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Last Updated: 23 January 2024

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Like its neighbouring European nations, France is situated in the Northern Hemisphere and goes through a cycle of four distinctive seasons. Let’s look closely at the seasons of the year in France with some interesting facts…

🎥 Watch our short video about the seasons of the year in France:

 

 

 

What is a season in France?

The Earth revolves around the Sun for 365 days. The tilt of the Earth’s axis combined with the rotation of the Earth around the Sun produces an alternation of seasons.

These four seasons (spring, summer, autumn and winter) each last about three months.

These four periods of the year have approximately constant weather conditions.

The spring and autumn equinoxes and the summer and winter solstices mark the beginning of each season.

 

The Ancient Times and the seasons of the year in France

The notion of the season has been known since Ancient Times.

In the 3rd century BC, the astronomer and mathematician Eratosthenes calculated the inclination of the earth’s axis, the phenomenon responsible for the seasons.

Then, astronomer Hipparchus of Nicaea discovered the precession of the equinoxes in the 2nd century AD.

 

The seasons of the year in Greek mythology

The cycle of the seasons is also present in Greek mythology with the myth of Persephone.

The Abduction of Proserpine (Rembrandt, circa 1631) Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons
The Abduction of Proserpine (Rembrandt, circa 1631) Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons

Daughter of Zeus and Demeter, she married the god Hades, who held her prisoner in the underworld against her will.

Wanting to recover her daughter, Demeter, goddess of agriculture and harvests, stopped making the earth bear fruit.

To avoid letting the world die, a compromise was found between Zeus, Hades and Demeter: Persephone had to spend six months in the underworld and six months on Earth.

These two periods represent winter and summer.

Field at the Ecomusée d'Alsace © French Moments
A field in Alsace © French Moments

 

The seasons of the year and French traditions

In French traditions, the seasons or the changes of seasons are marked by festivals. These celebrations sometimes go back to the dawn of time.

Some of these festivals had enormous social and religious importance in the rural world. Nowadays, the emphasis is more on their festive and/or commercial aspects.

Seasons of the year in France - Christmas in Wissembourg © French Moments
Christmas in Wissembourg, Alsace © French Moments

Learn more about Holidays and Celebrations in France…

 

The dates of the four seasons in France

Here are the dates of the seasons of the year 2023, starting with the winter season:

  • Winter will end on March 20, 2023.
  • Spring will take place from 20 March to 21 June 2023.
  • Summer will take place from 21 June to 23 September 2023.
  • Autumn will take place from 23 September to 21 December 2023.

The seasons’ dates are based on the equinoxes and solstices provided by the Institute of Celestial Mechanics and Ephemeris Calculation.

 

Staggered seasons in question

As a result of recent observations, there seems to be a discrepancy between the official dates of the seasons and the weather.

Seasons of the year in France - Paris © French Moments
Exotic Paris! © French Moments

A study carried out by the Weather Channel for the years 2000/2013 confirmed this fact by indicating that there would be a gap of about 20% about the dates on the calendar.

  • Winter would generally cover a period from 1 December to 28 February.
  • Spring would begin on 1 March and end on 31 May.
  • Summer would be between June 1 and August 31.
  • Autumn would begin on September 1 and end on November 30.

 

The seasons in France in French

Let’s learn about the 12 months and four seasons in France… in French, starting with winter.

Note that all seasons are masculine and are therefore preceded by the article le or l’.

 

WINTER = L’HIVER

  • January = Janvier
  • February = Février
  • March = Mars

 

SPRING = LE PRINTEMPS

  • April = Avril
  • May = Mai
  • June = Juin

 

SUMMER = L’ÉTÉ

  • July = Juillet
  • August = Août [pronounced ‘out’]
  • September = Septembre

 

AUTUMN/FALL = L’AUTOMNE

  • October = Octobre
  • November = Novembre
  • December = Décembre

 

The seven days of the week

In addition, here are the seven days of the week in French:

  • Monday = Lundi
  • Tuesday = Mardi
  • Wednesday = Mercredi
  • Thursday = Jeudi
  • Friday = Vendredi
  • Saturday = Samedi
  • Sunday = Dimanche

All weekdays are masculine and are preceded with the article le.

 

The four seasons of the year in France

Click on the images below to reach our dedicated pages on the seasons of France.

Winter – l’hiver

Sundgau Winter 71 © French Moments

December-January-February-March

Spring – le printemps

Pommier Alsace 01 © French Moments

March-April-May-June

Summer – l’été

Summer in Paris © French Moments

June-July-August-September

Autumn – l’automne

Autumn in Parc Monceau © French Moments

September-October-November-December

 

Pictures of the seasons of the year in France

Here are more photos of the seasons of the year in France, starting with winter.

Seasons of the year in France - Nancy in the snow © French Moments
Winter in Nancy © French moments
Seasons of the year in France - Ferrette in Winter © French Moments
Ferrette (Alsace) in Winter © French Moments
Seasons of the year in France - Eiffel Tower in Winter © French Moments
Winter Wonderland in Paris © French Moments
Seasons of the year in France - Thorens-Glières in the snow © French Moments
A village in the French Alps © French Moments
Seasons of the year in France - Paris © French Moments
Seasons of the year in France – Spring in Paris © French Moments
Seasons of the year in France - Pernes-les-Fontaines © French Moments
Spring in Pernes-les-Fontaines, Provence © French Moments
Spring in Lorraine (Village of Lucey, Toulois) © French Moments
Spring in Lorraine © French Moments
Seasons of the year in France - Spring in the French Alps © French Moments
Seasons of the year in France – Spring in the French Alps near Annecy © French Moments
Seasons of the year in France - Summer in Paris
Seasons of the year in France – Summer in Paris © French Moments
Summer in the Dordogne River at Beynac © French Moments
The Dordogne River at Beynac in summer © French Moments
Seasons of the year in France - summer in the French Alps © French Moments
The French Alps in summer © French Moments
Seasons of the year in France - Metz © French Moments
Metz (Lorraine) in summer © French Moments
Quais de la Seine, Paris © French Moments
Autumn in Paris © French Moments
Seasons of the year in France - Chateau de Joux in the Jura © French Moments
Castle of Joux in the Jura in Autumn © French Moments
Seasons of the year in France - Autumn in the French Alps © French Moments
The French Alps in autumn (Tarentaise) © French Moments
Seasons of the year in France - autumn in Alsace © French Moments
Seasons of the year in France – autumn in Alsace © French Moments

Want to see more photos of the four seasons in France?

Check out our French blog Mon Grand-Est:

 

Get the ebook Holidays & Celebrations in France!

Holidays and Celebrations in France cover

288 pages – 117 illustrations

In this book, Pierre reveals the secrets of French celebrations, from the most famous to the least known. It is a cultural journey into French customs and traditions that will satisfy those curious and lovers of France.

FIND OUT MORE & BUY YOUR COPY!

 

The Four Seasons in art

The seasons have always inspired artists such as painters and composers. The most famous musical illustration of the seasons is Antonio Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons.

Composed around 1716-1717, this grandiose universal hymn to nature is one of the significant works in the history of classical music. Indeed, it has been a huge worldwide success since its first performance in London and Paris in 1728.

 

 

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Seasons of the year in France

Holidays and Celebrations in France

Learn more about the seasons, celebrations and public holidays in France:

About the author

Pierre is a French/Australian who is passionate about France and its culture. He grew up in France and Germany and has also lived in Australia and England. He has a background teaching French, Economics and Current Affairs, and holds a Master of Translating and Interpreting English-French with the degree of Master of International Relations, and a degree of Economics and Management. Pierre is the author of Discovery Courses and books about France.

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  1. Hello! my son and I are researching how to move to FRANCE. I am in the U.S. if we want to stay longer should we get a student visa since working there right away would be difficult while looking for a place? Can you recommend a town? I AM FROM NEW YORK CITY ORIGINALLY.THANK YOU!

    1. Bonjour Anna! Thank you very much for your comment. Although I do not have the answer to your enquiry about student visas, you might get some useful info on this forum dedicated to expats living (or wanting to live) in France: http://www.expatforum.com/expats/france-expat-forum-expats-living-france/
      As for recommending a town, it’s a hard one to reply as there are so many towns (except Paris) that can be listed. Some of the favourite towns we’ve visited are Aix-en-Provence, Bordeaux, Strasbourg, Annecy, La Rochelle, Tours… you might be interested in Nantes, Rennes, Toulouse, Nice, Avignon, Montpellier or Nancy. All the best!

  2. Hello Pierre!

    My name is Brittney. I am from Oklahoma City, OK, USA. I was wanting to elope in the french alps! This seasonal chart definitely helped! I was wondering, do the alps follow the same seasonal patterns? I was looking to get married in between January and April. What would your recommendations be? Also, can you give me some insight on resources I could look into for other things weather, hotel, wedding, travel related? Thank you! x

    1. Bonjour Brittney. First I wanted to apologize for replying to your comment so late… I just didn’t see it coming through my wall! If you’d like to go to the Alps between January and April, it will definitely be Winter (and cold!). In April, places like Annecy are just wonderful with the coming of Spring. I highly recommend it. Annecy and its beautiful lake are surrounded by the snow-capped peaks of the Alps and are a perfect setting for a wedding! Check out our article for more info+photos: https://frenchmoments.eu/annecy/ . The Tourist Office of Annecy should be very helpful too: http://en.lac-annecy.com/ Contact them by email about your project and they should help you with a list of places to stay, etc. Personally, I know one or two places by the lake that are very popular for wedding celebrations: Hôtel L’Impérial (Annecy) http://www.hotel-imperial-palace.com/en and Hôtel de l’Abbaye de Talloires (Talloires) http://www.abbaye-talloires.com/en. Let me know if you need any more advise, I’d be happy to help. Have a great day. Pierre

    1. Hi Miriam, I’d love to help you but this is a very general question as there are so many universities in France where you can study. It also depends on the destinations. Paris’ La Sorbonne is maybe the most famous one… but the rest of France has some great uni too: Strasbourg, Nancy, Montpellier, Lyon, Lille, Nantes, Toulouse, Bordeaux, Marseille, Nice… the choice is vast! 🙂

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