August - closed for Vacation?

Restaurants operated by a chef of note will likely be closed during August. Without the chef, there is no restaurant, hence the closure.
That does not mean that all restaurants will be closed during August. Cafés and restaurants with a generic kitchen staff will probably remain open, at least for part or most of the month.

The idea of Europe closing in August was more prevalent 50 years ago when it actually occurred but now it is not a prevalent. Most of the areas that service tourists will be open trying to get every euro they can. You might find one or two places closed but in general Europe is open for business in August.

I think if you were in Paris, you might expect more restaurants and shops to be closed, especially smaller family operated places. Larger operations would be business as usual. But the idea of closing is vacation for all, and everyone else being on vacation elsewhere as well.

However, some of the places you are going could be viewed as vacation destinations even for the French, so where the people are, businesses are operating. I suppose the odd shop might be the exception, or if one of the destinations truly is not a vacation spot.

One of the more hilarious closures in Paris is Berthillon -- these people sell ice cream and yet choose the month of August to close.

I’ve been to both Beaune and Aix in August. There will definitely be some closures but it won’t be everything. My best advice is to have a backup plan for dinner each night; I’ve found that it’s hit or miss whether restaurants post their closures on their websites so it may appear open online when it’s not. Twice I’ve even been able to make a reservation somewhere on an online booking system only to arrive and find the place closed! Good to have a backup so you don’t scramble and end up somewhere mediocre.

@janettravels44: even us Parisians joke about Berthillon closure, but thankfully the re-sellers dotted around on the island are fully stocked ahead of August and stay open, so you can still sample their ice cream.

ahh but the glory of Berthillon is the range of flavors and the resellers don't tend to have that. They may find that Grom and other chains dotting Paris now may eat their lunch if they remain so non-consumer oriented. I suspect they don't care given their vacation schedule.

We took this tour in August and most of the restaurants in those towns were open. There may have been the odd restaurant closed, but it really didn’t impact our choices. As another poster mentioned, we found more closed in Paris, but it wasn’t a whole area at once - closures were staggered. This is a terrific tour.

RS has to have been running this tour for many years. If the travelers were left without food, I suspect word would have leaked out by now....... I doubt everyone died of starvation leaving no one to tell the tale.

Someone on every tour brings a big bag that I suspect is filled with PBJ's for just this sort of 'emergency'.

:-)

Joe32F,
Hilarious! And so true.

Haha Joe! Well, I DO carry the small foil packets of Justin's chocolate hazelnut butter in my 3-1-1 BUT it's because I'm vegan and sometimes that is the best choice. I pick up a jar of peanut butter after I arrive in Paris, lol!

Good to know we won't starve... So very excited for this, our 6th RS tour, but our first trip to France.