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‘Good and bad places to swim’: 2026 French beach water quality map released by environmental group
More than one in five beaches are classed as either ‘discouraged’ or ‘avoid’ in annual ranking
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Increase in drownings in France – which areas and why?
Authorities are also calling for people to stay extra alert this summer
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May 1: who do French people give muguet to?
We speak to young people in France about the tradition of giving lily of the valley flowers on Labour Day, and how it can be hierarchical between grandmothers, mothers and daughters
MAP: French school holidays 2023-24 by region
Holiday dates are split into three zones. We look at the dates to be aware of
If you are trying to plan a holiday for later this year or in 2024, it might be useful for you to know the dates on which French school pupils will break up and return to the classroom at Toussaint, Christmas, Easter and more.
Below you will find the school holiday dates for the 2023-24 year.
For some holidays, the country is split into zones, meaning that pupils will have staggered breaks.
Zone A includes: Besançon, Bordeaux, Clermont-Ferrand, Dijon, Grenoble, Limoges, Lyon and Poitiers, as well as the surrounding areas.
Zone B includes: Aix-Marseille, Amiens, Caen, Lille, Nancy-Metz, Nantes, Nice, Orléans-Tours, Reims, Rennes, Rouen, Strasbourg and the surrounding areas.
Zone C includes: Paris, Créteil, Versailles, Montpellier and Toulouse.
If you are not sure of the zone in which you live, you can use this government simulator.