We are planning to be in Paris 4 May - 11 May 2016.
As I look at the calendar, I see 3 French national holidays, 1 May Labor Day, 5 May Ascension Day, 8 May VE Day.
Are we selecting the worst possible week for a crowded city or does it not make a big difference?
Thanks
May 1st Labor Day could contain some surprises in terms of unexpected schedule changes and since you're not even planning on being in Paris until May 4th, May 1st would probably be a good day to exclude from your time in Paris. You're early in your planning so excluding this day should presumably not be a problem for your trip.
Re the other 2 days, we were in Paris this year on during the first 2 weeks in May and, following our habit, we carefully avoided Labor Day but were there on both Ascension Day and VE Day and those holidays did not cause any problems with things we wanted to do. They might be bank holidays, I don't know, but ATM's were working.
I notice your current schedule doesn't even include May 1st. Your 4 may - 11 May should be fine.
I don't think it's necessary to avoid being in Paris on May 1. Museums may be closed but many restaurants are not closed. Just make it a walking day. See different neighborhoods like the Rue des Rosier (the Jewish quarter,) or go to Pere La Chaise cemetery and take a Paris Walks tour through it. Plenty to do.
If the travelers are not forced by some unknown (to us) circumstance to be in Paris on May 1st, if it's easy to avoid, then why not avoid the 1st?
If you look at their schedule in their OP, they are not even scheduling themselves to be there until May 4.
By avoiding the 1st, when it's easy to do, the travelers avoid the possibility of being blind-sided by public transportation closures or limited schedules.
What advantage is there to deliberately including May 1st when you don't have to?
Anyway, the 1st and the 8th fall on Sundays next year, so the actual difference to your holiday is slight. May 1 is the big day for closures, but May 8th will be just like a regular Sunday (lots of things closed anyway, shops and the like, and transportation on the reduced Sunday/holiday schedule).
Thanks for the great input!
