Here’s where you can REALLY see the fall foliage in Paris!

Last Updated on 27th October 2023 by Sophie Nadeau

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I love Paris in the morning and I love Paris in the evening. I love Paris on a Monday and I love Paris on a Friday. But most of all, I love Paris in the fall… There’s something so magical, and ever so inviting about the city when the fall foliage in Paris is in abundance, the leaves turn golden and the evenings are crisp.

Here’s a photo diary that will inspire you to visit the French capital city, as well as spots and locations where you can really see the fall foliage in Paris! So whether you’re looking for an escape from the city or a secret and secluded park to enjoy pretty fall leaves and tones, we have you covered!

When do the leaves start changing colour in Paris?

If you’re in search of capturing pretty photos of the French capital, then you should know before you go that the exact timing when the leaves change each year varies on an annual basis and is entirely dependant on the weather of that year!

Typically, the leaves begin changing colour towards the end of September and are best seen through Paris in October, right up until the beginning of November.

When looking to visit exact locations, I recommend regularly checking up on social media to monitor how much the leaves have changed. Otherwise, planning your trip in mid-October will ensure that you get to enjoy at least some of the fall foliage!

Best places to see the fall foliage in Paris

Alongside Canal Saint-Martin

Located in the 10th arrondissement alongside one of the last remaining open-air canals in Paris, Canal Saint-Martin is a picture-perfect area best-known for its wealth of bars, cafés, and quaint cobbled side roads. I particularly recommend visiting in the fall since the water is even prettier when reflecting the beautiful fall foliage!

Within Palais-Royal Garden

Home to the ever-so-iconic Colonnes de Buren and situated close to the Louvre Museum, Palais-Royal is so-called thanks to its status as a former Palace in the 1st arrondissement. Behind the building, there’s a park of the same name which is home to a plethora of beautiful trees which turn golden come autumn time.

The forest of Fontainebleau as a day trip from Paris

Fontainebleau is easily one of the best fall day trips from Paris and is where you should head to if you want to find a version of ‘Versailles without the crowds’. The royal palace started out life as a hunting lodge, and its horseshoe staircase is even the last location from which Napoleon addressed his troops.

Today, a visit to the Palace comes complete with grand forest and large canal, providing the perfect place to spot some fall foliage. Directly outside the main Château building (which in of itself is well worth a stroll around), there’s even a picturesque lake where you can rent little rowboats with your friends by the half-hour.

If you’re planning to visit the Fontainebleau estate, check here for purchasing Fontainbleau tickets in advance. There are a number of other destinations within the Île de France region from which you can access the forest. Other villages worth checking out where you can also go for a walk in the forest include Barbizon and Bourron-Marlotte.

Bois de Vincennes

Easy to visit as a simple day trip from central Paris (you need only to take the Metro to the end of line one and you’ll be in Bois de Vincennes in under half an hour), Bois de Vincennes is home to one of the largest parks in Paris, as well as a fortified medieval Château and one of the last remaining ‘Sainte Chapelles’ of France.

Some of the best places to enjoy the fall foliage in this expansive parkland include the pretty trees framing the Château de Vincennes, as well as those surrounding a giant ‘Paris’ sign close to the Château. Other curiosities of the park include a botanical garden and even a hippodrome.

Arc de Triomphe

I’ve said it before, and no doubt I’ll say it again: the best view of Paris is not from the Eiffel Tower and can instead be spied from the top of the Arc de Triomphe, preferably during the golden hour (i.e. at sunset). Located in the 8th-arrondissement of the city, the Parisian monument was constructed during the 19th-century.

If you time your visit just right, then climb to the top of the spiralling staircase and you’ll be rewarded with postcard perfect views of the autumnal trees lining the streets leading towards the Eiffel Tower, making for a wonderful photo opportunity.

Purchase your Arc de Triomphe tickets here in advance.

Parc des Buttes Chaumont

The pretty park of Buttes Chaumont is to be found in the 19th arrondissement of the city and is where all the locals really hang out. Commissioned by Napoleon, the hilly space boasts waterfalls, grottos and even a Romanesque temple. Plus, the abundance of green spaces in this park means that you’re sure to spot some beautiful fall colours!

The vineyard of Butte Bergeyre

Located near Buttes Chaumont, you’ll find an exclusive vineyard in the very heart of Paris, not to mention one of the most secretive spots in the city. Head to Butte Bergeyre if you want to see a side of Paris that few people even manage to see, even the locals…

Jardin des Tuileries

Located nearby to the Louvre Museum and filled with well-sculpted trees, no trip to Paris would be complete without a wander through the Jardin des Tuileries. Once the site of a tile factory, today the garden is one of the best spots to see the autumn leaves fall from the trees in the City of Love.

The clock of Musée d’Orsay

One of the best museums in Paris is that of the Musée d’Orsay. Formerly a train station and now turned art institution, head up to the very top floor of the museum (where many of the best 19th-century paintings are to be seen) and you’ll soon discover that the view through the clock offers fantastic views towards the Sacré-Coeur, and of course of all of the beautiful fall leaves on the trees in Paris!

Inside the museum itself, there’s plenty of places to cosy up, including in the top floor café where it’s possible to purchase drinks and snacks in the beautiful museum restaurant.

Purchase your Musée d’Orsay tickets here in advance

Place de la Sorbonne

Situated in the very middle of the Latin Quarter, an area so-called because during the Middle Ages students of the nearby Sorbonne university would have conversed with one another solely in Latin, today Place de la Sorbonne is home to a handful of bars offering heated terraces and the chance to enjoy a selection of hot and cold beverages.

In the autumn time, the square of Place de la Sorbonne also happens to be one of the most beautiful spots in the city in which to enjoy the pretty fall tones.

It’s also worth noting that if you want to follow in the footsteps of the Romans in Paris, then Place de la Sorbonne was where several Roman houses and part of a road were discovered during an archaeological dig in the early 2000s.

Around the city of Paris

Stroll around the City of Love for any given time during the autumn and you’ll soon spot a plethora of beautiful little squares, secret parks, and tiny forgotten corners where beautiful photos can be snapped.

One of the best ways to allow Paris to reveal itself to you is simply by letting your feet guide you where they may and simply soaking up the ambience of the city. Otherwise, check out my free and self-guided walking tours for greater insight into the history and highlights of various arrondissements.

Montmartre Vineyard

Leafy and green, Montmartre is always worth a visit, especially so during the autumn. Head to the Clos Montmartre (the Montmartre vineyard) for some extra fall vibes as well as the chance to see a real-life wine auction in the very heart of the city (the Montmartre Grape Harvest Festival), which takes place every October.

Otherwise, head to Place Dalida to capture one of the most iconic photos of the Sacré-Coeur surrounded by golden leaves. Other places in the 18th-arrondissement where you can enjoy the best of the fall foliage include in Square Marcel Bleustein-Blanchett, and along rue Lepic.

Place Dalida & rue de l’Abreuvoir

Perhaps the prettiest street in Paris, rue de l’Abreuvoir links Place Dalida to the iconic ‘La Maison Rose’ café on the other end of the road. Comprising of picture-perfect buildings and more trailing vines than you could hope to see within a single photoshoot, I couldn’t recommend visiting this beautiful Parisian location more come autumn. For more Autumnal photo spots in Paris, check out my guide to fall in Montmartre.

Place des Vosges

The oldest public planned square in the city gets an extra splash of colour come autumn time. Head to the square to see the likes of Victor Hugo’s House (now a small museum) and to see the best of what Le Marais has to offer! Place des Vosges is also home to a series of wonderful cafés and eateries, making it a great place for a lunch stop or dinner break!

rue Saint-Vincent

If you’ve ever seen a photo of a lamp set against a burning red set of fall leaves on Instagram, then you’ve almost definitely seen a photo of the iconic post along rue saint-Vincent. For exact directions on how to find the lamppost (and the best time to visit), be sure to check out my lamppost of Montmartre visitor’s guide.

Wander along the Seine

Here’s a thought: both banks of the Seine river are lined with deciduous trees. This means that stroll along the river and you’re sure to be rewarded with some of the best autumnal colours that the city has to offer.

If you’re looking for an extra special and unique experience of the city, then you might consider booking one of these Seine River Cruises for a brand new perspective of Paris.

Bois de Boulogne

Embark on one of your final lakeside boat trips of the year at Bois de Boulogne. Soak up the last of the sun and enjoy the leaves as they turn a deep golden colour from the unique perspective of a rented rowboat. Otherwise, enjoy the last Parisian picnic of the year and escape the crowds of the capital by heading to the expansive parkland to the East of the city.

Jardin du Luxembourg

Hands down, one of the best places to enjoy Paris in the fall (and, as a result, the best of the fall foliage) is in Jardin du Luxembourg.

A delightful garden filled with little green chairs where you can sit and watch the world go by, plenty of beautiful flower borders, and lots of greenery (as well as the Medici Fountain), the Luxembourg garden is to be found in the 6th arrondissement of the city.

Square du Vert-Galant

If there’s one place in the city that I enjoy most when it comes to scouting out a Seine picnic location, or the spot for a first date, it’s Square du Vert-Galant, which even boasts its own weeping willow tree. 

Situated just below the illustrious Pont Neuf (which is ironically the oldest still standing bridge in Paris, despite being called ‘New Bridge’), the Square du Vert Galant is characterised by its sweeping vistas over the River Seine, as well as the left and right banks of the city. 

rue des Thermopyles

One of the more off the beaten path places to enjoy the fall leaves in Paris is in the 14th arrondissement of the city, which can be found on the rive Gauche (left bank). After all, rue des Thermopyles is not only one of the most beautiful streets in Paris, but is also one of the greenest.

Cats stroll along the cobbled alleyway and it’s unlike most of the rest of Paris on account of its three-storey buildings (in comparison, Haussmannian buildings are typically five or six or even seven storeys high).

Quiet, secluded, and overlooked by most tourists, visitors will be well-rewarded should they opt to venture to this street, particularly during the autumn when all of the leaves turn lovely shades of oranges, reds, and browns.

Martin Luther King Park

Located in the 17th arrondissement of the city, not far from the newly opened metro line 14 Pont Cardinet station, the Martin Luther King Park is also known as The Parc Clichy-Batignolles and is an open green space surrounded by an urban development.

This green space is simply adorable and is one of the most beautiful places to see the changing of the leaves in the French capital during the autumn. The top time to visit this space is in mid-October when some of the leaves are still a green hue while others have already transformed into an amber tone.

Champ de Mars

Lying in the shadow of the illustrious Eiffel Tower, the Champ de Mars is a vast green space that is popular for picnics in the summer months and is often used for events and pop-ups the rest of the year.

It’s even been used as the backdrop for many a filming location over the years. During the autumn, the expanse of green turns lovely shades of burnt umber and green and is perhaps best seen from the top of the Eiffel Tower.  Save time and purchase your direct-access Eiffel Tower tickets here in advance.

Parc de la Vallée aux Loups

One of the lesser known and off the beaten path things to do in Paris during the fall is to head to the south of the city and visit a pretty and unique park. The Parc de la Vallée aux Loups is located in Hauts-de-Seine and is just a short bus ride away from the end of the line 13 in southern Paris.

Boasting an arboretum, one of the most impressive bonsai collections in France, and plenty of beautiful landscapes, the arboretum came about in the 18th-century when the owner of Châteaubriand decided that an English style garden would make a nice addition to his estate. In the fall, the amount of maples transforming into golden hues are particularly notable.

Map of where to see the best fall foliage in Paris

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