Average Sunshine a Year in France

The tables below give yearly averages for the number of sunny days and hours of sunshine at dozens of cities throughout France. The annual totals are averages based on weather data collected from 1991 to 2010.

You can jump to a separate table for each corner of the country: Southeast, Southwest, Northeast and Northwest, plus Central France.

Southeastern France

This section of southern France extends from the Mediterranean beaches on the island of Corsica and the French Riviera, or Côte d'Azur, to the peaks of the French Alps. Cities listed here belong to the regions of Corsica, Languedoc - Roussillon, Provence - Alpes - Cote - D'Azur and Rhône - Alpes.

Total annual sunshine

Hours	Place	Days of Strong Sun	Days of Weak Sun
2756	Ajaccio (Corsica)	157	64
2579	Bastia (Corsica)	124	68
1986	Bourg-Saint-Maurice	31	108
2119	Carcassonne	89	112
2066	Grenoble	88	122
2002	Lyon	81	128
2858	Marseille	170	60
2405	Montelimar	111	89
2668	Montpellier	148	74
2724	Nice	147	64
2465	Perpignan	120	79
2839	Toulon	166	62

Southwestern France

The weather data below are for cities in the regions of Aquitaine and Midi - Pyrénées. This portion of France ranges from the Atlantic coast to the Pyrenees mountains along France's southern border.

Average amount of sunshine yearly

Hours	Place	Days of Strong Sun	Days of Weak Sun
1887	Biarritz	71	131
2035	Bordeaux	80	112
1951	Tarbes	83	124
2031	Toulouse	84	119

Central France

This section stretches from Poitou - Charentes bordering the Atlantic Ocean to Paris in the north. It also takes in the regions of Auvergne, Burgundy (Bourgogne), Centre and Limousin.

Annual average sun

Hours	Place	Days of Strong Sun	Days of Weak Sun
1913	Clermont-Ferrand	72	131
1849	Dijon	71	142
2106	La Rochelle	83	111
1900	Limoges	83	141
1767	Orléans	60	144
1662	Paris	51	152
1889	Poitiers	70	132
1833	Tours	65	138

Northeastern France

Weather information in this table is for cities in Alsatian (Alsace), Champagne - Ardenne, Franche-Comté, Lorraine and Nord - Pas-de-Calais, the regions located north and east of Paris.

Number of sunny hours and days a year on average

Hours	Place	Days of Strong Sun	Days of Weak Sun
1836	Besançon	73	147
1799	Colmar	62	145
1617	Lille	44	155
1640	Metz	52	162
1665	Nancy	56	161
1693	Strasbourg	60	160
1816	Troyes	67	143

Northwestern France

Cities on the list here are scattered throughout the French regions that border the English Channel and lie northwest of Paris: Brittany (Bretagne), High Normandy (Haute-Normandie) and Low Normandy (Basse-Normandie). Also covered is the Pays de la Loire region, located farther south along the Atlantic Ocean.

Average total sunshine yearly

Hours	Place	Days of Strong Sun	Days of Weak Sun
1798	Angers	60	134
1530	Brest	41	159
1691	Caen	44	143
1772	Le Mans	61	140
1827	Lorient	57	134
1791	Nantes	58	134
1717	Rennes	50	141
1558	Rouen	43	162
1565	Saint-Brieuc	38	152