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Where to go in September / France in September / Lyon & the French Alps / September

France · City

Lyon & the French Alps
in September.

Illustration of Mont-Blanc massif above the Chamonix valley
Mont Blanc above the Chamonix valleyDestination view, not month-specific.

Is September a good time?

Temperature unit

Warm days.
Fewer overnight stays than August.

September averages 74°F afternoons, with about 7 rain days. Later September is typically cooler.

Afternoons
74°F
Rain days
7
Visitor demand
35%of August peak

Historical Rhône-Alpes regional averages, not a forecast or a measure of queues. Overnight demand compares average stays per day. Covers Lyon, Chamonix, Annecy and Courchevel; conditions vary within the region.

Overall match

8.2/10 · scores & priorities

What matters most?

Weather 50% · Crowds 30% · Cost 20%

#1 of 12 months here · Balanced mix

Weather8.9/10Very good
CrowdsModerate seasonvs its own year; overnight stays do not measure queues
CostPriceyfor Europe; France-wide price level

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

Plan your September

What to expect.

What should I pack?

Afternoons around 74°F (23°C): T-shirt weather; nights around 53°F (12°C): a sweater and a light jacket. About 13 hours of daylight. About 7 rain days in a typical September.

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

About 13 hours of daylight.

Sunrise 07:16Sunset 19:5253°F74°F00:0006:0012:0018:0024:00

The sun rises about 07:16 and sets about 19:52 (local time, mid-month). Mornings start around 53°F (12°C); afternoons reach about 74°F (23°C). Expect rain on about 7 days in a typical September.

Typical afternoon
74°F (23°C)
average daily high, 15 recent Septembers
Night low
53°F (12°C)
average daily minimum
Daylight
12h 37m
on the 15th, computed from latitude

Early, middle or late?

Early or late September?

Early September is typically warmer. The afternoon high averages 79°F on the 1st, versus 69°F on the 30th. Historical wet-day frequency rises from 21% to 29% between those dates.

Early September 1 September

79°F

Typical afternoon high

21% historical wet-day frequency

Mid September 15 September

75°F

Typical afternoon high

28% historical wet-day frequency

Late September 30 September

69°F

Typical afternoon high

29% 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 datesSeptember 2027 · historical weather & dated holidays Show calendarHide calendar

September 2027 calendar

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

MonTueWedThuFriSatSun
179°278°378°478°578°
677°777°877°977°1077°1176°1276°
1375°1475°1575°1674°1774°1873°1973°
2073°2172°2272°2372°2471°2571°2671°
2771°2870°2970°3069°

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

School-holiday dates for September 2027 aren't available in our data yet. A day without a school marker doesn't mean schools are open.

Afternoons cool from about 78°F (25°C) in the first week to 70°F (21°C) in the last. The chance of a wet day runs 20–30%.

Crowds and cost

Visitor season

Will it be busy?

Moderate season. September averages 35% of August's overnight stays per day. Fewer overnight stays than August.

Overnight stays across Rhône-Alpes do not measure queues, day visitors or congestion at individual sights.

Hotel price season

Will it be cheaper?

About 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.

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.

Year-to-year variation

How much does September vary?

Across the recorded years

In the 15 years from 2011 to 2025, the month's afternoons averaged between 70°F (21°C) and 81°F (27°C); in 9 of them they were within 3°F (1.5°C) of the typical 74°F (23°C). Rain days ranged from 3 to 14; half the years had 5–8.

Rain days in each September

Historical rain days; exact figures in the table below. 2011: 5 rain days520112012: 8 rain days82013: 8 rain days82014: 7 rain days72015: 8 rain days82016: 5 rain days52017: 7 rain days72018: 3 rain days32019: 5 rain days52020: 8 rain days82021: 7 rain days72022: 12 rain days122023: 6 rain days62024: 14 rain days142025: 10 rain days102025
Rain days
7
at least 1 mm, typical year; about 11 in a wet year
Mostly sunny days
8 of 30
cloud cover under 30%
Years with a 95°F+ day
0 of 15
no September in the last 15 years had a day at or above 95°F (35°C)
Good weather days
24 of 30
rated very good or better
See every recorded SeptemberHistorical monthly averages, year by year Show detailsHide details
Historical monthly averages, not daily extremes.
YearAfternoon highRain days
201176°F5
201272°F8
201372°F8
201474°F7
201570°F8
201677°F5
201770°F7
201879°F3
201976°F5
202076°F8
202176°F7
202272°F12
202381°F6
202470°F14
202572°F10

Checked against 316 local weather stations. How we check

Compare dates

August, September
or October?

Historical regional averages. Overnight demand vs August peak, measured as average stays per day.
Typical conditionsAugSepOct
Afternoons83°F74°F65°F
Rain days678
Overnight demand100%35%22%

August: Warmer afternoons than September. More overnight demand. August guide →

October: Cooler afternoons than September. Less overnight demand. October guide →

Overnight demand measures accommodation stays, not queues.

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

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

No other scored month has a Weather score at least 1.0 point higher than September.

Your comparison

September or August?

Overnight stays are 100% of the busiest month.

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

Read the August guide →
September compared with another month
Typical conditionsSeptemberAugust
Afternoons74°F83°F
Nights53°F59°F
Rain days76
Visitor seasonModerate seasonPeak season
Overall / 108.26.5
Month rank#1#7
Every month, in detail Show detailsHide details
All 12 months. Scores and ranks follow your priorities. Explore the whole year.
MonthOverallRankHighLowRain daysWeatherVisitor season
January5.4#1246°F32°F114.5Moderate season
February5.6#1150°F33°F95.4Busy season
March6.3#958°F38°F96.4Moderate season
April7.5#564°F43°F97.6Moderate season
May7.9#270°F49°F108.0Low season
June7.6#479°F57°F98.4Moderate season
July6.7#683°F60°F78.3Peak season
August6.5#783°F59°F68.3Peak season
September8.2#174°F53°F78.9Moderate season
October7.9#365°F47°F87.8Low season
November6.5#854°F39°F125.5Low season
December5.7#1048°F34°F144.7Moderate season

Near here

Nearby places in September

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 September weather than Lyon & the French Alps

Lyon & the French Alps' weather ranks 12 of 41 city regions this month. These city regions outside France have clearly better weather on your dates, nearest first, each compared with Lyon & the French Alps.

All of France in September · Everywhere in September

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

It's moderate season, 35% of the busiest month and 30% below its average month.The figures cover the whole Rhône-Alpes region, suburbs included. That means about 104,000 overnight visitors on a typical September night across the region, 70% of them from France itself. Rentals booked through Airbnb, Booking, Expedia and Tripadvisor add up to 40,000 more: 38 for every 100 counted above. Some are the same properties counted twice.

Climate suitability (HCI:Urban, 0–100)79
How our weather was checked316 open weather stations in this region, January and July: afternoon highs typically within 1°F (0.3°C), night lows within 1°F (0.3°C).
Tourist nights per 1,000 residents per day15
Busiest month hereAugust · 43
Visitors as share of people present1.5%
Rank among Europe's regions this month48th percentile
Domestic share of nights70%
Platform rental nights per 100 counted nights38
Visitor share if every platform night were extra2.1%
National hotel-price seasonFrance historical 2024–2025 index: About usual (+4% vs its average month). Not a local room quote.
Population used6.9 million
Statistical regionFRK2 · Rhône-Alpes

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.