France in October

[marieps]

We were so impressed with Ama Magna on our first river cruise last week that we put a blind deposit down on a future cruise.  We have a TA in October '23 and sadly there are no rooms to our liking on the Ama Vida to do the Douro, so we're thinking the Seine from Paris to Le Harve, then the ferry to Portsmouth for our TA out of Southampton.  

 

Can experienced folks please comment on whether France in mid October is warm enough to enjoy the experience?  Thanks so much.

[Gourmet Gal]

In general, certainly!  It is the north so weather tends to be cooler and wetter than other parts of the country.  Beats summer weather for sure.

[jpalbny]

4 hours ago, marieps said:

Can experienced folks please comment on whether France in mid October is warm enough to enjoy the experience?  Thanks so much.

 

Yes, we were in Northern Europe in October 2018. We did a cruise from Copenhagen to London, with stops in Rouen and Honfleur. The weather was quite nice and we wore short sleeved shirts, light pants with occasional shorts. Sometimes we needed a light jacket or long sleeves. I don't remember any particularly cold weather, but it may rain here and there. Northern France was wonderful at that time.

[Haqdeluxe]

1 hour ago, jpalbny said:

 

Yes, we were in Northern Europe in October 2018. We did a cruise from Copenhagen to London, with stops in Rouen and Honfleur. The weather was quite nice and we wore short sleeved shirts, light pants with occasional shorts. Sometimes we needed a light jacket or long sleeves. I don't remember any particularly cold weather, but it may rain here and there. Northern France was wonderful at that time.

Yes, rain is most likely to be your more troublesome adversary.

[loge23]

Should be delightful weather, perhaps a bit damp, but so, so much better than summer! Summers in Europe are becoming unbearable.

[lynncarol]

in 2019 we took our adult grandaughter on a Vantage Seine cruise from Oct 17 to 29th. I recall it was pretty chilly and looking back on our photos, in everyone of them we are wearing a coat.  It also rained several times...once for the entire day in Paris. However, that day was notable as, on our own, we had evening reservations at the Eiffel Tower.  Because of the intermittent drizzle, the crowds were absent, and when we got to the observation tour at the top, the change of altitude turned the raindrops into snowflakes.  All three of us remember that as one of the most magical moments of the trip....seeing those snowflakes illuminated by the tower lights.  Also, a big plus for our grandaughter...early on the cruise my husband and I realized the light jacket she had brought would be inadequate, so decided to buy her a warm coat in one of the towns we visited. She still loves that very stylish coat and we probably wouldn't have coughed up the money for it, if not for the cold weather. Moral of the story: weather shouldn't impact the enjoyment of travel as long as you have adequate clothing.

[marieps]

17 minutes ago, lynncarol said:

in 2019 we took our adult grandaughter on a Vantage Seine cruise from Oct 17 to 29th. I recall it was pretty chilly and looking back on our photos, in everyone of them we are wearing a coat.  It also rained several times...once for the entire day in Paris. However, that day was notable as, on our own, we had evening reservations at the Eiffel Tower.  Because of the intermittent drizzle, the crowds were absent, and when we got to the observation tour at the top, the change of altitude turned the raindrops into snowflakes.  All three of us remember that as one of the most magical moments of the trip....seeing those snowflakes illuminated by the tower lights.  Also, a big plus for our grandaughter...early on the cruise my husband and I realized the light jacket she had brought would be inadequate, so decided to buy her a warm coat in one of the towns we visited. She still loves that very stylish coat and we probably wouldn't have coughed up the money for it, if not for the cold weather. Moral of the story: weather shouldn't impact the enjoyment of travel as long as you have adequate clothing.

A lovely post.  Thank You.

[dawnvip]

Completely agree with Haqdeluxe and loge23 - greatest concern will be rain. 

 

DH and I did this exact cruise last September. Paris is usually a bit warmer than the coast, but Normandy is very similar climate to Vancouver and Seattle so you can expect that by October, there will be rain and "cool" weather ( high 50's  to mid- 60's F). Rain never slowed us down, we layered and added/removed as needed. 

 

I also bought a wonderful rain slicker in Honfleur which is my absolute favorite coat to wear. I get asked where I got it from all the time - and smile inside when I reply "in France"!

[Queen of my Heart]

The weather could range from warm and sunny to very cool indeed, with rain (as others have said) a definite possibility. The other thing to bear in mind is that, even if the daytime is warm, the sun will rise later and set earlier and the temperature will likely drop off quickly. By mid October you could be looking at sunrise at around 07:30 and sunset around 18:00.