No excuse is needed to visit Paris any time of the year, but Paris in October has a particular charm as the leaves fall and the headiness of the summer heat and congested streets seem far, far away.
 

As the tourists and backpack-wielding teenagers leave, la rentrée begins as Parisians return from their summer breaks and the autumn season springs to life. Already well underway with key events to fill a diary with opera, ballet and classical music, one of the world’s most important art fairs also makes its annual appearance.

The Foire Internationale d’art Contemporain - Image courtesy of Observer
 

This year FIAC (Foire Internationale d’Art Contemporain), Paris’s International Contemporary Art Fair, is in its 43rd year and will run from October 20th to 23rd. Tens of thousands will flock to see the best in international contemporary art at the Grand Palais , the Petit Palais, the Tuileries Gardens, the Musée Eugène Delacroix and Place Vendôme.

See world class art

For collectors of modern art FIAC is not to be missed, with works by the world’s most established artists changing hands for millions, whether you are speaking in dollars, sterling or euro. Here prices are established, and it is the international buyers coming to Paris who seem to be setting the benchmark.

KAWS at FIAC 2013 - Image courtesy of Emporium
 

FIAC’s vernissage, or preview, will be held on October 19th, though there is also the chance to discover all you might want to know about art market trends, emerging artists, and the most significant pieces on display with Artstorming’s bespoke tours both in the Grand Palais and also through the outside “Hors les Murs” venues.
 

Of particular note is Swarovski’s celebration of the late Zaha Hadid, as they exhibit “Crista”, one of the last pieces created by the much-missed architect. The imposing centerpiece made from crystal and metal is limited to just 12 in total and will be presented at FIAC for the first time.
 

Swarovski’s tribute to the incredible Zaha Hadid - Image courtesy of Dezeen

Explore beautiful PAris

Whether you come to Paris to buy, or to browse, or to surround yourself with the best the art world has to offer, there is always the rest of Paris’s best offerings to make the most of this October.
 

Re-opened this summer, after a four-year renovation and a reported €400 million, the Ritz on Place Vendôme is the perfect palatial seat to call your temporary home whilst in the city. Stroll through corridors and relax in rooms where before you Proust, Coco Chanel and Hemingway did the same, in quite similar surroundings thanks to a painstaking and sensitive remodelling – though most guests will appreciate the hard work below the surface which allows for the latest technology to make for the most seamless of stays.
 

The luxurious Ritz on Place Vendôme - Image courtesy of Ritz Paris
 

For supper make reservations at Alain Ducasse’s Le Meurice or Le Grand Véfour, Paris’s first grand restaurant from the 18th century and where Sauce Mornay is said to have been created. If you prefer something less formal, but still chic and the weather is holding, head to Ralph’s in St Germain, where you can sit outside in the courtyard and mingle with the fashion crowd.
 

Paris in Autumn - Image courtesy of Localers
 

The world’s finest contemporary art in Paris will draw thousands this October, but who can deny the city’s other lures: the food, the wine, the opera and the music, and of course the chance to walk along boulevards and through small cobbled lanes, hand in hand, as the autumn leaves fall. Book your flights to Paris Orly, Paris Charles-De-Gaulle, or la Guardia Airport with the Stratajet App instantly.