The sunniest city in mainland France is Marseille, or more precisely its Marignane station: 2898 hours of sunshine a year on average over 1991-2020, according to Météo-France climate sheets. Aix-en-Provence (2873 h) and Carpentras (2835 h) follow. Paris gets 1717 hours, so the sunniest city in our ranking gets about 69% more.
We read the sunshine duration of 53 Météo-France stations (all those in our sample of 60 major cities and tourist sites that measure it), then calculated rankings that the usual lists do not give: winter sunshine, summer sunshine, the gap with Paris, the sunniest month. The table is sortable: click a column heading.
Key points
- Annual podium: Marseille-Marignane 2898 h, Aix-en-Provence 2873 h, Carpentras 2835 h (1991-2020 normals).
- The top ten places go to the Mediterranean rim, inland Provence and Corsica.
- In winter (December to February), Embrun, in the Hautes-Alpes, comes first with 476 h, against 200 h in Paris.
- The least sunny in our sample: Rouen (1554 h).
- All values: official Météo-France averages; rankings and gaps: Destination de Voyage calculation.
Our travel deals for Sunniest cities
Affiliate links: we earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.
FlightsKiwi.comCompare flights and airline combinations to Sunniest cities.Compare flights
Ranking of the sunniest cities in France
| Rank | City (station) | Region | Sunshine / year | Gap vs. Paris | Winter (Dec.-Feb.) | Summer (June-Aug.) | Sunniest month | Rain days ≥ 1 mm (0.04 in) / year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Marseille-Marignane | Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur | 2898 h | +69 % | 459 h | 1044 h | July (372 h) | 54 |
| 2 | Aix-en-Provence | Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur | 2873 h | +67 % | 468 h | 1032 h | July (370 h) | 59 |
| 3 | Carpentras | Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur | 2835 h | +65 % | 463 h | 1018 h | July (363 h) | 66 |
| 4 | Ajaccio | Corsica | 2802 h | +63 % | 415 h | 1049 h | July (374 h) | 68 |
| 5 | Nice | Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur | 2760 h | +61 % | 468 h | 982 h | July (349 h) | 62 |
| 6 | Le Luc (Var) | Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur | 2752 h | +60 % | 451 h | 1004 h | July (359 h) | 65 |
| 7 | Figari | Corsica | 2752 h | +60 % | 393 h | 1050 h | July (374 h) | 73 |
| 8 | Calvi | Corsica | 2746 h | +60 % | 406 h | 1033 h | July (371 h) | 65 |
| 9 | Cannes | Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur | 2743 h | +60 % | 449 h | 979 h | July (346 h) | 64 |
| 10 | Montpellier | Occitanie | 2705 h | +58 % | 453 h | 966 h | July (345 h) | 58 |
| 11 | Nîmes | Occitanie | 2680 h | +56 % | 439 h | 966 h | July (346 h) | 65 |
| 12 | Bastia | Corsica | 2645 h | +54 % | 437 h | 967 h | July (347 h) | 67 |
| 13 | Embrun | Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur | 2530 h | +47 % | 476 h | 828 h | July (292 h) | 84 |
| 14 | Perpignan | Occitanie | 2489 h | +45 % | 436 h | 840 h | July (300 h) | 54 |
| 15 | Montélimar | Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes | 2441 h | +42 % | 337 h | 929 h | July (330 h) | 78 |
| 16 | La Rochelle (île de Ré) | Nouvelle-Aquitaine | 2303 h | +34 % | 312 h | 827 h | July (297 h) | 114 |
| 17 | Millau | Occitanie | 2197 h | +28 % | 325 h | 838 h | July (301 h) | 93 |
| 18 | Carcassonne | Occitanie | 2170 h | +26 % | 312 h | 798 h | July (282 h) | 88 |
| 19 | Grenoble (Saint-Geoirs) | Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes | 2108 h | +23 % | 280 h | 814 h | July (292 h) | 104 |
| 20 | Toulouse | Occitanie | 2075 h | +21 % | 297 h | 737 h | July (259 h) | 96 |
| 21 | Bordeaux | Nouvelle-Aquitaine | 2070 h | +21 % | 291 h | 742 h | July (256 h) | 122 |
| 22 | Annecy (Meythet) | Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes | 2069 h | +21 % | 280 h | 779 h | July (274 h) | 122 |
| 23 | Lyon | Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes | 2050 h | +19 % | 232 h | 808 h | July (288 h) | 103 |
| 24 | Agen | Nouvelle-Aquitaine | 2020 h | +18 % | 260 h | 745 h | July (260 h) | 107 |
| 25 | Saint-Étienne | Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes | 2018 h | +18 % | 266 h | 775 h | July (275 h) | 98 |
| 26 | Bourg-Saint-Maurice | Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes | 2009 h | +17 % | 326 h | 707 h | July (249 h) | 110 |
| 27 | Tarbes-Lourdes | Occitanie | 1964 h | +14 % | 356 h | 611 h | August (208 h) | 122 |
| 28 | Clermont-Ferrand | Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes | 1958 h | +14 % | 272 h | 724 h | July (256 h) | 87 |
| 29 | Mont-de-Marsan | Nouvelle-Aquitaine | 1942 h | +13 % | 288 h | 673 h | July (233 h) | 119 |
| 30 | Poitiers | Nouvelle-Aquitaine | 1941 h | +13 % | 242 h | 727 h | July (250 h) | 109 |
| 31 | Limoges | Nouvelle-Aquitaine | 1922 h | +12 % | 263 h | 705 h | July (244 h) | 134 |
| 32 | Biarritz | Nouvelle-Aquitaine | 1921 h | +12 % | 303 h | 639 h | July (218 h) | 141 |
| 33 | Pau | Nouvelle-Aquitaine | 1910 h | +11 % | 322 h | 620 h | July (213 h) | 127 |
| 34 | Chambéry | Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes | 1895 h | +10 % | 245 h | 735 h | July (262 h) | 115 |
| 35 | Dijon | Bourgogne-Franche-Comté | 1890 h | +10 % | 209 h | 737 h | July (257 h) | 112 |
| 36 | Bourges | Centre-Val de Loire | 1889 h | +10 % | 218 h | 716 h | July (249 h) | 117 |
| 37 | Tours | Centre-Val de Loire | 1885 h | +10 % | 228 h | 713 h | July (247 h) | 109 |
| 38 | Nantes | Pays de la Loire | 1873 h | +9 % | 252 h | 675 h | August (233 h) | 120 |
| 39 | Besançon | Bourgogne-Franche-Comté | 1872 h | +9 % | 221 h | 717 h | July (249 h) | 136 |
| 40 | Lorient | Brittany | 1865 h | +9 % | 241 h | 675 h | July (232 h) | 130 |
| 41 | Troyes | Grand Est | 1851 h | +8 % | 211 h | 705 h | July (242 h) | 113 |
| 42 | Orléans | Centre-Val de Loire | 1823 h | +6 % | 216 h | 681 h | July (232 h) | 109 |
| 43 | Le Mans | Pays de la Loire | 1808 h | +5 % | 225 h | 680 h | July (233 h) | 112 |
| 44 | Chartres | Centre-Val de Loire | 1787 h | +4 % | 211 h | 672 h | July (230 h) | 109 |
| 45 | Rennes | Brittany | 1762 h | +3 % | 230 h | 641 h | July (220 h) | 115 |
| 46 | Strasbourg | Grand Est | 1747 h | +2 % | 186 h | 690 h | July (240 h) | 112 |
| 47 | Caen | Normandy | 1746 h | +2 % | 228 h | 636 h | July (218 h) | 126 |
| 48 | Dinard | Brittany | 1733 h | +1 % | 226 h | 630 h | July (221 h) | 128 |
| 49 | Paris | Île-de-France | 1717 h | +0 % | 200 h | 641 h | July (222 h) | 109 |
| 50 | Nancy | Grand Est | 1708 h | -1 % | 176 h | 678 h | July (235 h) | 120 |
| 51 | Lille | Hauts-de-France | 1627 h | -5 % | 188 h | 608 h | July (210 h) | 126 |
| 52 | Brest | Brittany | 1555 h | -9 % | 204 h | 536 h | May (188 h) | 160 |
| 53 | Rouen | Normandy | 1554 h | -9 % | 178 h | 586 h | July (200 h) | 134 |
How to read this table. A station is a specific measuring point: Marseille’s is at Marignane airport, Nice’s at the airport, Paris’s in Parc Montsouris. Two districts of the same city can differ by a few dozen hours. The stations missing from the ranking (Ploumanac’h (Perros-Guirec), Sète, Metz, Boulogne-sur-Mer, Abbeville, Toulon) are left out because their Météo-France sheet does not give sunshine duration, not because they would be less sunny.
The top 10 in detail
The top ten all exceed 2700 hours of sunshine a year. What they share: a Mediterranean climate, or a Rhône corridor swept by the mistral, which drives away the clouds.
- Marseille-Marignane (Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur): 2898 h a year, including 372 h in July and 138 h in December; 54 days of rain of at least 1 mm (0.04 in).
- Aix-en-Provence (Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur): 2873 h a year, including 370 h in July and 141 h in December; 59 days of rain of at least 1 mm (0.04 in).
- Carpentras (Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur): 2835 h a year, including 363 h in July and 138 h in December; 66 days of rain of at least 1 mm (0.04 in).
- Ajaccio (Corsica): 2802 h a year, including 374 h in July and 124 h in December; 68 days of rain of at least 1 mm (0.04 in).
- Nice (Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur): 2760 h a year, including 349 h in July and 145 h in December; 62 days of rain of at least 1 mm (0.04 in).
- Le Luc (Var) (Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur): 2752 h a year, including 359 h in July and 137 h in December; 65 days of rain of at least 1 mm (0.04 in).
- Figari (Corsica): 2752 h a year, including 374 h in July and 124 h in December; 73 days of rain of at least 1 mm (0.04 in).
- Calvi (Corsica): 2746 h a year, including 371 h in July and 123 h in December; 65 days of rain of at least 1 mm (0.04 in).
- Cannes (Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur): 2743 h a year, including 346 h in July and 136 h in December; 64 days of rain of at least 1 mm (0.04 in).
- Montpellier (Occitanie): 2705 h a year, including 345 h in July and 137 h in December; 58 days of rain of at least 1 mm (0.04 in).
The sunniest region of France
Averaging the stations in our sample by region, Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur comes first (2770 h a year on average over 7 stations), ahead of Corsica and Occitanie. This is only an indication: the number of stations varies from one region to another, and a region like Occitanie combines a very sunny coast with a cloudier Pyrenean foothill. Our guide to visiting Montpellier cites more than 2,700 hours of sunshine a year according to Météo-France.
| Region | Station average | Stations | Sunniest station | Least sunny station |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur | 2770 h | 7 | 2898 h | 2530 h |
| Corsica | 2736 h | 4 | 2802 h | 2645 h |
| Occitanie | 2326 h | 7 | 2705 h | 1964 h |
| Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes | 2069 h | 8 | 2441 h | 1895 h |
| Nouvelle-Aquitaine | 2003 h | 8 | 2303 h | 1910 h |
| Bourgogne-Franche-Comté | 1881 h | 2 | 1890 h | 1872 h |
| Centre-Val de Loire | 1846 h | 4 | 1889 h | 1787 h |
| Pays de la Loire | 1841 h | 2 | 1873 h | 1808 h |
| Grand Est | 1769 h | 3 | 1851 h | 1708 h |
| Brittany | 1729 h | 4 | 1865 h | 1555 h |
| Île-de-France | 1717 h | 1 | 1717 h | 1717 h |
| Normandy | 1650 h | 2 | 1746 h | 1554 h |
| Hauts-de-France | 1627 h | 1 | 1627 h | 1627 h |
Where to find winter sun in France
Winter narrows the gap in absolute terms but not in proportion. From December to February, the Alpine station of Embrun gets 476 hours of sunshine, Aix-en-Provence 468 h and Nice 468 h, roughly 2.4 times as much as Paris (200 h). For a bright winter break without leaving mainland France, the French Riviera and Corsica are the logical candidates; for warmth as well as sunshine, see our ranking of sunny destinations month by month.
| Month | Embrun | Aix-en-Provence | Nice | Carpentras | Paris |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 159 | 151 | 157 | 151 | 59 |
| February | 175 | 177 | 166 | 173 | 84 |
| March | 225 | 233 | 218 | 230 | 135 |
| April | 210 | 244 | 229 | 244 | 177 |
| May | 225 | 297 | 271 | 285 | 201 |
| June | 265 | 331 | 310 | 328 | 204 |
| July | 292 | 370 | 349 | 363 | 222 |
| August | 271 | 332 | 323 | 327 | 215 |
| September | 233 | 256 | 250 | 257 | 175 |
| October | 187 | 190 | 191 | 191 | 119 |
| November | 145 | 152 | 152 | 149 | 70 |
| December | 142 | 141 | 145 | 138 | 57 |
The least sunny city in France
At the bottom of the ranking are the cities of the north and north-east: Rouen (1554 h), Brest (1555 h), Lille (1627 h), Nancy (1708 h), Paris (1717 h). Rouen and Brest are tied for last place (about 1,554 hours, nearly 10% less than Paris); Brest also holds the record for the number of rain days (see our ranking of the rainiest cities in France).
Sunny does not mean warm
A very sunny station can be cool: Embrun or Bourg-Saint-Maurice, in the mountains, get plenty of sun but have cold winters. Sunshine duration counts the hours when direct solar radiation exceeds a threshold (120 W/m², the World Meteorological Organization definition); it says nothing about temperature or wind. To choose a destination, cross-check this table with the temperatures on the region’s page.
Methodology
- Source: Météo-France climate sheets, « Statistiques 1991-2020 et records », one sheet per station (files downloaded on 14 October 2026). Fields used: sunshine duration (average in hours), average number of days with precipitation ≥ 1 mm (0.04 in).
- Sample: 59 stations in prefectures, major cities and tourist sites; 53 publish sunshine duration. One 1981-2010 station (Reims) was set aside to keep a consistent period.
- Check: for each station, the sum of the twelve months was compared with the published annual total (tolerance: 2%).
- Destination de Voyage calculations: ranks, gap in % with Paris-Montsouris, seasonal totals (winter = December + January + February), simple regional averages. These are not official Météo-France statistics.
- Normals describe an average climate, not the weather of a given year. More details: our methodology.
Frequently asked questions
What is the sunniest city in France?
In our reading of the Météo-France 1991-2020 sheets, it is Marseille (Marignane station) with 2898 hours of sunshine a year, ahead of Aix-en-Provence (2873 h) and Carpentras (2835 h).
How many hours of sunshine a year in Paris?
1717 hours on average at Paris-Montsouris over 1991-2020, including 222 h in July and 57 h in December.
Which region is the sunniest?
Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, based on the average of the stations in our sample (2770 h a year). This is an indicative calculation, not an official ranking.
Where is there the most sun in winter in France?
On the Mediterranean coast and in the Vaucluse: Embrun totals 476 h from December to February.
Why are some cities not in the ranking?
Their Météo-France climate sheet has no sunshine measurement for 1991-2020. We prefer to leave them out rather than use another source or another period.
Further reading
For a trip, see our guides to Provence, when to go to the French Riviera and when to go to Corsica. The flip side is in our ranking of the rainiest cities, and all our French destinations are gathered on the France travel page.
Our sources
- Météo-France, climate sheets « Statistiques 1991-2020 et records » for 59 stations (donneespubliques.meteofrance.fr), consulted on 14 October 2026.
- World Meteorological Organization, definition of sunshine duration (120 W/m² threshold).
- Our methodology
Updated November 2026.
