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What to do in Paris when it rains

October 10, 2026 · 4 min

What to do in Paris when it rains

Nine covered spots in Paris for a rainy day. Hours and prices were checked in October 2026. The Louvre and the Catacombs ask for a timed slot; the other seven let you walk in.

Three museums for an afternoon

The Louvre, in the 1st, opens Monday to Thursday and at weekends from 9am to 6pm, and closes on Tuesday; on Wednesday and Friday it stays open until 9pm. A ticket costs 22 to 32 euros depending on the slot you book, 12 euros reduced. The evening openings from 6pm to 9pm are the quietest hours of the week, the Mona Lisa included. A timed slot is booked in advance on the museum’s website, free or reduced.

The Musee d’Orsay, in the 7th, fills the old station along the river. It opens Tuesday to Sunday from 9.30am to 6pm, with a late opening on Thursday until 9.45pm, and closes on Monday. A ticket costs 16 euros online, 14 at the desk, 12 for the Thursday evening, the quietest slot of the week.

The Musee de l’Orangerie, in the 1st, shows Monet’s Water Lilies in two oval rooms beside the Tuileries garden. It opens Monday and Wednesday to Sunday from 9am to 6pm, and closes on Tuesday. On Friday it stays open until 9pm, but only during temporary exhibitions. Entry is 12.50 euros online, 11 at the desk, and an hour is enough, two if you like to linger.

Underground and dry: the Catacombs

The Catacombs entrance, in the 14th, sits at 1 avenue du Colonel Henri Rol-Tanguy, on place Denfert-Rochereau, and the exit comes up at 21 bis avenue Rene-Coty, a walk from the entrance. The site opens Tuesday to Sunday from 9.45am to 8.30pm, last entry 7.30pm, and closes on Monday as well as on 1 January, 1 May and 25 December.

Full price is 31 euros with the audio guide, 25 euros reduced and 15 euros for ages 8 to 17. Booking a slot is strongly advised: tickets open seven days ahead and the site caps entry at 200 people. The route runs 1.5 km one way, at 14 degrees year round. Suitcases and large bags are turned away, and there is no cloakroom.

A cinema to wait out the shower

Le Louxor, at 170 boulevard de Magenta in the 10th, is the only cinema in France decorated in Egyptian style, a short walk from Barbes-Rochechouart metro. It runs as an art-house, with regular retrospectives and a bar upstairs. A seat costs 11.50 euros, 8.50 reduced, 6 for under-26s and 7 for screenings before noon, against about 25 euros at a multiplex on a Saturday night. The early-afternoon slot stays quiet before 6pm.

Covered markets and passages

The covered market Les Enfants Rouges, at 39 rue de Bretagne in the 3rd, is the oldest covered market in Paris. It closes on Monday and opens Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday from 8.30am to 8.30pm, Thursday until 9.30pm, Sunday from 8.30am to 5pm. Entry is free. Between the stalls and the food counters, there is room to sit down to lunch under the hall.

Galerie Vivienne, at 4 rue des Petits-Champs in the 2nd, opens every day from 8.30am to 8pm, free entry. Its 1823 glass roof and mosaic floor are the draw. A step away, Passage des Panoramas at 11 boulevard Montmartre lines up old shopfronts and postcard dealers; the two passages link streets without crossing the rain.

Swim and play, out of the rain

Piscine Suzanne Berlioux, under the Forum des Halles at 10 place de la Rotonde in the 1st, has a 50-metre pool and rarely closes. In term time it opens Monday and Tuesday to Friday from 6.30am to 8.30am, then noon to 11pm, and at weekends from 9am to 7pm. A swim costs 5.10 euros, 4 reduced.

La Tete dans les Nuages, at 5 boulevard des Italiens in the 2nd, spreads 1,500 square metres over two floors, with rooms for video games and laser game, plus a virtual-reality space. It opens every day: Monday to Thursday from 11am to 12.30am, Friday until 2am, Saturday from 10am to 2am, and Sunday and public holidays from 10am to 12.30am. Entry is free, a game card is bought on site to run the machines, and groups can book FreePlay nights with unlimited games.

Closed or under repair: two pools

Piscine de la Butte aux Cailles, in the 13th, has been closed for renovation since September 2026, and its indoor pool will not reopen before spring 2027. The Espace Sportif Pontoise, in the 5th, closes from 16 October to 15 November 2026 for works. Any Paris pool can shut at short notice; the day’s hours are on paris.fr.

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