France in October: autumn colors in the vineyards, the last warm days on the Riviera, events, All Saints' holidays and what closes for winter on November 1.
October is France's last month of long seasonal hours and its first month of autumn color. The vineyards of Burgundy, Bordeaux and the Loire turn gold and red after the harvest, the Riviera still reaches 70°F (21°C) in the afternoon, and Paris is in the middle of its cultural season. It is also a month of deadlines: Giverny, the Chaumont garden festival and the Versailles fountain shows all end around November 1, and the high Alpine passes close.
We like October for food and wine trips and for travelers who prefer cities to beaches. Here is what to know.
Several of France's seasonal highlights wind down as October ends. Dates below are the 2026 ones; the pattern is usually the same each year.
If any of these are on your list, plan them for the first half of the month.
The color moves through the month. The Burgundy vineyards of the Côte d'Or turn yellow and russet in the second half of October, the Beaujolais goes red, and the forests of the Loire and the Dordogne follow. Saint-Émilion is at its most photogenic once the vines change.
October is also a food month: cèpe mushrooms in the Dordogne and the Landes, chestnuts in the Ardèche, the first oysters of the season on the Atlantic coast, and new walnuts from the Périgord. Cellars that were too busy to receive visitors during the harvest open their doors again, and winemakers have time to talk.
Météo-France 1991-2020 normals (Chamonix: 1981-2010) show two different months.
In the north and center, October is cool and settled for long stretches, with gray spells. Paris averages 62°F (16.5°C) by day and 50°F (9.9°C) at night, with about 10 rainy days. Tours and Dijon are close, at 61 to 63°F, and Strasbourg is the coolest at 60°F (15.8°C) by day and 45°F (7.2°C) at night. Normandy averages 61°F (16.2°C) but is wetter, with 12 rainy days.
In the South, it is still mild but no longer dry. Nice averages 70°F (21°C) by day and 57°F (14°C) at night, but October is its wettest month, with about 128 mm of rain over seven or eight days. Provence (Carpentras) is similar: 70°F (21.1°C) by day, 88 mm of rain. Lyon gets its heaviest rainfall of the year in October, about 100 mm.
In the Southwest, Bordeaux averages 67°F (19.6°C) and the Dordogne 68°F (19.8°C) by day, with crisp mornings around 47 to 51°F.
In the Alps, Chamonix drops to 58°F (14.7°C) by day and 36°F (2.5°C) at night, and snow can fall on the passes.
The light changes fast. In mid-October the sun sets in Paris around 7 p.m.; after the clocks go back on Sunday, October 31, 2027, sunset moves to around 5:20 p.m.
French schools break for two weeks around All Saints' Day (November 1). In 2026 the holidays ran from October 17 to November 2, for all zones at once. Families head for the Atlantic coast, Disneyland Paris, the Loire châteaux and the Riviera, so the second half of October is busier and a little pricier than the first.
The first half of October is one of the best-value periods of the year: shoulder-season rates on the coast and in the countryside, and few crowds at the big sights. Paris is busy with fashion week (which spills into early October), trade fairs and the Arc weekend. The Mont-Saint-Michel abbey moves to its lower winter price, €13 (about $15), on October 1.
Bordeaux and the Dordogne in autumn. Saint-Émilion in its colors, cèpe season in Sarlat and the Lascaux caves without the summer lines, on our Bordeaux and Dordogne road trip.
Cognac and the Atlantic. The cognac houses after the harvest, a blending workshop and a day in Bordeaux, on our Cognac getaway.
Paris, Burgundy and Provence. Our luxury France honeymoon in its autumn version, with the Côte d'Or in color and a warm finish in the South. A 7-day France trip can do Paris plus one wine region at a gentler pace.
To compare October with its neighbors, see our best time to visit France guide or read France in November.
Tell us your October dates and a designer will fit the trip around the colors and the closing dates: plan your trip.
More guides: Month by monthPlanning
Yes, especially for wine regions, cities and food. The vineyards are in autumn color, cellars have time for visitors after the harvest, and the first half of the month is good value. Expect cool, sometimes gray days in the north and mild but wetter weather on the Riviera, where afternoons still reach about 70°F.
Mild rather than warm. Nice averages 70°F (21°C) in the afternoon and 57°F (14°C) at night. The sea is still swimmable early in the month for many people. October is the Riviera's wettest month on average, though, with heavy showers on seven or eight days, and beach clubs close progressively.
Monet's garden at Giverny, the Versailles fountain shows and the Chaumont-sur-Loire garden festival all end around November 1. Loire châteaux move to shorter winter hours, the Aiguille du Midi in Chamonix closes from early November to mid-December, and the high Alpine passes close with the first snow.
France returns to winter time on the last Sunday of October, which is October 31, 2027 (it was October 25 in 2026). Clocks go back one hour at 3 a.m. After the change, sunset in Paris moves from around 6:20 p.m. to around 5:20 p.m., so plan outdoor visits earlier in the day.
Day by day, with prices. Each one is reshaped around you.
Six nights self-drive, three in Bordeaux and three in Sarlat: a gourmet walk in Chartrons, e-bike and balloon in Saint-Émilion, oysters at Arcachon, Rocamadour, Padirac and Lascaux IV. Boutique 4-star hotels; for keen eaters.
From €1,499 per person
Five nights in one hotel in Cognac, 4-star or the 5-star Chais Monnet: a masterclass, an e-bike ride to a family distillery, a Bordeaux blending workshop, a cooking class, lunch at Rémy Martin and the Hennessy cooperage.
From €1,999 per person
Thirteen nights in 5-star hotels from Paris to Aix: a Seine cruise, Dior and Place Vendôme, the Grands Crus of Burgundy, a helicopter over Mont Blanc, Lavaux, lavender by 2CV, the Camargue and a chef's class. Private guide daily.
From €9,999 per person
Alsace Christmas markets 2026: official dates for Strasbourg, Colmar, Eguisheim, Riquewihr and Kaysersberg, crowd tips, where to stay and a 5-day plan.
Where to stay on the French Riviera: Nice, Antibes, Cannes, Villefranche, Èze, Menton or Monaco. Our Nice designers explain who each base suits, and why.
France in November 2026: Beaujolais Nouveau on November 19, the Hospices de Beaune auction, first Christmas markets, ski openings and real weather by region.
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