If you visit any city in France during August, you’ll notice that a lot of businesses close for the month. Especially small shops, bakeries and restaurants. This is because August is a significant holiday period in France, many people take their annual vacations during this time.
Our holiday tradition is deeply ingrained within the French culture. The French call it “la fermeture estivale” or “les grandes vacances.” The summer vacation period typically runs from late July to the end of August. It’s peak is usually in the first three weeks of August.
That we are able to take a holiday for this long, is linked to labour laws in France. Here, if we are employed, we are entitled to several paid public holidays and annual leave days, which are legally mandated. Here are just some of these holidays (not yet mentioning RTT):
In total, there are 11 public holidays, also known as “jours fériés,” including:
- New Year’s Day (Jour de l’An)
- Easter Monday (Lundi de Pâques)
- Labour Day (Fête du Travail) on May 1st
- Victory in Europe Day (Victoire 1945) on May 8th
- Ascension Day (L’Ascension)
- Whit Monday (Lundi de Pentecôte)
- Bastille Day (Fête Nationale) on July 14th
- Assumption Day (Assomption) on August 15th
- All Saints’ Day (La Toussaint) on November 1st
- Armistice Day (Armistice 1918) on November 11th
- Christmas Day (Noël) on December 25th.
In addition to the public holidays there are the CP, congés payés. The legal minimum paid vacation days for full-time employees in France depend on their contract and status. Employees who have worked <1 year typically receive two and a half working days of vacation for each month worked. Employees who have worked for >1 year receive a minimum of 30 working days of paid vacation per year. It’s worth mentioning that many employers offer additional vacation days beyond the mandatory requirements.
At this point, I would also like to mentioned that there are other types of leaves. If you are ill (congé maladie), if you are off on maternity or paternity leave (congé maternité/paternité) or parental leave in general (congé parental) during the birth or adoption of a child.
So, what do French people do on holiday? It’s common for many to travel within France and discover beautiful destinations such as Bretagne, Les Calanques, Biarritz, Côte Azur and more.
Some employers make it mandatory to take at least 2 weeks leave during August, so many take advantage of this to travel abroad to faraway destinations such a Sri Lanka, Kenya, Indonesia, the USA or New Zealand.
