For some reason visitors always expect blue skies and a shining sun in Paris, forgetting perhaps that it’s nicknamed the City of Lights, not the City of Light. But around this time of year and all through winter you’re a lot more likely to find Paris cold, overcast and even wet than you are to spend a day sprawled out on the grass in a city park. But that’s okay. Paris has different charms in every weather and just because the cafés have packed up their pavement tables doesn’t mean that you have to hide away. Winter in Paris is usually quite mild temperature-wise plus quieter and easier than summer. Sometimes there’s even snow – beautiful, clean, magical snow. And when the weather outside is frightful, it’s a great excuse to take your time over a second or third lunch. The following are our favourite rainy day in Paris activities.

Go underground

We guarantee you won't be thinking of rain

There is a place in Paris where no rain goes. Where you won’t hear, see or feel the rain. Where you’ll forget there ever was rain. Skip the long lines of people standing out in the wet and descend through a small unmarked door and down a narrow staircase. At the bottom of the steps you’ll come to a series of underground passages that stretch out for kilometres. A sign greets you. It reads Stop! This is the Empire of the Dead, and so it is. For these aren’t just any passages in any underground system. These are the Paris Catacombs, lined with the remains of no less than 6 million dead Parisians. Skulls, pelvises, femurs and almost every other bone have been used to make elaborate patterns on the walls and ceilings. They line the passages in barriers that reach several metres in height and thickness.

Will you find the Empire of the Dead morbid, fascinating or both? Either way you certainly won’t be thinking about the rain. My Parisian Tour is lucky to have skip the line access to the Paris Catacombs. Our tours will be running on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday through the winter and require advance booking. For more information, see here.

Take the metro

Bastille metro station is an underground gallery

The metro is great isn’t it? You can just hop from place to place without having to dodge puddles and struggle with umbrellas. But the Paris underground isn’t just a mode of transport – it’s an artist’s canvas too. When the Paris metro turned 100 years old the city decided to give it a bit of cosmetic work, renovating half of the 600 metro stations with murals, paintings, exhibitions and redesigns. Many of the overhauls were tailored to the personality of the metro stop’s neighbourhood – so stops around the Louvre were grand and majestic while Pont Neuf, below the old Paris mint, was refurbished with a monetary theme. Buy yourself a handful of metro tickets and set off on your own underground adventure, exploring Paris’s underappreciated art scene.

A few of the best (and most central stops) to visit are Bastille, which has vast ceramic frescoes depicting the storming of Bastille; Bibliothèque, which has a beautiful high-tec station and ever-changing graffiti; Louvre-Rivoli which has statues and photos that give a taste of the museum’s collection; and Palais Royal-Musée du Louvre whose glass bead structure entrance will blow your mind. Keep an eye out for the famous Hector Guimard entrances dotted around the city, a little taste of old Paris.

Expand your mind

Give Paris museums the time they deserve

Paris is deservedly famous for its museums. Between The Louvre and Musée D’Orsay alone, the city has enough spectacular works of art to steal months and months of your time. In the summer the tendency is to rush through Paris museums, seeing just the highlights before getting back outside to make the most of the sun. But when it’s raining out, what’s to keep you from exploring more, probing deeper? Take the opportunity to give some guilt-free time to Paris’s museums. Visit the antiquities wing of The Louvre and add Musée D’Orsay to your to-do list. Discover a beautiful work of art that isn’t featured in your guidebook. Eat a big breakfast and break for lunch but go back afterwards – how many chances in life do you get to expand your mind so much in so little time?

My Parisian Tour runs a three-hour tour of the Louvre with skip the line access. For details see here.

Shop ‘til you drop

After a day of non-stop mind-expansion, it’s time for some hedonism and where better to indulge in a little of what you fancy than Paris? Running up and down the boulevards of St-Germain may not be that practical on a wet and windy day, so you’re better to take shelter in one of Paris’s famous department stores. The two most popular are Galeries Lafayette and Printemps.

Le Bon Marché was designed by Gustave Eiffel

Galeries Lafayette is so huge that it takes up three stores – the main store is mostly for the ladies while there is a separate structure for menswear and another for homeware. As in museums, you’ll find a lot to occupy yourself with in Paris’s stores. Galeries Lafayette has its own art gallery, houses fashion shows and has a panoramic view of the city from its top floor. The Louis Vuitton headquarters also has its own gallery for those who like a side of culture with their shopping. Printemps is also broken up into three separate stores but it has to be said that it is a little less popular than the Galeries Lafayette. It has less of the extra bells and whistles but it’s better if you’re on a budget.

For something a little less busy and a little more unique, cross the river to Le Bon Marché in St-Germain, just off Boulevard Raspail. The city’s oldest department store, it has some great shopping. The hands-down highlight however, is the food. The store’s food hall has an incredible selection of foods you have never even heard of as well as all the classics. If you’re going for a full day’s shopping, save Le Bon Marché as your last stop so you’ll have all the time in the world to relax over great food after you’ve maxed out your credit card.

Get scrubbed

A hammam will cure what ails you

It’s incredible how ethnically diverse Paris has become over the years, from its people to its restaurants to its sights. The fact that Paris Mosque is one of the city’s must-see sights is a testament to how well Paris’s many immigrants have integrated here. If you fancy dipping a toe in another culture while you’re in Paris, going to a Paris hammam is a great way of doing it – not to mention the perfect way to soothe those tired post-shopping, post-sightseeing feet. One of the best in town is Les Bains du Marais in the 4th arrondissement. Bring a bathing suit if you’re visiting on a Wednesday evening or on Saturday or Sunday when men and women sweat it out in the Turkish steam room together.