This is how to make the most of your trip to Paris - no matter the weather

Average temperature: 7 / 16 degrees

WHY: With daytime temperatures rising, sun-trap cafe terraces begin to fill up with social butterflies and people watchers, while flaneurs and cyclists are revitalised. Joining the perennial aromas of Paris - think: just-baked goodies wafting from boulangeries - are the scents of blossoming flowers and freshly-cut lawns.

HOW: Mosey around the Latin Quarter, where elegant boulevards, eye-catching landmarks and quaint cobbled squares are complemented by fragrant botanical havens like the Jardin du Luxembourg and Jardin des Plantes, the latter boasting exotic flora gathered centuries ago by globe-trotting French travellers. In between those two gardens, you could break for refreshments on Rue Mouffetard, an atmospheric strip variously home to market stalls, independent shops, watering holes and eateries, including contemporary Gallic bistros like Flocon and Otto. Have a caffeine jolt at speciality-coffee shop Dose then hire an e-bike from the Velib' scheme, which has docking stations across Paris, a city with almost 1000 kilometres of dedicated bike lanes. It's especially fun to pedal along Rue de Rivoli, a previously traffic-thronged artery that is now car-free and snakes through Paris's historic heart between Saint-Paul and Place de la Concorde. Stay at Chateau des Fleurs, a 37-room boutique hotel off the Champs-Elysees. Planters adorn the facade and Belle Epoque design seeds the interiors, including the lounge-bar, where you can sip cocktails by the fireplace.

Average temperature: 15 / 26 degrees

WHY: Don't believe the old rumour. Not every Parisian shuts up shop and flees the city in August. But quite a few do, making room for the international tourist influx. While the famous sights are crowd magnets, there are still uncluttered pockets of Paris to relish.

HOW: Though there's a chance of rain - as we saw during the opening ceremony of 2024 Olympics - summers here are usually warm and dry, and there's an air of the Cote d'Azur, especially at Paris Plages, which sees temporary beaches, cafe-bars and sporting activities pop up around the city's waterways. For the first time since 1923, the public can swim in the River Seine after a $2.4 billion clean-up project. New bathing sites include Bras Marie, a few lengths from the restored Notre-Dame cathedral. You can also breast-stroke - or hire canoes, kayaks or pedal boats - at Bassin de la Villette, the city's largest artificial lake, just north of Canal Saint-Martin, which is a dreamy spot on balmy evenings. Petanque games play out on the tree-shaded banks, and friends and lovers nurse drinks by the water's edge or at canalside haunts such Le Comptoir General, which has a French-Caribbean aura with its rum mixers and fish and seafood dishes. Otherwise, make your way to Parc des Buttes Chaumont for a picnic on the grassy slopes or enjoy tapas at Rosa Bonheur in the park's 19th-century pavilion. In the evening, savour the sunset from the rooftop bar of Hotel Dame des Arts, a smart and casual accommodation option near the Seine.

Average temperature: 10 / 17 degrees

WHY: As the leaves start to change colour and fall, Parisians begin to layer up, flaunting their dress sense with cool new fashions or old favourites that are back en vogue. This is a golden season for shoppers, browsers and photographers alike.

HOW: High-end brands flank the Champs-Elysees, but the streets springing off the city's most prominent avenue offer more relaxing boutique therapy, notably Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honore, which teems with plush and perfumed boutiques. If it's concept stores and upcycled clothes you're after, wander along Rue du Chateau d'Eau, which also has inviting restaurants like Le Comptoir des Resistants, which sources seasonal ingredients from farms and market gardens near Paris. Also offering shopping with food and drink possibilities are the city's vintage-covered arcades, such as the Passages des Panoramas, and grand department stores like Galeries Lafayette Haussmann - head to its eighth-floor terrace, where you can wine, dine and feast on Parisian views. Later, crunch through the leaves scattering the celebrity tomb-fringed paths of Pere Lachaise Cemetery or amble the hilly streets of Montmartre, which hosts a grape harvest festival by its vineyard each October. You could stick around for a show at the Moulin Rouge. But evenings in Paris can be crisp, so you may fancy the heated subterranean pool at Le Grand Mazarin, a whimsical 61-room retreat in Le Marais, followed by dinner at the hotel's buzzy Bouable restaurant.

Average temperature: 3 / 7 degrees

WHY: Apart from a busy spell in the run-up to Christmas, winter is generally low-key in Paris, and this is when you'll typically see cheaper hotel prices, shorter queues and more gaps in the time slots for tickets at the big visitor attractions.

HOW: While still lagging behind the likes of Cologne and Strasbourg in the festive stakes, Paris has upped its game in recent years. You'll now find yuletide vibes - and vin chaud (mulled wine), carousel rides and ice skating - around the city in December. Popular Christmas markets cluster by Hotel de Ville and in the Jardin des Tuileries, close to which are the Louvre and Musee d'Orsay - two blockbuster art museums with extra allure when it's damp and chilly outside. For contemporary art, a better bet is the Pinault Collection at the old stock exchange in the historic Les Halles market district, where old-school brasserie Au Pied de Cochon serves classic French fare like escargots, frogs' legs, foie gras and cassoulets. Elsewhere, keep yourself warm and invigorated at the Musee Carnavalet, which highlights the city's absorbing past, or the fine arts museum at the glamorous Petit Palais. Both are free to enter, as are the former Parisian homes of writers Victor Hugo and Honore de Balzac. The latter's legacy also drifts through Hotel Balzac, a discreet 58-room bolthole with a three-Michelin-starred restaurant by French chef Pierre Gagnaire. It's around the corner from the Arc de Triomphe, above which fireworks announce the new year.