What if a rainy day in Paris was not a setback but an invitation? Instead of rushing home, Parisians slip into covered passages, independent cinemas, or cafés where time slows down. For expats, learning this cozy side of October is part of feeling at home. To help you embrace it, our Absolutely Talented article Volunteering as a Career Booster (🔗): How Expats Can Gain French Experience shows how unexpected situations can become opportunities, while our Absolutely French guide 7 Amazing Kid-Friendly Cinemas in Paris You Must Visit (🔗) highlights how cinemas can turn into havens for connection on a rainy day.
From Challenge to Cozy Ritual
The first autumn rain can feel like a challenge for newcomers. Wet shoes, dripping umbrellas, crowded metros — it is easy to think the day is ruined. But the turning point comes when you realize that for Parisians, rain is not a reason to cancel plans. It is a chance to discover secret passages, catch a film in a historic cinema, or spend hours playing games over hot chocolate. Once you start seeing rainy days as part of the Parisian rhythm, you unlock a whole new set of experiences.
7 Cozy Things to Do on Rainy Days in Paris
1. Wander Through the Covered Passages
Paris is home to 19th century covered arcades that keep you dry while offering charming shops, cafés, and bookstores. In the 2nd arrondissement, Passage des Panoramas is the oldest, with mosaic floors and stamp dealers. Nearby, Galerie Vivienne, also in the 2nd, is elegant with its glass roof and chic boutiques. Across Boulevard Montmartre in the 9th, Passage Jouffroy has toy shops and a direct entrance to the Musée Grévin. These passages feel like another century, and Parisians still use them as shortcuts on rainy days.
2. Hide in an Independent Cinema
When it rains, Parisians often head to small independent cinemas rather than multiplexes. In the 5th arrondissement, Le Champo in the Latin Quarter has been showing arthouse films since the 1930s and remains a favorite for students and intellectuals. Not far away in the same district, Studio Galande is known for cult films and lively midnight screenings. These cinemas are warm, affordable, and deeply Parisian — just sitting among the regulars makes you feel part of the city.
3. Spend the Afternoon in a Board Game Café
Rainy days are perfect for gathering with friends, and board game cafés have become a Parisian trend. In the 10th arrondissement, Le Meisia offers hundreds of games to try while sipping tea or hot chocolate. On the Left Bank, near Odéon in the 6th, Les Caves Alliées mixes medieval-style décor with strategy games and craft drinks. For expats, these cafés are a relaxed way to meet locals, laugh over a round of cards, and turn a gray afternoon into a playful one.
4. Read in a Historic Bookstore
Bookstores in Paris are more than shops, they are cultural refuges. On the Left Bank in the 5th arrondissement, Shakespeare and Company invites you to browse English books in its labyrinth of shelves. Across the Seine in the 1st, Librairie Galignani is one of Europe’s oldest English-language bookstores, with elegant wood-lined interiors. In Saint-Germain-des-Prés in the 6th, L’Écume des Pages stays open late, offering a cozy French haven to read while the rain taps on the windows.
🔗 Shakespeare and Company official site
5. Warm Up in a Salon de Thé
Rain is the perfect excuse to linger over tea and pastries. In the Marais in the 4th arrondissement, Mariage Frères welcomes guests with its colonial-style décor and an extensive tea menu served in porcelain pots. On Rue de Rivoli in the 1st, Angelina draws Parisians and visitors alike with its legendary thick hot chocolate and Mont-Blanc pastry. On rainy afternoons, these salons fill with locals enjoying slow conversations. For expats, it is a chance to experience the Parisian art de vivre: taking time, savoring the moment, and watching the world go by.
6. Explore Small Museums
Rainy days are made for museums, but locals often avoid the crowded Louvre or Orsay. Instead, they choose smaller gems. In the 9th arrondissement at the foot of Montmartre, the Musée de la Vie Romantique is a charming house museum once home to painter Ary Scheffer, with a glass-roofed garden café that feels especially cozy on gray afternoons. On the Left Bank in the 6th arrondissement, the Musée Zadkine, tucked behind the Luxembourg Gardens, showcases the Russian sculptor’s atelier and serene garden filled with expressive statues. Both museums are free for their permanent collections and often overlooked by tourists, making them ideal havens on rainy days.
7. Listen to Jazz in a Cellar
As the rain falls, nothing feels more Parisian than slipping into a jazz club. In the 5th arrondissement’s Latin Quarter, Le Caveau de la Huchette welcomes you into a medieval cellar where swing and jazz have been played for decades, with dancing that continues late into the night. In the 1st arrondissement near Les Halles, Sunset Sunside offers contemporary and traditional jazz in a more intimate setting, with candlelit tables and a close-up view of the musicians. For locals, rainy evenings and live music go hand in hand. For expats, it is a way to step directly into Parisian nightlife without the need for big crowds.
Finding Comfort in Rain
At first, expats may see rainy days as a disruption, but once you follow the Parisian way — retreating into passages, sipping hot chocolate, watching a film in a tiny cinema — you start to realize that rain is part of the city’s charm. It pushes you indoors, into places you might never have discovered otherwise, and it transforms gray afternoons into cozy, memorable experiences.
The true test of belonging in Paris is not how you feel in the sunshine but how you embrace the rain. Once you can enjoy rainy days as much as sunny ones, you begin to feel truly Parisian. You know where to hide, where to play, where to wander. Rain is no longer an obstacle, but a companion, guiding you to bookstores, tea rooms, music, and laughter.
Paris in October is unpredictable, and rainy days are inevitable. But instead of resisting them, you can embrace them. Each shower opens the door to a new discovery: a hidden passage, a steaming cup of tea, a jazz melody echoing underground. For expats, learning to love rainy days is learning to live Paris like a local. So the next time the sky darkens, take your umbrella, put on your boots, and remember: rainy days in Paris are not gray, they are golden.
Absolutely French – Who We Are – Companies Services
Absolutely French is the first French language school entirely dedicated to expat partners and expatriates.
Our mission:
To support dual careers in expat families by helping partners integrate quickly and confidently into French life.
Our method:
Fun, friendly, and innovative French courses that guarantee results — and help build a local network.
Looking for French classes tailored for expat partners? Want to register your employee’s spouse for a high-quality program?
Let’s connect!
Email: contact@absolutely-french.eu
Phone: +33 (0)1 83 73 98 49
Address: 4, rue Faraday, 75017 Paris