Public Holidays & School Holidays in France 2026/2027

Discover the public holidays in 2026 and 2027 across French regions and find out when taking bridge days can be particularly worthwhile. For optimal holiday planning, you will also find the 2026/2027 school holiday calendar for France, as well as important information about annual leave entitlement under French employment law.

The public holidays are the same in almost all French regions. The only exceptions are Alsace and Lorraine, where there are two additional public holidays: Good Friday and 26 December, the day after Christmas.

The various regions and departments of France have a total of 11 public holidays in common:

• New Year's Day (Nouvel An): 1 January
• Easter Monday (Lundi de Pâques)
• Labour Day (Fête du travail): 1 May
• End of World War II (Armistice 1945): 8 May
• Ascension Day (Ascension)
• Whit Monday (Pentecôte)
• Bastille Day / French National Day (Fête Nationale): 14 July
• Assumption Day (Assomption): 15 August
• All Saints' Day (Toussaint): 1 November
• Armistice Day (Armistice 1918): 11 November
• Christmas Day (Noël): 25 December

Number of public holidays by French region and major city

☝ Please note: The departments of Bas-Rhin, Haut-Rhin and Moselle are an exception, as they have retained their additional public holidays due to their German history.

Some days will certainly be more popular with your French colleagues than others. Depending on how public holidays fall, you can make the most of your annual leave during certain periods, sometimes enjoying up to two weeks off while using only a few days of leave.

Short breaks spread throughout the year can be just as beneficial as a long holiday, whose positive effects can quickly fade after returning to work. It is therefore advisable to favour short but regular breaks, such as bridge days.

Here are the key dates to remember if you are planning to request annual leave soon.

All French public holidays and bridge days in 2026 at a glance

📆 Tip: For further information, we recommend checking the French calendar for 2026.

All French public holidays and bridge days in 2027 at a glance

📆 Tip: For further information, we recommend checking the French calendar for 2027.

Since the 1960s, French school holidays (vacances scolaires) have been divided into three zones for practical and economic reasons. The zones are designed so that the number of students in each zone is approximately equal. The geographical zones were last reorganised in 2015.

This system makes it possible to spread the winter and spring holidays over four rather than two weeks, allowing ski resorts, hotels and other travel providers to accommodate all holidaymakers while also helping to reduce traffic congestion. The autumn and Christmas holidays take place simultaneously in all zones.

School holidays in France by Zone A, B and C

• Zone A: Annecy, Biarritz, Besançon, Bordeaux, Clermont-Ferrand, Dijon, Grenoble, La Rochelle, Limoges, Lyon, Poitiers, Saint-Étienne

• Zone B: Amiens, Angers, Caen, Lille, Marseille, Metz, Nancy, Nantes, Nice, Orléans, Reims, Rennes, Rouen, Strasbourg, Tours

• Zone C: Créteil, Montpellier, Paris, Toulouse, Versailles

📌 Important: Although Corsica is part of mainland France, school holidays there are set by the academy rector, as is the case in the overseas territories.

School holiday calendar in France: 2026 / 2027 academic year

📥 Download: You can download the French school holiday calendar for the 2026/2027 academic year here.

Every French employee is entitled to paid annual leave. The amount of annual leave varies depending on the rights acquired by the employee. Taking annual leave is subject to the employer's approval. Paid leave can be taken in several periods if the employee's annual leave exceeds 12 working days:

• Private sector: For each month actually worked, an employee in the private sector is entitled to 2.5 working days of annual leave (a total of 25 days per year), except in special cases. Employees may also be entitled to so-called RTT days (Réduction du temps de travail, reduction of working time), the number of which varies depending on the employer.

• Public sector: Civil servants are entitled to annual leave for each year of service equivalent to five times their weekly working obligation (full-time = 5 × 5 days = 25 days per year). As a rule, public-sector employees receive more RTT days than employees in the private sector, resulting in an average of 32.8 days of annual leave.

🔎 Good to know: These differences between the private and public sectors can be explained by different forms of work organisation and overtime compensation. For example, employees in retail, accommodation and catering may have fewer than 30 days of annual leave per year, with overtime often compensated through additional pay.

Find out more:

• Careers in France: Guide for international professionals
• Minimum wage in France (SMIC): Rates & regulations
• Median income & average salary in France

Olivier Geslin