France is a large country. That sounds a bit obvious, but in the context of school holidays, it could potentially be disastrous if the part of the population with school-age children all jumped in their cars and went on vacation at the same time.
Whether on the train to go and see the relatives, to go to the beach, or particularly, to descend on the Alps or the Pyrenées to enjoy a week in the beautiful snow filled mountains, potential chaos is slightly relieved by dividing the country up into zones, and staggering some of the shorter holidays. This also helps spread the season for French winter sports resorts.
There are three terms in the school year, starting in September and everybody starts on the same day. So although the academic year runs September through to July, we have listed below all the dates for 2017.
Renestance services are available all year round, but if you are planning a trip to France with re-nesting in mind, an excellent time to visit is in the late spring before the Summer holidays begin, or in early autumn, between the start of the school year and the Toussaint holiday.
French School Holidays 2017 (all zones)
| Region | School Holiday | Start Date | End Date | Week |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zone A, B C | Christmas holiday 2016 | 17-12-2016 | 02-01-2017 | 51-52 |
| Zone A | Winter holiday 2017 | 18-02-2017 | 05-03-2017 | 8-9 |
| Zone B | Winter holiday 2017 | 11-02-2017 | 26-02-2017 | 7-8 |
| Zone C | Winter holiday 2017 | 04-02-2017 | 19-02-2017 | 6-7 |
| Zone A | Spring break 2017 | 15-04-2017 | 01-05-2017 | 16-17 |
| Zone B | Spring break 2017 | 08-04-2017 | 23-04-2016 | 15-16 |
| Zone C | Spring break 2017 | 01-04-2017 | 17-04-2017 | 14-15 |
| Zone A, B, C | Summer holiday 2017 | 08-07-2017 | 30-08-2017 | 28-35 |
| Zone A, B, C | Autumn break 2017 (Vacances de la Toussaint) |
21-10-2017 | 05-11-2017 | 43-44 |
| Zone A, B, C | Christmas holiday 2017 | 23-12-2017 | 08-01-2018 | 52-1 |
Zone A. SW and Central France from the Atlantic coast to the Swiss border
Zone B. Northern France, from the Loire Valley to Alsace, excluding Paris area + Provence
Zone C. Greater Paris and Central southern France – Occitanie
Holidays start after classes on the Start Date, and classes begin again in the morning on the day following the End Date.
Annette is Renestance’s 'go to' girl for all things marketing and social media. Bilingual and originally from Surrey in the UK, Annette has lived in France since 2008. In addition to her web design and marketing consultancy, Annette is the founder of Languedoc Jelly (a network of free events across the region for anyone working from home) and also Urban Sketchers Languedoc (part of a global community of people that like to draw or paint on location). A fan of all things French and Franglaise, she also has a Citroen 2CV called Beryl.
All articles by: Annette Morris
