French Public and School Holidays 2020

Holidays in France

Happy New Year. January is here once more and this year it is heralding the start of a new decade. As in previous years, here is my annual reminder of the public holidays, school holidays and other notable dates (and how they are celebrated) in France for 2020. 

Public Holidays in France 2020

1^st January, New Years Day, jour de l’an

12^th April, Easter Sunday, Pâques look out for flying bells (see here).

13^th April, Easter Monday, lundi de Pâques (note there is no Good Friday holiday in France unless you live in the Alsace or Moselle areas)

1^st May, Fête du Travail

8^th May, Victory in Europe Day, Victoire 1945

21^st May, Ascension Day, Ascension (note in 2020 the schools will have an extra day off on Friday 22^nd May for the bridge pont, giving them a nice long weekend) 

1^st 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 

25^th December, Christmas Day, Jour de Noël (note there is no Boxing Day holiday in France on 26^th unless you live in the Alsace or Moselle areas)

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 (Assumption Day 2020 is a Saturday and All Saint’s Day a Sunday); 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 (14^th July Fête Nationale), by taking off the Friday or Monday giving themselves a four-day weekend. This will be part of their annual holiday entitlement, or the hours need to be made up, 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 opening for some hours on a public holiday is becoming more common, most shops are likely to be either closed or only open in the mornings.

 

Le Tour de France 27th June to 19th July 2020

Other dates to note:

6^th January, Epiphany, celebrated in France with a Galette des Rois (see here)

8^th January, winter sales begin, soldes d’hiver, sales dates are regulated in France and the winter sales this year run from 8^th January to 4^th February

18^th January, Reading Night, Nuit de la lecture (see here)

2^nd February Candlemas day, Chandeleur, celebrated in France with pancakes (see here)

25^th February, Shrove Tuesday, Mardi-Gras when carnival time begins in France and pancakes and beignets (similar to doughnuts) are eaten.

15^th March, round one of the local elections to decide the maire and council for the next six years.

22^nd March, round two (and deciding round) of local elections.

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

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

29^th May, Neigbours’ Day, fêtes des voisins

7^th June, Mother’s Day, fêtes des mères

21^st June, Father’s Day, fêtes des pères

21^st June, fête de la musique, world music day, celebrated here with free concerts in towns and villages all over France

24^th June, summer sales begin, Soldes d’été, and will run until 21^st July

27^th June to 19^th July, Le Tour de France. Le Grand Depart for 2020 will be in Nice

25^th October, clocks fall back an hour to Central European Time (although this is currently up for debate)

 

French School Holiday Zones

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. Live traffic updates can be found on the Bison-Futé website here. 

Here are the dates for 2020:

The winter holiday is from 8^th February to 9^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 4^th April to 4^th May. 

Zone C gets the first two weeks, Zone B the middle two and Zone A the last two weeks.

The summer holiday for all zones is from 4^th July until 1^st September.

The October holiday for all zones is from 17^th October to 2^nd November.

The Christmas holiday for all zones is from 19^th December to 4^th January 2021.

Whether you are new to life in France, or just wanting to plan your holiday here in the quieter weeks outside of the French school holidays, I hope you find this blog useful. Please feel free to share this post with your French-loving friends and family. 

Wherever you visit in France this year, I hope you have a great holiday. If you are planning on driving, you might like to read my popular post that highlights the do’s and don’ts of driving in France (see here).

Driving in France, the new 80km speed limit

Mini Cooper Road Trip

We love taking road trips in France and as the summer holiday season begins, many more tourists will be taking to the roads, so I thought it was important to let you know that from tomorrow, 1^stJuly 2018, some of the speed limits in France have been lowered, but there will be NO new signage to remind you. 

According to the government website, speed is the main cause of fatal accidents in France (31%) and with 55% of road deaths occurring on roads without a central reservation, the speed limit on these has now been reduced to 80 km/h. At 80 km/h your stopping distance is 13 metres shorter than at 90 km/h and the hope is that this will save the lives of between 300 and 400 people each year. They also estimate that on average, by driving at 80 km/h instead of 90 km/h, we will all save around 120€ in fuel costs each year as well as reducing CO2 emissions by 30%.

Speed limit changes on the roads from Sunday 1st July 2018

Single carriageway roads with no central reservation where the speed limit was 90 km/h, has now been lowered to 80 km/h.

Speed limit changes on the roads from Sunday 1st July 2018

Roads that have two lanes in one direction and one lane in the opposite direction, with no central reservation, remain at 90 km/h for the two lanes but has now been reduced to 80 km/h for the one lane.

Speed limit changes on the roads from Sunday 1st July

Roads with a central reservation, either two or four lane, will remain at 90 km/h.

A summary of the speed limits is as follows;

130 km/h (80 mph) on a motorway (110 km/h (68 mph) in the rain)

90 km/h (56 mph) or 110 km/h (68 mph) (if marked) on a dual carriageway with central reservation

90 km/h (56 mph) on a single carriageway with central reservation

80 km/h (50 mph) on a single carriageway

50 km/h (31 mph) in towns or villages (once you have passed the sign giving the town name until you have passed the name crossed out)

These apply unless otherwise stated, for example 70 km/h (43 mph) or 30 km/h (19 mph) restrictions can be found but will always be marked.  

Millau viaduct Mini Cooper Road Trip

I had so much fun on the official public service, Gendarmerie and road safety websites, making sure I had my facts correct, that I thought I’d share a bit more information on driving in France with you. While this is by no means an exhaustive list of what is right and wrong when driving in France, I think it covers the basics, although do remember when in France, drive on the right.

Documents

By law when driving in France you must carry your driver’s licence, car registration documents and insurance documents with you at all times. Failure to present your driver’s licence and car documents can carry an immediate fine of 11€ (increased to 135€ if you fail to provide them within five days). Failure to provide proof of insurance can carry an immediate fine of 135€. I also carry a photocopy of my passport for ID purposes and it is also a good idea to carry your EHIC European Health card and details of your travel insurance too.

Drink Driving

The legal alcohol limit in France is 0.2 g of alcohol per litre of blood. In England and Wales, it is 0.8 g and in Scotland 0.5 g. In March 2012 it became law to carry a disposable breath testing kit in your car at all times. However, in March 2013, the fines imposed for not having one were removed. It is still law to have one, but there are no repercussions for those caught without one!

What to carry in the car

It has been a legal requirement to carry a warning triangle and a high vis jacket since 2008. The jacket must be kept in the car (not the boot) to enable the driver to put it on before exiting the vehicle following a breakdown or accident. Failure to have them can carry a fine of up to 135€.

All vehicles must be equipped with headlights in a working order and being stopped with a non-functioning headlight can result in a fine of up to 180€ and the impounding of your car. You must change a blown bulb immediately, which is why it is recommended that you carry spare bulbs in the vehicle at all times.

Radars

The use of real-time devices that detect the presence of fixed or mobile radars and police cameras has been against the law since 2012. This can include GPS SatNavs, even if they are built into the car, or a mobile phone app that warns of the positioning of speed cameras. This can carry a fine of up to 1,500€.

Children

Children must be in age/weight appropriate car seats and under tens must sit in the back, except for the rear-facing baby seats, which can go on the front passenger seat so long as the airbag has been disabled.

STOP signs and red lights

Not respecting a STOP sign or a red light at traffic lights can result in a fine of up to 135€. Please note according to the French highway code you must stop when you see the lights change to amber.

It is also against the law to drive while using a mobile phone (135€ fine) and if the driver or any passenger is not wearing a seatbelt (135€ fine).

Back roads of France, Mini Cooper Road Trip

If you too want to visit the fascinating websites where I found my information, here they are.

http://www.securite-routiere.gouv.fr

https://www.service-public.fr/particuliers/vosdroits/N19812

https://www.gendarmerie.interieur.gouv.fr/Nos-conseils2/Pour-les-usagers-de-la-route/FAQ-securite-routiere

Please share this post if you know of anyone likely to be driving in France, and if you are visiting France this summer, I hope you have a lovely holiday.

This post has been linked to Paris in July.