School and Public Holidays

School Holidays — Tuesday 1 January - New Year's Day (Jour de l'An).
Sunday 23 March - Easter (Pâques).
Monday 24 March - Easter Monday
Thursday 1 May - Labour Day (Fête du Travail)
Thursday 8 May - VE Day - WWII Victory Day (Fête de la Victoire 1945).
Sunday 11 May - Whit Sunday (Pentecôte).
Monday 12 May - Whit Sunday (Lundi de Pentecôte).
Monday 14 July - Bastille Day (Fête nationale).
Friday 15 August - Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Assomption).
Saturday 1 November - All Saints' Day (Toussaint).
Tuesday 11 November - Armistice Day (Armistice 1918).
Thursday 25 December - Christmas Day (Noël).

If a holiday falls on a Tuesday or Thursday the french tend to take the day in between to make up a long weekend. All official businesses close during public holidays however some restaurants and monuments may remain open.

School Holidays. The dates vary, slightly, from region to region. During school holiday period, resorts, transport and other venues can be quite busy as the french tend to take their vacation locally.

Zone A : Caen, Clermont-Ferrand, Grenoble, Lyons, Montpellier, Nancy-Metz, Nantes, Rennes, Toulouse.

Winter: 16 Feb - 3 March 08
Spring : 12 April - 28 April, 08
Summer 3 July - 2 Sept, 08
Autumn : 25 Oct – Nov 6, 08
Christmas : 20 Dec – 5 Jan, 09
Winter : 7 Feb – 23 Feb, 09
Spring : 4 April – 20 April, 09

Zone B : Aix-Marseilles, Amiens, Besançon, Dijon, Lille, Limoges, Nice, Orléans-Tours, Poitiers, Reims, Rouen, Strasbourg.

Winter: 9 Feb- 25 Feb, 08
Spring : 5 April- 21 April, 08
Summer: 3 July - 2 Sept, 08
Autumn : 25 Oct – Nov 6, 08
Christmas : 20 Dec – 5 Jan, 09
Winter : 21 Feb – 9 March, 09
Spring : 18 April – 4 May, 09

Zone C : Bordeaux, Créteil, Paris, Versailles.

Winter: 23 Feb- 10 March 08
Spring :19 April- 5 May, 08
Summer 3 July - 2 Sept, 08
Autumn :25 Oct – Nov 6, 08
Christmas : 20 Dec – 5 Jan, 09
Winter : 14 Feb – 2 March, 09
Spring : 11 April – 27 April, 09

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