Navigating France: Why Knowing School Holidays Can Make or Break Your Trip
Planning a trip to France? As a licensed Paris tour guide and a mom of twins, I can tell you that knowing the French school holiday calendar can make a world of difference. It’s one of those little pieces of local knowledge that helps you avoid peak-season crowds, find better deals, and enjoy the country in a more relaxed way.
The French School Calendar: A Zonal System
France has a clever staggered holiday schedule to keep the whole country from going on vacation at once (vacation time is sacred in France!). This system is designed to ease traffic on highways and trains, and spreads out the crowds at ski resorts and popular tourist sites. The country is divided into three academic zones—A, B, and C—with Corsica following its own timetable.
Zone A: Includes Besançon, Bordeaux, Clermont-Ferrand, Dijon, Grenoble, Limoges, Lyon, and Poitiers.
Zone B: Covers Aix-Marseille, Amiens, Caen, Lille, Nancy-Metz, Nantes, Nice, Orléans-Tours, Reims, Rennes, Rouen, and Strasbourg.
Zone C: Encompasses the Paris region (Île-de-France), Créteil, Montpellier, Toulouse, and Versailles.
Because each zone has slightly different break dates, peak travel shifts around the country week by week. This is especially important for ski resorts in winter and for popular destinations like Paris during shorter breaks.
My twins, when they were younger, hamming it up in front of da Vinci’s Saint John the Baptist
And here’s something most visitors don’t realize: during the school year, French children regularly go on class trips to museums. This is one of the great perks of growing up here—imagine learning about the Italian Renaissance at the Louvre in front of paintings from da Vinci, Raphael and Carravagio! During school holidays, if parents are working, children may attend a kind of "latchkey" program run by their school or local town hall. These programs often include museum visits, so even in the middle of a holiday week, you might find groups of Parisian kids gathered around a guide in the Louvre or the Orsay museum.
Key Holiday Periods for 2025–2026
Here’s a snapshot of when to expect each major break, which can help you time your visit perfectly:
Toussaint (Fall Break): This is a cozy time for family travel.
All Zones: October 18 – November 3, 2025
Christmas Holidays: Expect magical decorations, but also a nationwide rush.
All Zones: December 20, 2025 – January 5, 2026
Winter Break: These are the busiest weeks for ski season—plan carefully.
Zone A: February 7–23, 2026
Zone B: February 14 – March 2, 2026
Zone C: February 21 – March 9, 2026
Spring Break: A popular time for families to travel to warmer climates or city destinations.
Zone A: April 4–20, 2026
Zone B: April 11–27, 2026
Zone C: April 18 – May 4, 2026
Summer Holidays: The grand vacation of the year, when everyone seems to leave the cities. Expect packed trains, planes, and automobiles!
All Zones: Start July 4, 2026
* This calendar changes every year. 2026-2027 has not yet been released.
A postcard showing a crowded beach in 1936, in Carantec, Brittany – MaxPPP
A Short History of Les Vacances
The idea of paid holidays for everyone is a surprisingly recent concept in France. Before 1936, paid vacation was a luxury for the wealthy. That all changed when the Front Populaire government introduced a law granting all French workers two weeks of paid leave, or congés payés.
This social revolution didn’t stop there. Over the decades, the amount of paid time off steadily increased:
1936: Two weeks
1956: Three weeks
1969: Four weeks
1982: Five weeks
This history explains why holidays are almost sacred in France—and why the country's travel patterns are so predictable.
How to Travel Smart Around the Calendar
From a Paris tour guide’s point of view, here are a few key tips for a smoother trip:
Avoid peak weeks if you can. For Paris, Zone C holidays matter most, as they include the capital.
Book early in holiday periods. Trains, hotels, and tours fill up and become more expensive fast.
Embrace the crowds. Sometimes, the best way to travel is to simply be prepared for a fuller city. Seeing families enjoying the same sites you are can add to the cultural experience.
Knowing the school calendar doesn’t just save you from long lines; it lets you step into the French way of life. You’ll understand why Parisians leave the city in August, why ski towns hum in February, and why on certain museum days, the air is full of the sound of children chattering about art.
For the latest dates, you can always check the official calendar at Service-Public.fr. And if you’re planning a visit, I’d be delighted to help you make the most of your time in Paris—whether the city is buzzing with schoolchildren or blissfully quiet.
The first paid holidays: Antibes beach in 1936. - Ph. Coll. Archives Larbor
Bon voyage, et à bientôt!
