French School and Public Holiday Dates 2017

On holiday in Blaye, France

Welcome to January, the perfect time to think about your holidays in France. For a holiday destination I think it is superb and offers mountains, rolling Atlantic breakers, chic Mediterranean beaches, rural charm, Roman cities, fantastic architecture and stunning chateaux. Not to mention quiet back roads through quaint villages, perfect for road trips by car or bike. 

As my holiday dates blog has been popular and well received for the past three years, here are your all-important dates for 2017. Whether you are new to life in France, or just wanting to plan your holiday here in the quiet weeks outside of the French school holidays, I hope you find this useful.

Public Holidays in France 2017

1^st January jour de l’an (a Sunday this year)

16^th April, Easter Sunday, Pâques

17^th April, Easter Monday, lundi de Pâques, (note there is no Good Friday holiday in France)

1^st May, Fête du Travail

8^th May, Victory in Europe Day Victoire 1945

25^th May, Ascension Day, Ascension

5^th June, Pentecost Monday, lundi de Pentecôte

14^th July, Fête Nationale

15^th August, Assumption Day, Assomption

1^st November, All Saint's Day, Toussaint

11^th November, Armistice Day, Armistice 1918 (a Saturday this year)

25^th December, Christmas Day, Noël (note there is no Boxing Day holiday in France on 26^th)

With the exception of the holidays linked to Easter: Easter Monday, Ascension Day and Pentecost Monday, the above dates are the same every year and the holiday is always observed on the actual date rather than being moved to the nearest Monday as the UK would do. Public holidays can therefore fall on weekends; to make up for this it is not uncommon for people to faire le pont (make a bridge) if a holiday falls on a Thursday (Ascension Day) or a Tuesday  (Assumption Day), by taking off the Friday or Monday giving themselves a four day weekend. This will be part of their annual holiday entitlement, so while most businesses will be open on bridge days, some staff shortages can be expected. It is worth noting that in many areas of rural France, although some opening hours is becoming more common, most shops are likely to be either closed or only open in the mornings on public holidays.

Other dates to note

26^th March, clocks spring forward an hour to Central European Summertime

9^th April, Palm Sunday, Rameaux a day where our local boulangeries bake something different (see here)

28^th May, Mother’s Day, fêtes des mères

18^th June, Father’s Day, fêtes des pères

29^th October, clocks go back an hour to Central European Time

School Holidays

In France the schools are split into three zones and most of the holidays are staggered so not everyone is trying to hit the ski slopes or beaches at the same time, although be prepared for extra traffic on the roads on all Saturdays during the school holidays, or better still avoid driving on these days.

French School Holiday Zones

Here are the dates for 2017:

The winter holiday is from 4^th February to 5^th March. Zone C gets the first two weeks, Zone B the middle two and Zone A the last two.

The spring holiday is from 1^st April to 1^st May. Zone C gets the first two weeks, B the middle two and A the last two.

The summer holiday for all zones is from 8^th July until 3^rd September.

The October holiday for all zones is from 21^st October to 5^th November.

The Christmas holiday for all zones is from 23^rd December to 7^th January 2018.

Please do share amongst your friends and family and wherever you visit in France this year, I hope you have a great holiday.