When is the best time to go to the French Alps?

When is the best time to go to the French Alps? Here's some information to help you in your decision:

  • In the French Alps, the weather is good across more than 72% of the territory for: July and August
  • The best months to go to Grenoble (Isère) are May, June, July, August and September
  • On average, the warmest months in Grenoble (Isère) are July and August, and the coldest month of the year is January
  • The rainiest months in this city are January, May, November and December
  • The cities with the best climate are Grenoble (Isère), Aix-les-Bains, Annecy (Haute-Savoie), Chambéry, Bourget Lake (Lac du Bourget), Laragne-Monteglin and Rumilly, with good weather at least 5 months a year


Where and when to go based on the weather?

Haute-Savoie
Annecy (Haute-Savoie), Chamonix, La Clusaz...

July and August
63°F to 79°F°C
6 to 13 days
May, June and September
50°F to 74°F°C
4 to 15 days
January, February, March, April, October, November and December
31°F to 63°F°C
3 to 11 days

Hautes-Alpes
Les Orres, Gap (Hautes-Alpes), Briançon...

June, July and August
63°F to 85°F°C
3 to 15 days
September
61°F to 77°F°C
4 to 8 days
January, February, March, April, May, October, November and December
34°F to 68°F°C
3 to 15 days

Isère
Grenoble (Isère), Alpe d'Huez, Charmant Som...

June, July, August and September
58°F to 74°F°C
4 to 11 days
May and October
50°F to 61°F°C
5 to 12 days
January, February, March, April, November and December
34°F to 56°F°C
5 to 11 days

Savoie
Aix-les-Bains, Val Thorens, Tignes...

July and August
59°F to 81°F°C
5 to 12 days
June and September
54°F to 77°F°C
5 to 14 days
January, February, March, April, May, October, November and December
27°F to 68°F°C
4 to 16 days

Best time to travel to French Alps by cities

Chargement en cours
Haute-Savoie Haute-Savoie Hautes-Alpes Hautes-Alpes Isère Isère Savoie Savoie

See full list of cities


Temperatures and rainfall in the French Alps

On these 2 graphs, we present the evolution of temperatures of French Alps and month-by-month rainfall for the cities of Grenoble (Isère), Aix-les-Bains, Alpe d'Huez, Annecy (Haute-Savoie) and Chambéry.


Peak visitor numbers and tourist seasons in the French Alps

Find out when French Alps has its high tourist season (the period when the influx of tourists is highest) and off-peak tourist season using our data and figures.

Tourist seasons in the French Alps

The months with low numbers of tourists are: January, February, March, April, May, June, September, October, November and December. The number of visitors to French Alps is high in: July and August.

  • Very low season in the French Alps: November.
  • Low season in the French Alps: January, February, March, April, May, June, September, October and December.
  • High season in the French Alps: July.
  • Peak season in the French Alps: August.

Figure: Visitor index for French Alps month by month




Where to go in the French Alps?

This table allows you to see the maximum temperature for each city and our opinion on the weather month by month (see colour legend below the table).

Cities jan.feb.mar.apr.mayjun.jul.aug.sep.oct.nov.dec.
Grenoble (Isère)40°F43°F49°F56°F61°F68°F74°F74°F67°F61°F50°F43°F
Aix-les-Bains45°F47°F56°F63°F68°F77°F81°F81°F74°F65°F54°F47°F
Alpe d'Huez32°F34°F38°F45°F50°F59°F65°F65°F58°F50°F41°F36°F
Annecy (Haute-Savoie)41°F45°F52°F61°F67°F74°F79°F79°F72°F63°F52°F45°F
Chambéry45°F47°F56°F63°F68°F77°F81°F81°F74°F65°F54°F47°F
Chamonix31°F32°F38°F45°F52°F61°F67°F67°F59°F52°F41°F32°F
La Clusaz36°F38°F43°F54°F59°F67°F72°F72°F65°F58°F47°F38°F
La Plagne29°F29°F34°F40°F45°F56°F59°F61°F54°F45°F38°F32°F
Les Menuires29°F31°F36°F43°F50°F61°F65°F65°F59°F50°F40°F32°F
Savoy29°F29°F34°F40°F45°F56°F59°F61°F54°F45°F38°F32°F
Tignes29°F31°F34°F41°F47°F59°F65°F65°F58°F47°F36°F29°F
Val Thorens29°F31°F36°F43°F50°F61°F65°F65°F59°F50°F40°F32°F
Avoriaz34°F36°F41°F50°F56°F65°F68°F68°F63°F56°F45°F38°F
Bonneval-sur-Arc27°F29°F32°F40°F47°F58°F63°F65°F56°F47°F36°F29°F
Bourget Lake (Lac du Bourget)45°F47°F56°F63°F68°F77°F81°F81°F74°F65°F54°F47°F
Briançon32°F34°F38°F45°F52°F63°F68°F68°F61°F52°F40°F34°F
Gap (Hautes-Alpes)41°F43°F49°F58°F63°F72°F77°F79°F72°F63°F50°F43°F
Les Orres32°F32°F38°F47°F52°F63°F68°F68°F61°F52°F41°F34°F
Thonon-les-Bains41°F43°F49°F56°F61°F68°F74°F76°F70°F61°F52°F45°F
Aiguille du Midi31°F32°F38°F45°F52°F61°F67°F67°F59°F52°F41°F32°F

Legend:

perfect weather

good weather

tolerable weather

bad weather

very bad weather


About French Alps

What can I do in the French Alps?

Beaches / swimming

Nature and countryside

Culture and heritage

Sports

Family travel

Crafts / shopping

Gastronomy



Is this weather information for French Alps reliable?

Climate data for French Alps has been gathered every day since January 2009. The analysis of these meteorological data for French Alps allows us to determine the average for each month in Grenoble (Isère), Aix-les-Bains, Alpe d'Huez, Annecy (Haute-Savoie), Chambéry, Chamonix, La Clusaz, La Plagne, and 46 other cities.

So yes: this data is reliable except in cases of temporary climate disruption in the region.

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