May 1st Labour Day In Paris/ What to do? What is Open?

If you want to go to any of the museums you will need to research each one for their days of closure. Same for monuments such as Arc de Triomphe. Restaurants will be open, the Seine boats will be plying their routes, the HO/HO buses will be running. if the weather is fine stroll on the Promenade Plantee or go to the Parc aux Buttes Chaumont.

Thanks very much :)

By the way, Mrs Donna, the Jacquemart André, is open every day of the year, and is an absolutely gorgeous museum. Check it out. I will be visiting it for the third time in April.

That was my concern when I was in Paris last year. Guess what, everything was open! Nothing to worry about. Enjoy your trip!

Well everything isn't open -- the Louvre is closed. May 1 along with Dec 25 and Jan 1 are the three most reliably closed days for most museums and other attractions. There are exceptions like the Eiffel Tower but you should assume that any monument or museum you might want to see will be closed and check on line to determine if it is open if you want to go. In a big city, finding places to eat will be no problem.

May 1st is an extremely important holiday in France, as important as Thanksgiving in the US. You won't be able to get near the Arc de Triomphe before noon due to the wreath laying ceremony and there will be a parade on the Champs Elysee. So as everyone has said, check the web sites.

Oops, I apologize. Janettravels is correct. The museums were closed but restaurants, public transportation and shops were open. I remember I was worried about that so that must've been what I had in mind when I said everything was open. I'll have to check my journal to see what we did that day but I'm pretty sure that was the day we did our day trip to Giverny and Monet's house since the museums in Paris were closed.

Everything is most certainly not open. May 1, as has been mentioned, is a major holiday and most museums and attractions are closed as are shops and many restaurants. The best part, though, is that is a festive holiday and people take to the streets to enjoy the day. So I would plan on walking around to take part but not count on many places being open.

May 1st suggestions: Some Walking tour companies are open and add more tours this day:
Here are two I know are operating as I'll be there May 1 myself: www.pariswalks.com; www.discoverwalks.com.

The churches are open and the Pantheon is open from 10a-6p.

Check out www.parisinsidersguide.com for ideas.

Enjoy!

Oops, The Pantheon is closed May 1.

May 1st and the weekend surrounding the holiday is a long, celebrated holiday all over Europe. We were caught in it two years ago. I think I'd have rather been in a large city like Paris than the small towns we were visiting in Alsace during that four-day weekend. Everything was jam-packed, traffic jams, etc. Aside from closed museums, etc. I'd carry on like I would in my own city (San Diego, which is also a tourist trap on holidays). Pick an section of Paris that you have yet to explore and head off with your trusty street map.