2012 Public Holidays:
- January 1 (New Year's Day)
- April 9 (Easter Monday)
- May 1 (Labor Day)
- May 8 (End of WWII celebration)
- May 17 (Ascension)
- July 14 (Bastille Day - French Independence)
- August 15 (Assumption)
- November 1 (All Saints' Day)
- November 11 (Armistice Day)
- December 25 (Christmas)
2011/2012 School Vacation
French schoolchildren have five holidays during a year: 1 week at the end of October, 2 weeks at Christmas, 2 weeks winter vacation in February, 2 weeks Easter vacation and all of July and August for summer vacation.
For the purpose of staggering vacations the mainland is grouped into 3 zones. This measure is supposed to ameliorate the traffic congestion. As the main autoroutes are also used by other European vacationers these benefits are to a certain extent neutralized.
Autoroutes going to and from prime vacation areas, like the Provence, are notoriously difficult on Saturdays, when most holiday rentals have changeovers. Check the Bison Futé website for traffic conditions.
| All Saints (Toussant) | Christmas (Noël) | Winter (Hiver) | Easter (Printemps) | Summer (l'Été) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zone A | Saturday 22/10/2011 Thursday 03/11/2011 |
Saturday 17/12/2011 Tuesday 03/01/2012 |
Saturday 11/02/2012 Monday 27/02/2012 |
Saturday 07/04/2012 Monday 23/04/2012 |
Saturday 05/07/2012 Tuesday 04/09/2012 |
| Zone B | Saturday 22/10/2011 Thursday 03/11/2011 |
Saturday 17/12/2011 Tuesday 03/01/2012 |
Saturday 25/02/2012 Monday 12/03/2012 |
Saturday 21/04/2012 Monday 07/05/2012 |
Thursday 05/07/2012 Tuesday 04/09/2012 |
| Zone C | Saturday 22/10/2011 Thursday 03/11/2011 |
Saturday 17/12/2011 Tuesday 03/01/2012 |
Saturday 18/02/2012 Monday 05/03/2012 |
Saturday 14/04/2012 Monday 30/04/2012 |
Thursday 05/07/2012 Tuesday 04/09/2012 |
| Corsica | Saturday 22/10/2011 Wednesday 02/11/2011 |
Saturday 17/12/2011 Tuesday 03/01/2012 |
Saturday 18/02/2012 Monday 05/03/2012 |
Saturday 21/04/2012 Monday 07/05/2012 |
Saturday 07/07/2012 Monday 10/09/2012 |


