My trip to Paris is May 1 to May 11 & I just now realized I am arriving on their Labor Day holiday and will be there for VE day- oh boy. Does anyone have experience with these two holidays?
Planning to take cab from airport, staying in an air BNB in the 11th. Will contact host for recommendations as well.
Thank you!
Here's a forum chat from last year on this topic.
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/france/paris-on-may-1-labor-day-3ddaf57a-6e91-4832-af02-9b636bb30f6d
Can’t speak to May 1st, but I’ve been in Paris on May 8th twice…both times were beautiful weather too. So, the city was lively, but in a good way. I never noticed anything closed. I visited Notre Dame and Saint Chapelle on 5/8 last year. Cafes were definitely open. Early May is such a great time to be in Paris…enjoy!!
My husband and I were in Paris the morning of May 8, 2025 and made the most of it before our afternoon flight home. I’m sure some things were closed but everything that we wanted to do was open. I started early at the d’Aligre flea market then met my husband at the Picasso Museum at opening. After, we wandered the Marais and down to the Seine where I stumbled upon a pop up flea market on the Pont Louis-Philippe and found two lovely gilded frames. I picked up some farewell croissants and walked back to the hotel, picked up our luggage and took the metro to the RER B out to the airport.
May 1 you should assume everything is closed unless you know it isn't. It is one of the three biggest holidays in most of Europe (along with Dec 25 and Jan 1). You will find cafes and restaurants and some food shops open. Most museums will be closed. A fair number of small restaurants or shops take advantage of May 1 to do a spring vacation. (our favorite little restaurant was closed a week at this time last spring)
The other May holidays, you won't even notice unless you are traveling -- locals take advantage of their offices being closed to do long weekends and such.
Thank you all for your input; it is very reassuring. I love this forum!
Love2travl
Since you are arriving on May 1, it won't matter if sights are closed. When I was there in 2015 (wow, too long ago) some shops and cafes were open, some weren't. There were little stands everywhere selling sprigs of lily of the valley (muguet).
