The Paris Postcard: Soak Up the Last Days of Summer

le 4 septembre 2026

Bonjour, chers amis. Your weekly Paris Postcard is here—bringing you the latest events, happenings, and little moments of magic from the City of Light, all wrapped up in Parisian style.

While many of us are struggling to accept that we’ve officially entered the “-ber” months of the year, there is something particularly lovely about Paris in September. The city is back in motion, but summer hasn’t quite let go. The cafés are still spilling onto the sidewalks, the evenings are warm enough for dinner outdoors, and there’s a certain lightness in the air—the lingering feeling of a well-spent summer.

If you’re in Paris this week, I’d resist the temptation to rush headlong into fall. Instead, take your time and soak up these last lingering days of warm weather. There are still a few reminders of summer left to enjoy—and a new cultural season just beginning to unfold.

One Last Summer Weekend

If you love discovering Paris on foot, make your way to the Marais for the weekend cultural festival Les Traversées du Marais, taking place September 4–6. More than two dozen cultural institutions and galleries are participating, with performances, concerts, exhibitions, workshops, readings, and other events scattered throughout the neighborhood. Most are free, making this a wonderful excuse to wander without much of an agenda.

I especially like the idea of choosing a few places that intrigue you and simply letting the afternoon unfold. This year’s theme centers on dialogue, bringing together architecture, art, music, dance, literature, and history.

And if you happen to find yourself near the Hôtel de Sully, by all means pay a visit. It is one of my favorite destinations in the Marais. Everything about it—from the formal garden to the grand Louis XIII architecture—is beautiful. While you’re there, look for the work of Irish designer Joseph Walsh, whose sculptural furniture will be on view as part of the festival and in anticipation of Paris Design Week. It’s a lovely meeting of old Paris and contemporary design.

The Sounds of Summer

Early September is also your last opportunity to take part in some of Paris’s summer traditions, notably the Paris Jazz Festival at the Parc Floral. The concert series runs through September 6, making this your final chance to hear live jazz surrounded by the gardens.

It’s the sort of Parisian outing I particularly love: music, greenery, a little sunshine, and nowhere you particularly need to be afterward. Just sit back and let the afternoon unfold.

Design Week Kicks Off

As the week draws to a close, Paris turns it’s attention toward MaisonetObjet et Paris Design Week. Paris Design Week begins September 10 and runs through September 19, transforming galleries, showrooms, studios, and historic spaces throughout the city.

This year, more than 300 venues are participating, with lots of activity in the Marais, Saint-Germain-des-Prés, Opéra, and Bastille in particular.

There are some particularly interesting new addresses to seek out, including a new 500-square-meter Pierre Frey furniture space on rue du Mail, a new Studio Andrée Putman space tucked into a garden in the 7th, and a new showroom from House of Cassandre on boulevard Raspail. Karen Swami is also opening a new space devoted to ceramics and porcelain on rue Monsieur-le-Prince.

If you happen to be in Paris on September 10 or 11, it would be worth beginning your own little design walk—particularly around Saint-Germain and the Marais—before the crowds of the weekend arrive.

MES COUPS de CŒUR

A little something from Paris to take home with you—the pleasures, discoveries, and little luxuries I’m loving right now.

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#ICYMI

If you missed my last post, My Summer Sabbatical, you can find it here—a little reminder to embrace the slower pace of the season and savor the simple pleasures of summer. I thoroughly enjoyed my little break, savoring my home town and spending a couple of weeks in Paris and Provence.

And for a bit of nostalgia, see my September 2009 post and take a stroll with me through the beautiful Château de Bagatelle and its gardens in the Bois de Boulogne, one of those quietly magical corners of Paris that feels a world away from the city.

Linger Longer

Make the most of the days ahead—linger over long lunches, take an extra hour at a café, a walk along the Seine at sunset, visit one of Paris’s beautiful gardens, and slowly transition to . These are some of the best ways to welcome September in Paris.

xoxo, Jeannine

Hôtel de Sully