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Where to go in February / France in February / French Riviera & Provence / February

France · Beach

French Riviera & Provence
in February.

Illustration of Baie des Anges and Nice waterfront
Nice and the Baie des AngesDestination view, not month-specific.

Is February a good time?

Temperature unit

Cool days.
More overnight stays than January.

February averages 56°F afternoons and 56°F seas, with about 6 rain days. Later February is typically warmer.

Afternoons
56°F
Sea
56°F
Visitor demand
22%of August peak

Historical Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur regional averages, not a forecast or a measure of queues. Overnight demand compares average stays per day. Covers Nice, Marseille, Cannes, Avignon and Saint-Tropez; conditions vary within the region.

Overall match

5.8/10 · scores & priorities

What matters most?

Weather 50% · Crowds 30% · Cost 20%

#10 of 12 months here · Balanced mix

Weather3.8/10Fair
CrowdsLow seasonvs its own year; overnight stays do not measure queuesFor its size, busier than most of Europe this month
CostModeratefor Europe; France-wide price level

Overall combines weather, overnight demand and cost. It does not include sea temperature.

Plan your February

What to expect.

What should I pack?

Afternoons around 56°F (13°C): a sweater and a light jacket; nights around 40°F (4°C): a warm coat. About 10 hours of daylight. About 6 rain days in a typical February.

Can I swim in February?

The sea averages 56°F. Our swimming guide: very cold: wetsuit weather. Your comfort will vary. This is open water near the coast, not a beach-specific reading.

Monthly coastal averages from NOAA, 2011–2025. Sea temperature is separate from the weather and Overall scores.

A typical day: temperatures & daylightAfternoons, nights, sea temperature & daylight Show detailsHide details

About 10 hours of daylight.

Sunrise 07:36Sunset 18:0440°F56°F00:0006:0012:0018:0024:00

The sun rises about 07:36 and sets about 18:04 (local time, mid-month). Mornings start around 40°F (4°C); afternoons reach about 56°F (13°C). Expect rain on about 6 days in a typical February.

Typical afternoon
56°F (13°C)
average daily high, 15 recent Februarys
Night low
40°F (4°C)
average daily minimum
Sea
56°F (13°C)
very cold; open water near the coast, NOAA satellite record 2011–2025
Daylight
10h 27m
on the 15th, computed from latitude

Early, middle or late?

Early or late February?

Late February is typically warmer. The afternoon high averages 54°F on the 1st, versus 58°F on the 28th.

Early February 1 February

54°F

Typical afternoon high

24% historical wet-day frequency

Mid February 15 February

56°F

Typical afternoon high

19% historical wet-day frequency

Late February 28 February

58°F

Typical afternoon high

24% historical wet-day frequency

Historical daily averages from 2011–2025, smoothed over two weeks. A seasonal pattern, not a forecast. This does not establish which week has the lowest prices or fewest visitors.

Daily calendar & holiday datesFebruary 2027 · historical weather & dated holidays Show calendarHide calendar

February 2027 calendar

Weather shows historical patterns, not a forecast. Holidays and events use the dates shown for 2027.

MonTueWedThuFriSatSun
154°254°354°454°554°654°754°
854°955°1055°1155°1255°1355°1456°
1556°1656°1756°1857°1957°2057°2157°
2257°2357°2458°2558°2658°2758°2858°

Afternoon high rain likely (25%+) local school holidays public holiday event

Afternoons warm from about 54°F (12°C) in the first week to 58°F (14°C) in the last. The chance of a wet day runs 18–25%. Local schools are out 21–28 February 2027. Nice Carnival: 9–28 February 2027.

Schools here are off 21–28 February 2027 (winter holidays). Elsewhere in February 2027, the share of people living where schools are out on a typical day: Netherlands 46%, Belgium 25%, Czechia 18%, Austria 21%. (School holidays: OpenHolidays, ODbL.)

Crowds, cost and getting there

Visitor season

Will it be busy?

Low season. February averages 22% of August's overnight stays per day. More overnight stays than January.

Overnight stays across Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur do not measure queues, day visitors or congestion at individual sights. For its size, busier than most of Europe this month.

Hotel price season

Will it be cheaper?

A little below usual. Estimated from national hotel prices and local visitor demand; no measured regional room rate is available.

Fewer overnight stays do not automatically mean cheaper rooms. Check actual quotes for your trip.

What's on Nice Carnival, 9–28 February 2027: parades draw large crowds to Nice. Official site.

France as a whole
Above EU average
2024 restaurants and hotels price level: 110 where the EU average is 100. A relative index, not a room rate.
Recorded US nonstop flights · 2024
None recorded this month
runs April to October; 2024 schedule, Eurostat

Year-to-year variation

How much does February vary?

Across the recorded years

In the 15 years from 2011 to 2025, the month's afternoons averaged between 50°F (10°C) and 60°F (16°C); in 8 of them they were within 3°F (1.5°C) of the typical 56°F (13°C). Rain days ranged from 2 to 12; half the years had 3–9.

Rain days in each February

Historical rain days; exact figures in the table below. 2011: 6 rain days620112012: 2 rain days22013: 6 rain days62014: 12 rain days122015: 9 rain days92016: 9 rain days92017: 7 rain days72018: 10 rain days102019: 2 rain days22020: 3 rain days32021: 8 rain days82022: 2 rain days22023: 5 rain days52024: 6 rain days62025: 7 rain days72025
Rain days
6
at least 1 mm, typical year; about 9 in a wet year
Mostly sunny days
10 of 28
cloud cover under 30%
Years with a 95°F+ day
0 of 15
no February in the last 15 years had a day at or above 95°F (35°C)
Good weather days
5 of 28
rated very good or better
See every recorded FebruaryHistorical monthly averages, year by year Show detailsHide details
Historical monthly averages, not daily extremes.
YearAfternoon highRain days
201155°F6
201250°F2
201350°F6
201455°F12
201553°F9
201657°F9
201758°F7
201850°F10
201959°F2
202059°F3
202158°F8
202258°F2
202356°F5
202460°F6
202557°F7

Checked against 151 local weather stations. How we check

Compare dates

January, February
or March?

Historical regional averages. Overnight demand vs August peak, measured as average stays per day.
Typical conditionsJanFebMar
Afternoons54°F56°F61°F
Sea57°F56°F57°F
Rain days565
Overnight demand17%22%23%

January: Cooler afternoons than February. Less overnight demand. January guide →

March: Warmer afternoons than February. March guide →

Overnight demand measures accommodation stays, not queues. Sea temperatures are monthly coastal averages.

Compare any of the 12 monthsChoose another month and compare it with February Show comparisonHide comparison

Yellow marks the top three months on the Balanced mix. February stays as your reference.

March has a Weather score at least 1.0 point higher than February, without a substantially busier visitor season.

Your comparison

February or January?

Overnight stays are 17% of the busiest month.

National hotel prices and local visitor demand suggest well below usual. No measured regional room rate is available.

Read the January guide →
February compared with another month
Typical conditionsFebruaryJanuary
Afternoons56°F54°F
Nights40°F40°F
Sea56°F57°F
Rain days65
Visitor seasonLow seasonLow season
Overall / 105.85.2
Month rank#10#12
Every month, in detail Show detailsHide details
All 12 months. Scores and ranks follow your priorities. Explore the whole year.
MonthOverallRankHighLowSeaRain daysWeatherVisitor season
January5.2#1254°F40°F57°F53.2Low season
February5.8#1056°F40°F56°F63.8Low season
March6.6#861°F44°F57°F55.1Low season
April7.0#767°F48°F59°F56.7Moderate season
May7.6#373°F54°F63°F68.3Moderate season
June7.9#183°F62°F70°F39.7Moderate season
July7.5#488°F66°F74°F110.0Peak season
August7.2#687°F65°F75°F210.0Peak season
September7.9#279°F60°F72°F49.5Moderate season
October7.3#571°F54°F68°F77.4Low season
November6.5#961°F47°F64°F84.6Low season
December5.8#1156°F41°F60°F73.8Low season

Near here

Nearby places in February

Nearby regions, nearest first. Distances are centre to centre, as the crow flies; they are not road distances or journey times.

Elsewhere in Europe

Better February weather than French Riviera & Provence

French Riviera & Provence's weather ranks 23 of 77 beach regions this month. These beach regions outside France have clearly better weather on your dates, nearest first, each compared with French Riviera & Provence.

All of France in February · Everywhere in February

How we knowSources, regional scope & scoring method Show detailsHide details

It's low season, 22% of the busiest month and 47% below its average month. That means about 82,000 overnight visitors on a typical February night across the region, 81% of them from France itself. Rentals booked through Airbnb, Booking, Expedia and Tripadvisor add up to 51,000 more: 62 for every 100 counted above. Some are the same properties counted twice.

Climate suitability (HCI:Beach, 0–100)54
How our weather was checked151 open weather stations in this region, January and July: afternoon highs typically within 1°F (0.5°C), night lows within 1°F (0.6°C).
Tourist nights per 1,000 residents per day16
Busiest month hereAugust · 70
Visitors as share of people present1.5%
Rank among Europe's regions this month81st percentile
Domestic share of nights81%
Platform rental nights per 100 counted nights62
Visitor share if every platform night were extra2.5%
National hotel-price seasonFrance historical 2024–2025 index: A little below usual (−7% vs its average month). Not a local room quote.
Population used5.3 million
Statistical regionFRL0 · Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur

Crowds: Eurostat nights spent at tourist accommodation, by month and NUTS 2 region, 2024–2025 average. Overnight visitors per night is the month's nights divided by its days; the per-1,000 figure is Eurostat's, against each year's population. Platform rentals: Eurostat nights booked via Airbnb, Booking, Expedia and Tripadvisor, 2024–2025 average, shown separately because some properties are in both counts. Weather: Holiday Climate Index computed from ERA5 reanalysis with daily highs, night lows and rain days corrected from open national weather-service station records, 2011–2025, population-weighted to the region; day-by-day figures are the same data averaged by date. Heat and rain odds are counted across those years. Sunrise and sunset: NOAA solar equations, local time. Prices: Eurostat price level index and HICP, national. Full method · this region's data.