In France, spending time with the family is important. So during summer holiday, French people will spend their time… you probably guessed with who? …………… their family! Parents will make sure their holiday coincides with children’s one. Let’s discover in this article when the summer holidays start in France, what are French holiday habits and the tourist trends in France!
How do French people plan their holiday habits?
In summer (en été) especially, parents (les parents) make sure they take their holidays (leurs vacances) at the same time the kids (les enfants) have theirs. It is an opportunity to have few weeks family holidays and have family time (du temps en famille).
How many weeks of paid vacation in France?
In France (en France), when you are employed, you have 30 working days holiday (30 jours ouvrables de congés) for the full year if you are full-time (à temps plein) or part-time (à temps partiel). Which means you have 2.5 days off each month.1
In France, you can take 24 days holiday in a row (24 jours de congés consécutifs), it is called “the main leave” (le congé principal).1
The employer (l’employeur) will confirm to the employee the annual leave planned at least one month before. The order for the employees (les employés) to take their annual leave will depend on some specific criteria such as the number of years an employee has been in the company.1
How many weeks of holidays students have?
In 2021, the summer holiday (les vacances d’été) starts the 7th of July. It is split into three zones for winter and spring holidays (les vacances d’hiver et de printemps) which are shifted. However, school holiday starts the same date for the three zones.
In 2021, the start of school (la rentrée des classes) is on the 2nd of September. So, the school holiday lasts about 8 weeks (huit semaines).
This is already a lot of numbers and dates to start this article, isn’t it? So, why not review them? 🙂
Review numbers in French! (article)
Numbers from 0 to 59 (video)
Learn more about the date in French (video)
So now, let’s see what are the favourite French holiday habits!
French holiday habits during school holiday
French people will plan their holidays depending on their habits (leurs habitudes) but also their budget (leur budget), it can go from going camping to travelling overseas.
Scouts
Les Scouts de France is an association created in 1920 by the Father Jacques Sevin following the success of the Boys Scouts founded in England in 1907 by Baden-Powell. This association will evolve over the years to become Les Scouts et Guides de France in 2004. The association (l’association) counted in 2020, 88000 members (membres) and there are 830 locations in France.
The aim of Les Scouts et Guides de France is to encourage young people to be active in the society and develop relationship between people. Some important values are: solidarity and citizenry.
Camping and exploring
One of the French holiday habits is to spend time in the countryside during summer with the kids in a camping (dans un camping). In France, there are many activities (beaucoup d’activités) in a camping, there can be a swimming pool (une piscine) too. So it can be a good idea so children (les enfants) have a lot to do.
There are more than 8000 campings in total in France, the least in Ile-de France with almost 100 campings and the most with 1400 campings in Occitanie’s region. This later region is located in the South/South-West of France and contains 13 departments.
In France, there are departments which gather several cities. In metropolitan France there are 96 departments and then 5 overseas departments. As you might know France has many colonies, you can read the article where I give more information about the diversity of French territories.
Learn more about French territories and French speaking countries
Then, several departments creates a specific region and there are 18 regions in total in France.
French holiday habits to the beach
Some French people prefer holiday rentals near the sea and spend their holiday everyday at sandy beaches. The kids will build sand castles (des châteaux de sable) while parents will sunbath on their towels all day long enjoying the sunshine.
You can find very nice sandy beaches on the coastline of southern France situated along the Mediterranean sea:
- In Corsica, you can find paradisiac beaches.
- La plage de la Calanque d’En-Vau, between Marseille and Cassis.
- La plage de Notre-Dame, in Porquerolles.
- La plage Paloma, in Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat
Also popular French holiday habits are beaches on the Atlantic Ocean:
- La plage de Keremma, in Brittany.
- La plage des Grands Sables, in Ile de Groix.
- La Plage des Dunes, in Cap Ferret.
- La plage de la Corniche, in Pyla-sur-Mer.
- La plage de Miramar, in Biarritz.
Take a look here at the 12 best beaches in France!
Beaches are classified with the Blue Flag which is a quality indicator. The most renowned Blue Flag sites in France are along the Atlantic coasts.
Shopping
As you may know already, France is well-known for its fashion. So, there is not point to go somewhere else to spend time to do shopping, let’s stay in France!
There are sales in France in summer so it is a good opportunity to refill its own wardrobe. Some people will do shopping in their own town/city or sometimes they can go to shopping malls or even outlets where you can have really good prices for high-quality clothes, that is one of the other French holiday habits.
Discover the different French know-how
Where do the French go on holiday abroad?
One of the favourite French holiday habits overseas is around the Mediterranean sea (la mer Méditerranée):
- Spain with Barcelona and Palma de Majorca
- Greece with Athens
- Malta with Luqa
But also, Morocco and Portugal.
What about tourist trends in France
The number one destination from international visitors to France is Paris with its beautiful Tower-Eiffel but also worldwide-known monuments and museums. Why not having a coffee on the terrace of a cafe in the Champs-Elysées. Foreign people visit France as it is well-known for its culture, fashion, gastronomy. In 2019, there were 90 million international visitors to France including its overseas communities.
In regards to French people, during the summer of 2020 the visitor rate was the highest in four regions: Massif Central, Pyrénées, Jura, Alpes du Sud which enclose picturesque landscapes. Perhaps new French holiday habits?
In summary, sightseeing in France is very diversified and there are a lot activities you can do whether you have a big budget or a smaller one. From going camping, visiting beautiful villages to booking a luxury hotel in Paris near the Tower-Eiffel, you now have a full overview of French holiday habits. Start to plan your next holiday in France! 🙂
Reference: 1 https://www.service-public.fr/particuliers/vosdroits/F2258#:~:text=Cela%20correspond%20%C3%A0%2030%20jours,calcul%20des%20jours%20de%20cong%C3%A9s.
A bientôt!