france trip planning

French public holidays cover graphic: a wall calendar with eleven marked days, four of them greyed out on the weekend, and a sprig of lily of the valley

Culture & History

French Public Holidays: 11 Dates, Closures & Best Festivals

Marco Delgado
October 16, 2026

Last verified: October 16, 2026. Every date and closure in this guide to French public holidays was checked against service-public.fr, the French labour code and each museum’s or monument’s own page. Festival dates come from the organisers. I re-check the…

Cover graphic reading The Ultimate France Travel Guide with a route from Paris south and the key numbers: 10 days, €95–265 a day, September first, then May

France Travel Guides

The Ultimate France Travel Guide: Planning Your First Trip (2026)

Marco Delgado
August 4, 2026

What a first trip to France actually takes in 2026: entry rules, real daily costs, the January price changes for non-EU visitors, when to go, how long to stay, and how to get around.