No one loves holidays more than the French! Celebrating holidays often involves long weekends away, busy roads and full trains. So when you’re planning your bicycling trip to France this year, be sure you’re aware of the major French national holidays! Otherwise you could find yourself for a long weekend with no place to stay and trains too full to go anywhere else.
I was reminded of this when I was planning my own trip for May. Since May isn’t normally a busy time in France, especially during the week, I felt no rush to hurry making B&B reservations for Alsace. Unfortunately, the week that I arrive in France is Ascension week, and many hotels and gites in Strasbourg are already full for the better part of the week and through the weekend. Here’s hoping that you’ll plan better than me. Here’s the list of major national holidays in France for 2015:
- 3 April, Good Friday
- 6 April, Easter Monday
- 1 May, Labour Day
- 8 May, Victory Day
- 14 May, Ascension Thursday
- 25 May Whit Monday
- 14 July, Bastille Day
- 15 August, Assumption Day
- 1 November, All Saints Day
- 11 November, Armistice Day
- December 25, Christmas Day
Note that when holidays are on a Thursday or a Monday, many French celebrate for the complete weekend, so expect lodging and transportation options to be limited in many popular tourist spots. Also note that many shops and financial institutions may be closed on national holidays.
Good luck planning your trip!
