Hello. Husband and I will be in Paris Oct 27 to November 3rd. I just found out that November 1 is a holiday. The guidebook says the French take their holidays seriously (not like USA, lol) and that everything will be closed. It recommended going to Pere LaChaise cemetery. Will most everything be closed? We did plan to visit that cemetery, but not to spend a whole day there. Will restaurants be closed? Shops? Any thoughts or suggestions will be welcomed.
Thank you.
The French take time-off seriously but don’t observe holy days religiously. Most everything will be open unless closed for vacation. Schools have a week off in the fall around then. You’ll see families paying respect at the cemeteries and leaving potted mums. That’s the extent of the observence. Which guidebook?
I agree with Bets.
Most everything will be open, including the big department stores.
One word about Pere Lachaise - it will be a madhouse, very crowded with tourists and locals.
I'd go the following day, when it will be much quieter and you can still see all the flowers.
Watch the weather, though...
In recent years All Saints Eve, i.e. Halloween, has become something of an event in Paris and elsewhere in the world, imitating North American customs. It seems mostly confined to organized parties as opposed to canvassing door-to-door.
Hello Bets, Chexbres and Southam,
Thanks for helping us out. We are relieved that the city won't be shut down on the holiday. Bets, I had checked out a slew of travel books from the library and yesterday returned all but two. I just browsed thru them (rick steves paris 2017 and walking paris by natgeo 2016) and could not find the passage about the French taking their holidays seriously. It must've been in one of the others that I returned.
Again, Thank you.
Susan
Maybe it was a British book where holidays means vacation! Now that would be accurate! Very funny!
From experience, I know that E. Dehillerin was closed on November 1st a few years ago. Every other place we went was open.
As others have suggested, in tourist areas most everything will be open. However in my double digit neighborhood lots of closed Nov. 1 signs are posted. Closings will depend on where you are in Paris.
Père Lachaise will very much be open as the whole point of the Nov 1 holiday is to go to the cemetery and honor one's ancestors/relatives.
But it will insanely crowded - just so the OP knows about it.
That's right.
It is probable that the OP does not have any long-lost relatives to lay chrysantheums for...
Even some Monoprix will be open, so you can get food for picnics, etc.
Better check their websites though.
