Thanks to its position in the temperate southern part of France, Toulouse enjoys a milder climate than Paris and can be visited year-round, though autumn and spring are most pleasant. July and August usually bring heat waves, with highs of 30 to 35 degrees Celsius, and the city empties of its inhabitants, off to the beach. In the wintertime, temperatures hover between 2 and 10 degrees Celsius, but it is not uncommon to have warm sunny days around Christmas, with Toulousains shedding their coats at café terraces. Late December to March can be a good time to visit if you intend to hop over to the Pyrenees for some skiing, June to catch the concerts along the Garonne river. The best musical festivals are in the early fall, though: Piano aux Jacobins, piano concerts in a beautiful Gothic cloister, in September, and Toulouse les Orgues, an organ festival taking advantage of the 30 instruments, including nine classified as national heritage, in the city’s various churches, in October.