Workers in France can take 17-day break using only eight days of leave in 2026
Favourable calendar for public holidays makes extended May break possible, with five guaranteed long weekends throughout year
With three public holidays on Fridays and a further two on Mondays, workers are guaranteed these long weekends by default
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Workers in France benefit from five long weekends this year, and with a potential three ‘ponts’ possible taking paid holidays between weekends and holidays, 2026 is a fruitful year for holiday plans.
With three public holidays on Fridays and a further two on Mondays, workers are guaranteed these long weekends by default.
In addition, three more holidays fall on either a Tuesday or a Thursday, with one falling on a Wednesday. Note however one of these was January 1, which has already passed.
Employees can ask for time off between the weekend and the bank holiday to benefit from a four- or five-day weekend by only taking only one or two days of paid leave, known in France as ‘faire le pont’ or ‘making the bridge’.
This fortunate schedule is of extra significance to employees as, unlike in some other countries such as the UK, public holidays that fall on weekends in France are not moved but ‘lost’ for the year.
How to benefit from public holidays this year
France’s 2026 public holidays are:
Thursday January 1 - New Year’s Day (already passed)
Monday April 6 - Easter Monday
Friday May 1 - Worker’s Day or Fête du Travail
Friday May 8 - Victory in Europe Day or fin de la guerre en Europe
Thursday May 14 - Ascension
Monday May 25 - Pentecost or Whit Monday (note this is not always given as a holiday)
Tuesday July 14 - France’s national day (Fête Nationale or Quatorze Juillet)
Saturday August 15 - Assumption
Sunday November 1 - Toussaint or All Saint’s Day
Wednesday November 11 - Armistice Day
Friday December 25 - Christmas Day
In some parts of eastern France, Good Friday (Friday April 3) and Saint Stephen’s Day (Saturday December 26) are also public holidays, adding one additional three-day weekend for workers even if the Saint Stephen’s Day holiday is lost, falling on a Saturday.
Across the rest of the country however, workers are now guaranteed three day weekends on Easter Monday, Worker’s Day, Victory in Europe Day, and Christmas Day, as well as on Pentecost depending on how their company deals with the often confusing rules.
In addition, by taking Friday May 15 or Monday July 13 off, workers can benefit from a four-day weekend.
Half a month off for only eight days of paid leave
As usual, May sees many holidays and an extended break is possible using minimal leave.
Employees can ask for May 4 - 7, 11 - 13, and 15 as paid leave to benefit from a 17-day break using only eight days of paid leave.
Note however that employers are not required to accept paid leave requests during this time.
There can also be a further strain on companies in May as all unpaid leave has to be used up before the end of the month (including time off in lieu or RTT accrued by workers) or it risks being lost.
This can lead to a scramble for submitting requests, as in certain jobs some workers will have to remain available during the day (some smaller offices may close throughout the period if too many people will be off, but this is unusual).
If holiday requests are not submitted promptly, the opportunity for the extended break may be lost.
At the same time, companies may choose to close offices during certain periods, enforcing paid holiday to be taken at that time.
