France School Holidays 2026-27: Toussaint, Christmas, Zones, Holidays (Official)
Sept 23: Complete official calendar (Official Journal decree Oct 2025) — Toussaint Oct 17-Nov 2 (all zones), Christmas Dec 19-Jan 4.
Key takeaways
- Official dates (decree Oct 22, 2025): Toussaint Oct 17-Nov 2 (all zones), Christmas Dec 19-Jan 4, summer from July 3, 2027.
- Only winter/spring stagger by zone: winter A Feb 13 / B Feb 20 / C Feb 6; spring A Apr 10 / B Apr 17 / C Apr 3 (2027).
- Holiday notes: Nov 1 = Sunday (no pont), Nov 11 = Wednesday (schools closed), Christmas + New Year = Fridays (3-day weekends).
Every family trip, every half-term fare spike, every “why is the train full” in France runs on one document: the official school calendar (decree of October 22, 2025, Official Journal). Here it is in full — all zones, all holidays, all the pont opportunities — sourced from service-public.gouv.fr and the Ministry of Education. Bookmark this page; every 2026-27 travel plan starts here.
From the toolkit — Elena Marsh: Dates via service-public.gouv.fr (updated July 2026), sortiraparis calendar, The Local pont guide, Concordia Paris Zone C table. Zones/academies via Ministry decree. Companions: Toussaint family guide and November playbook.
The full calendar (all zones)
| Holiday | Dates | Zones |
|---|---|---|
| Rentrée | Tue Sept 1, 2026 | All |
| Toussaint | Sat Oct 17 → Mon Nov 2 | All (common) |
| Christmas | Sat Dec 19 → Mon Jan 4 | All (common) |
| Winter A | Sat Feb 13 → Mon Mar 1 | A |
| Winter B | Sat Feb 20 → Mon Mar 8 | B |
| Winter C | Sat Feb 6 → Mon Feb 22 | C |
| Spring C | Sat Apr 3 → Mon Apr 19 | C |
| Spring A | Sat Apr 10 → Mon Apr 26 | A |
| Spring B | Sat Apr 17 → Mon May 3 | B |
| Summer | From Sat July 3, 2027 | All |
Rules: holidays start after class on the first day (Friday after class for no-Saturday schools); classes resume the morning of the return day. Adjustments possible for exam years. Corsica runs its own academy calendar (check Service-Public simulator by department).
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Zones and academies
- Zone A: Besançon, Bordeaux, Clermont-Ferrand, Dijon, Grenoble, Limoges, Lyon, Poitiers.
- Zone B: Aix-Marseille, Amiens, Caen, Lille, Nancy-Metz, Nantes, Nice, Orléans-Tours, Reims, Rennes, Rouen, Strasbourg.
- Zone C: Paris, Créteil, Versailles, Montpellier, Toulouse.
Why zones exist: to split winter/spring flows (ski slopes, travel hotspots) across four real weeks instead of two. Only winter and spring stagger — Toussaint, Christmas and summer stay common. For travellers, the stagger is opportunity: ski resorts and hotspots run four weeks of season instead of two, with the middle weeks quietest.
Holidays and ponts 2026-27
| Holiday | Date | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| All Saints (Toussaint) | Sun Nov 1 | In holidays — no bonus |
| Armistice | Wed Nov 11 | Schools closed; midweek, no bridge |
| Christmas | Fri Dec 25 | 3-day weekend |
| New Year | Fri Jan 1 | 3-day weekend |
| Easter Monday | Mon Mar 29 | Public holiday (Good Friday Mar 26 not — except Alsace) |
| Labour Day | Sat May 1 | Falls Saturday — lost |
| May 8 | Sat | Falls Saturday — lost |
| Ascension | Thu May 6 | Schools closed Fri May 7 → 4-day weekend (May 6-9) |
| Pentecost | Mon May 17 | The holiday that sometimes isn’t — check employer |
Pont opportunity: Ascension 2027 — take Friday May 7 off (schools already closed) for a 4-day weekend May 6-9. Book early; everyone wants it. December 24/26 are not holidays (except Alsace-Moselle Dec 26, historic) though many businesses close. July 14, 2027 falls Wednesday; Assumption (Aug 15) falls Sunday.
How travellers use this calendar
- Avoid the walls: Toussaint (Oct 17-Nov 2), Christmas (Dec 19-Jan 4) and zone peaks are the year’s price walls — travel inside them only deliberately (family constraints) and book refundable early.
- Exploit the stagger: winter/spring shoulder weeks between zones = quiet resorts, negotiable stays. Zone C winter (Feb 6-22) precedes the crowds; Zone B spring (Apr 17-May 3) follows them.
- Mind the neighbours: UK half-terms (Oct, Feb, May), Spanish/German/Italian/Dutch breaks overlap French windows unevenly — cross-border parks and Eurostar spike on overlaps (see our Toussaint guide).
- Pont-hunt: Ascension May 6-9, 2027 is the year’s bridge — the only 4-day weekend worth planning around. Christmas Fridays give two free 3-day weekends.
- Book against the calendar: our November playbook (cheapest month) works precisely because it sits between Toussaint and Christmas — the year’s biggest trough. The calendar is the map; November is the valley.
One page, one year, every date that moves prices. The decree set it in October 2025; this guide keeps it at hand. When in doubt, travel the gaps — and let the zones pay for your timing.
2026-27 at a glance (print this)
- Sept 1: rentrée (Tue)
- Oct 17-Nov 2: Toussaint (all zones) — first price wall
- Nov 1 (Sun): no pont — Nov 11 (Wed): schools closed, no bridge
- Dec 19-Jan 4: Christmas (all zones) — second price wall
- Dec 25 + Jan 1 (Fri): two free 3-day weekends
- Feb 6 (C) / Feb 13 (A) / Feb 20 (B): winter stagger starts
- Apr 3 (C) / Apr 10 (A) / May 3 (B ends): spring stagger
- Mar 29: Easter Monday (Good Friday Mar 26 not, except Alsace)
- May 1 + May 8 (Sat): lost — May 6-9: THE pont (Ascension Thu + school-free Fri)
- May 17: Pentecost Monday (check employer)
- July 3: summer starts
Pin it to the fridge, screenshot it to the phone, link it in the family chat. Every booking question for the next ten months answers against these lines — and every good deal starts with knowing which weeks to avoid. Go.
Sources and updates (trust note)
All dates: decree of October 22, 2025 (Official Journal, Oct 23, 2025) via service-public.gouv.fr (page updated July 16, 2026). Zones/academies: Ministry of Education. Pont analysis: The Local (Aug 2026). UK/neighbour half-terms: DLRP European school-holidays guide (Sept 2026). If the Ministry amends dates (exam-year adjustments happen), this page updates — check the Service-Public simulator by department for Corsica and edge cases. A reference is only as good as its revision date: ours is September 23, 2026. Print it, pin it, plan by it — the year obeys this calendar whether you read it or not.
