France Summer Vacation Period

If you love traveling then your must have a glimpse of summer vacation period. For those who love to travel this time is just like a boon. This period is actually an additional vacation of 2 weeks where most people leave in groups to visit different places and tourist attractions across the country and abroad. So what should be the main idea about best summer vacations in France? The answer is for you to make the most of good weather, excitation and experience new things during holidays from France summer holidays. The summer vacation period in France is a time of year with triple-digit temperatures, and it gives all the locals in France something to look forward to.

Summer vacation is the period when students don’t go to school at all in France. It usually begins near the end of the school year, in June, and finishes at the start of September. Some public schools have vacation periods in other months of the year.

France Summer Vacation Period

I need to find how much do I get paid these periods in my French salary. It’s the holidays – thanks for letting me know, I wasn’t aware of that and now that I think about it, several people around me go on vacations this time. It’s the culture after all: the French love summer! France is one of the most beautiful countries in Europe and attracts thousands of tourists every year. It is a very popular destination for holidaymakers who visit Paris for its illuminated landmarks, museums, and monuments that reflect the culture of the country.

Here is a list of school holidays in France in 2022 and 2023 to help expat parents make the necessary arrangements for holiday and childcare.

If you are a parent living in France, you’ll need to get the school holiday dates in the diary to make your holiday plans or childcare arrangements. School holidays in France spread across the seasonal and festival periods. The exact date for some, however, are determined by what regional zone you live in.

This guide will tell you all you need to know about:

• School holidays in France
• French school holiday dates 2021–2022
• French school holiday dates 2022–2023
• Additional holidays and days off
• Childcare during French school holidays

School holidays in France

The French Ministry of National Education (Ministere de l’Education Nationale in French) sets the dates for the school holidays in France. French schools have five holidays throughout the year: All Saints’ holiday, Christmas holiday, winter holiday, spring holiday, and summer holiday. The breaks are usually around two weeks each, apart from the summer holidays, which last about eight weeks.

Brush up on how the French education system works

France splits schools into three different regional zones. Dates for the winter and spring holidays vary across the three zones. The zones are as follows:

• Besancon, Bordeaux, Clermont-Ferrand, Dijon, Grenoble, Limoges, Lyon, and Poitiers are in Zone A.
• Aix-Marseille, Amiens, Caen, Lille, Nancy-Metz, Nantes, Nice, Orleans-Tours, Reins, Rennes, Rouen, and Strasbourg are in Zone B.
• Creteil, Montpellier, Paris, Toulouse, and Versailles are in Zone C.

International schools in France generally follow the same holiday dates as other schools, although there may be some variation within individual schools. To be sure, check with your child’s school for full details.

School holidays in France are an occasion for families to get together for festivities such as Christmas in France, enjoy day trips within France, or to plan fun activities for kids. Other French festivities such as Bastille Day may also occur during the school holidays.

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French school holiday dates 2021–2022

• All Saints’ break (Vacances de la Toussaint): 23 October – 8 November 2021
• Christmas break (Vacances de Noël): 18 December 2021 – 3 January 2022
• Winter break (Vacances d’hiver): 12–28 February 2022 (Zone A); 5–21 February 2022 (Zone B); 19 February – 7 March 2022 (Zone C)
• Spring break (Vacances de printemps): 16–2 May 2022 (Zone A); 9–25 April 2022 (Zone B); 23 April – 9 May 2022 (Zone C)
• Summer break (Vacances d’été): 7 July – 1 September 2022

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French school holiday dates 2022–2023

• All Saints’ break: 23 October – 6 November 2022
• Christmas break: 18 December 2022 – 2 January 2023
• Winter break: 5–19 February 2023 (Zone A); 12–26 February 2023 (Zone B); 19 February – 5 March 2023 (Zone C)
• Spring break: 9–23 April 2023 (Zone A); 14 April – 1 May 2023 (Zone B); 23 April – 8 May 2023 (Zone C)
• Summer break: 8 July – 4 September 2023

A full calendar can be found via the Ministry of National Education.

Additional holidays and days off

France has 11 public holidays during the year, some of which fall within school holidays. Labor Day (1 May) is the only statutory paid holiday in France. For other public holidays that fall on school days, you will need to check with your school to see if this is treated as a holiday. There may also be additional school-specific days off throughout the year; such as staff training, development days, or pupil book days. Again, check with your school so that you can plan ahead for these. You can also look on your school’s website as many publish yearly calendars.

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Childcare during French school holidays

There is a robust system of childcare provision in France available to working parents. Here are some of the options for the childcare during the French holidays:

• Holiday centers (centres de vacances): For working parents of school-age children, there are state-supervised recreational holiday facilities available. These typically offer accommodation. There are also leisure/recreation centers (centre de loisirs in French) that offer day care.
• Private holiday camp: Private camps are more expensive than state provision, but can be a good place for kids to meet other children from various countries as well as learn/improve their French. Providers include Jeunes Diplomates, which runs summer and winter language camps in the French Alps.
• Professional childminders (assistantes maternelles), au pairs, and babysitters: childcare either in your home or on their own premises.

Costs vary between regions and centers, although discounts are available for those on low incomes. Check with your local school or regional educational department for full details of what is available in your area, when and for how much.