I am trying to plan a two week trip to France (Paris, Normandy, Dinan, Loire) to start during the first or second weeks of March 2011. It appears there are national French holidays on May 1 and May 8. Also schools outside of Paris are out until May 8. Should I put off my trip one week and not leave until May 7 because of the holidays and school recess? Alternatively, will the crowding/lines not be too bad that first week in May so that I could start our two weeks on the more convenient date of April 30th? Thanks for any thoughts on this issue.
Posted by
Lawrenceville, Georgia
693 posts
I was in Paris during these holidays three years ago. Everything was very crowded with tourists; the tour buses kept rolling in - especially from Eastern European countries, as evidenced by their number plates. The lines everywhere were long. In May, you also have to look out for several christian/catholic holidays when people in France and other European countries get the day off or a long weekend (you can check them out for next year on google; they are a certain number of days after Easter). However, while I was there, the weather was fabulous and the general atmosphere was festive. The chestnut trees were in full bloom and everything was blooming earlier than usual because of the warm weather. I toured Versailles and Monet's Giverny a day after one of the holidays and the crowds were much thinner, according to the tour guides. If you're a museum goer, it's not so crowded when they first open in the morning. By the way, I'm planning to go again next spring, around the same time - end of April, through the first part of May.
Posted by
Columbus, OH, USA
2210 posts
We were in Paris, and the Loire , during this time period. We found large crowds all through Paris. The holidays morph into multi-day weekends and it seems large numbers of French travel. Many sights in the Loire were crowded as well, and the vast majority of those "tourists" were French. I think I recall rearranging a car rental because some particular location was closed later that week owing to that second holiday (was it Pentecost?). No major problems, and I doubt Paris is ever too uncrowded, but I learned from that trip to investigate holidays when planning. In Italy, I learned not to take public transport at school closing times; talk about crowded! If zillions of tulips appeals, consider shooting over to Amsterdam Keukenhof Gardens during that time period. Beyond description. But watch Queen's Day. Happy travels.
Posted by
St. Petersburg, FL, USA
104 posts
We will be there at that time as well--both holidays are on Sunday in 2011. Will that make for more or less closing of sites, services or bistros?