French school holidays in 2025–2026

For parents, school is important. For children, the days in between the schedule are a bigger deal. The French school holidays cover the usual seasonal and festival periods, though the exact dates are determined by the regional zone you live in.

Planning ahead also means preparing financially for these holiday periods. Whether you’re organizing a family trip abroad, arranging childcare, or enrolling your children in vacation camps, managing your finances efficiently is crucial. For expat families who frequently travel between countries or maintain ties to their home country, services like Wise can help manage multiple currencies and international payments.

Continue reading to find out more about the following:

An overview of French school holidays

The French Ministry of National Education (Ministère de l’Éducation Nationale) sets the dates for the school holidays in France. French schools have five holidays throughout the year:

• All Saints’ holiday (Vacances de la Toussaint)
• Christmas holiday (Vacances de Noël)
• Winter holiday (Vacances d’hiver)
• Spring holiday (Vacances de printemps)
• Summer holiday (Vacances d’été)

The breaks are usually around two weeks each, apart from the summer holidays, which last about eight weeks.

France splits schools into three different regional zones. Dates for the winter and spring holidays vary across the three zones. The zones are as follows:

Zone	Regions
Zone A	Besançon, Bordeaux, Clermont-Ferrand, Dijon, Grenoble, Limoges, Lyon, and Poitiers
Zone B	Aix-Marseille, Amiens, Caen, Lille, Nancy-Metz, Nantes, Nice, Orleans-Tours, Reins, Rennes, Rouen, and Strasbourg
Zone C	Creteil, Montpellier, Paris, Toulouse, and Versailles

International schools in France generally follow the same holiday dates as other schools, although there may be some variation within individual schools. To be sure, check with your child’s school for full details.

When are the French school holidays in 2025–2026?

The first day of school in 2025–2026 falls on Monday, 1 September 2025. This applies to all school zones. Students will then have the following breaks:

Holiday	Zone A	Zone B	Zone C
All Saints’ holiday	18 October – 3 November 2025	18 October – 3 November 2025	18 October – 3 November 2025
Christmas holiday	20 December 2025 – 5 January 2026	20 December 2025 – 5 January 2026	20 December 2025 – 5 January 2026
Winter holiday	7-23 February 2026	14 February – 2 March 2026	21 February – 9 March 2026
Spring holiday	4-20 April 2026	11-27 April 2026	18 April – 4 May 2026
Summer holiday	4 July – 30 August 2026	4 July – 30 August 2026	4 July – 30 August 2026

When are the French school holidays in 2026–2027?

The first day of school in 2026–2027 falls on Monday, 31 August 2026. This applies to all school zones. Students will then have the following breaks:

Holiday	Zone A	Zone B	Zone C
All Saints’ holiday	17 October – 2 November 2026	17 October – 2 November 2026	17 October – 2 November 2026
Christmas holiday	19 December 2026 – 3 January 2027	19 December 2026 – 3 January 2027	19 December 2026 – 3 January 2027
Winter holiday	6-21 February 2027	13-28 February 2027	20 February – 7 March 2027
Spring holiday	3-18 April 2027	10-25 April 2027	17 April – 2 May 2027
Summer holiday	3 July – 29 August 2027	3 July – 29 August 2027	3 July – 29 August 2027

When are the public holidays in France?

France has 11 public holidays during the year, some of which fall within school holidays. Labor Day (1 May) is the only statutory paid holiday. For other celebratory days that happen during the week, you will need to check with your school to see if your children get the day off.

Practical tips for expat parents in France

Financial planning for school holidays

School holidays often mean additional expenses for families – from travel and accommodation to childcare and activities. For expat parents who may be traveling internationally or paying for services in different currencies, managing these expenses efficiently becomes even more important.

When planning trips abroad during school breaks:

• Create a holiday budget that accounts for currency fluctuations
• Consider the most cost-effective way to spend money abroad
• Plan ahead for international payments for activities or accommodations

Using the Wise account can help you manage your holiday finances. With Wise, you can hold and convert money in multiple currencies, as well as spend abroad with the Wise card.

Childcare during French school holidays

There is a robust system of childcare in France available to working parents. Here are some of the options you can look into to prepare for the French holidays:

• Holiday centers (centres de vacances): For working parents of school-age children, there are state-supervised recreational holiday facilities available. These typically offer accommodation. There are also leisure/recreation centers (centre de loisirs in French) that offer daycare.
• Private holiday camps: Private camps are more expensive than state provision, but can be a good place for kids to meet other children from various countries as well as learn/improve their French. Providers include Jeunes Diplomates, which runs summer and winter language camps in the French Alps.
• Professional childminders (assistantes maternelles), au pairs, and babysitters: These offer childcare either in your home or on their own premises.

Costs vary between regions and centers, although discounts are available for those on low incomes. Check with your local school or regional educational department for full details of what is available in your area, when, and for how much.

10 fun summer camps in France

France has many fun and educational summer camps for children to learn and play during the school holidays, including:

• Alpine French School Summer Camp
• Centre International d’Antibes Summer Camps
• École des Roches Summer Camps
• Ermitage Bilingual Summer Camp
• Evasoleil Summer Camps
• IBS of Provence Spring & Summer Camps
• International Language Camps
• Nacel French & Sports Training Summer Camp
• SILC Academy Summer Camps
• UCPA Summer Camps

Conclusion

Understanding the French school holiday calendar is essential for expat families to plan effectively throughout the academic year. With differences between the language communities and a variety of holiday periods spread across the year, advance planning is key to balancing work commitments with childcare needs and family activities.

Whether you’re arranging local childcare, sending your children to vacation camps, or planning family trips abroad during these breaks, having the right financial tools in place can make the process smoother. For expat families in France, Wise provides a solution for managing expenses across different currencies.