2025 Holiday week planner for France

Choose the best weeks for your trip to France

About-France.com - the connoisseur's guide to France

Find hotels in France

Click for best online rates for hotels near the following towns on main holiday routes.

Calais
Reims
Dijon
Beaune
Lyon
Rouen
Orleans
Tours
Limoges
Poitiers
Bordeaux Clermont-Fd.

An independent website, About-France.com is an affiliate partner of Booking.com and other relevant third-party websites, and may receive a small commission on sales generated from reservations or purchases made on these sites.

Use the table below to check the peak holiday weeks, when tourist traffic is heaviest and resorts most crowded, the intermediate weeks , and the off-peak weeks when holiday traffic is lightest, and hotels and resorts least crowded.

Click here for
French school holiday dates 2025

Key: Busiest holiday weeks _____ Busy weeks _____ :
Recommended off peak weeks (winter) _____ : spring to autumn ______

Special events (throughout France) are highlighted in yellow:

Bank holidays (public holidays) are marked in red. See Public holidays
Museums Saturday 18th May Nuit des Musées - hundreds of museums open free until 1 a.m.
European Gardens weekend: weekend Saturday 1st to Sunday 2nd June 2024 - Journées des Jardins - thousands of public and private gardens all over France open for free visits. Some only open this weekend.
Music night: Fête de la Musique: Midsummer's Day. Many free concerts, plus music in the streets in most towns until midnight or later. In 2024 it's a Friday night, so expect a bigger nuit than usual.
European Heritage Days - 16th - 17th Sept. Journées du Patrimoine: an opportunity to visit monuments that are not usually open to the public, as well as those that are. Special guided tours at many locations.
NB: Weeks in the table below are indicated Saturday to Saturday inclusive, in line with common holiday accommodation and package booking habits.

Winter and Spring			Summer and Autumn
Week Sat-Sat	Dates Sat-Sat	Holiday status / special events	Week Sat-Sat	Dates Sat-Sat	Holiday status / special events
Week 1:	28 Dec 4 Jan.	Belgian schools on holiday French schools on holiday	Week 27:	28 June - 5 July	Start of school holidays in Belgium
Week 2:	4 Jan. - 11 Jan.		Week 28:	5 July - 12 July	French school summer holidays
Week 3:	11 Jan. - 18 Jan.		Week 29:	12 July - 19 July	Public Holiday: Monday 14th July French school summer holidays
Week 4:	18 Jan. - 25 Jan.		Week 30:	19 July - 26 July	French school summer holidays
Week 5:	25 Jan. - 1 Feb.		Week 31:	26 Jul. - 2 Aug.	French school summer holidays
Week 6:	1 Feb. - 8 Feb.		Week 32:	2 Aug. - 9 Aug.	French school summer holidays
Week 7:	8 Feb. - 15 Feb.	School holidays France - zone B	Week 33:	9 Aug. - 16 Aug.	French school summer holidays Public Holiday: Friday 15th August
Week 8:	15 Feb. - 22 Feb.	School holidays France - zone B School holidays France - zone C - Paris	Week 34:	16 Aug. - 23 Aug.	French school summer holidays
Week 9:	22 Feb. - 1 Mar.	School holidays France - zone A School holidays France - zone C - Paris	Week 35:	23 Aug. - 30 Aug.	31 August. End of school holidays in Belgium.
Week 10:	1 Mar. - 08 Mar.	School holidays France - zone A	Week 36:	30 Aug - 6 Sep.	French schools go back: Monday 2nd Sept
Week 11:	8 Mar. - 15 Mar.		Week 37:	6 Sep. - 13 Sep.	French schools go back: Monday 2nd Sept
Week 12:	15 Mar. - 22 Mar		Week 38:	13 Sep. - 20 Sep.	21st 22nd Sept Heritage Days
Week 13	22 Mar. - 29 Mar.	.	Week 39:	20 Sep - 27 Sep.
Week 14:	29 Mar - 5 Apr.		Week 40:	27 Sep. - 4 Oct.
Week 15:	5 Apr. - 12 Apr.	School holidays France - zone B	Week 41:	4 Oct. - 11 Oct.
Week 16:	12 Apr. - 19 Apr	School holidays France - zone B School holidays France - zone C - Paris	Week 42:	11 Oct. - 18 Oct.
Week 17:	19 Apr - 26 Apr	School holidays France - zone A School holidays France - zone C - Paris 21st April Easter Monday Public Holiday: (Thursday)	Week 43:	18 Oct. - 25 Oct	French schools on holiday
Week 18:	26 April - 3 May	School holidays France - zone A 1st May Public Holiday: (Thursday)	Week 44:	25 Oct. - 1 Nov.	French schools on holiday Public Holiday: Toussaint, Saturday 1st Nov.
Week 19:	3 May - 10 May	8th May Public Holiday: (Thursday)	Week 45:	1 Nov. - 8 Nov.
Week 20:	10 May - 17 May	Sat 18th May: Museums night Free entry until 1 a.m	Week 46:	8 Nov. - 15 Nov.	Public Holiday: Armistice day Tuesday 11th Nov.
Week 21:	17 May - 24 May		Week 47:	15 Nov. - 22 Nov.
Week 22:	24 May - 31 May	29th May Public Holiday: (Thursday) Ascension	Week 48:	22 Nov. - 29 Nov.
Week 23:	31 May - 7 June	Sat 1st and Sun 2nd June : Gardens weekend	Week 49:	29 Nov. - 6 Dec.
Week 24:	7 June - 14 June	9th June Public Holiday: Monday - Pentecôte (Whit Monday - France)	Week 50:	6 Dec. - 13 Dec.
Week 25:	14 June - 21 June	Friday 21st June - Fête de la Musique	Week 51:	13 Dec. - 20 Dec
Week 26	21 June - 28 June		Week 52:	20 Dec - 27 Dec	French school holidays Belgian school holidays

* French school holiday zones: France is divided into three parts for certain school holiday dates. Zone C is notably the Greater Paris area + the extreme south of France (Languedoc-Pyrenees), and the zone that causes most extra holiday traffic on the roads. Full details on French school holiday zones
Points worth bearing in mind:
Driving conditons: in busy holiday/ vacation periods, motorways towards holiday areas (and from holiday areas) are busiest at the weekend, particularly on Saturdays. During other periods of the year, Saturdays and Sundays are the best time to travel, as traffic is lighter, and there are less lorries / trucks on the roads. See Driving in France for more details.
Hotels, attractions, restaurants: Out of season, and specifically in places where tourism is the main industry, many hotels, restaurants and attractions are closed. Those that are open are often cheaper out of season that at peak periods. For more information about hotels, attractions, eating out, visit:

Choosing a hotel in France
Restaurants and eating out in France
Weekend break in France - ten easily accessible places
Tourist attractions in France
Skiing in the French Alps
Routes through France from Calais

Travel section index

Ferries to France

Driving in France

Routes to the Alps & Provence

Routes to southwest France

About-France.com Home page - Site search - Regions - Maps of France - Contact

For driving information concerning peak holiday periods and avoiding heavy traffic , see ► Driving in France