs to this area.

weather in france

Down in France’s South Atlantic coast, the climate is pretty much the same to that in the north. However, much of the rain can be expected to fall during winter and the rain is less than the northern areas receive. The winters here are mild as well.

In the inland part of France, that is the West-central regions, the winters are much colder than the rest of the country.

In fact, in the Pyrenees, the temperature can fall below zero degrees during winter. Rain precipitates during the summer time here.

In the East-central regions however, the winters are known to be dry and humid. Rain can be expected during the whole year round but beautiful sunny weather can be experienced at times. The temperature here during summer is around the 20s.

The weather in the Mediterranean coast of France is much warmer. Winter is still expected but they are mild. During summer it can be scorching hot during the day, but a cool breeze from the sea will roll in at night. If you want to retire under the sun, this is the place to be.

It is up to you where you want to stay depending on what type of weather suits you. Knowing these key facts about the weather in France can help you plan your retirement.


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