When are the school holidays in your part of France next year?

France is divided into four academic zones when it comes to holidays. Check your zone and dates here and get ahead for the next school year

Hannah Thompson
Published Last updated

France has confirmed the dates of the school holidays in France for the next 2023/24 school year.

They were published by decree in the country’s official record, le Journal Officiel, and listed on the official website service-public.fr.

School holidays in France are divided by region (A to C and Corsica).

Sometimes, the holiday dates are the same, but for some breaks (including the winter and spring holidays), they are staggered.

What zone am I in?

  • Zone A: Hauts-de-France, Grand Est, Brittany, Pays de la Loire, and Centre-Val de Loire (including Aix-Marseille, Amiens, Caen, Lille, Nancy-Metz, Nantes, Nice, Orléans-Tours, Reims, Rennes, Rouen, and Strasbourg).
  • Zone B: Nouvelle-Aquitaine, Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes, and Bourgogne-Franche-Comté (including Besançon, Bordeaux, Clermont-Ferrand, Dijon, Grenoble, Limoges, Lyon, and Poitiers).
  • Zone C: Greater Paris, and Occitanie (including Paris, Créteil, Versailles, Montpellier, Toulouse
  • Corse: Corsica (including Bastia and Ajaccio).

Important notes

The holiday dates listed show the first day of the holidays (usually a Saturday) and the first day back at school (usually a Monday). The Monday (or the last day listed) is not a holiday day unless specified.

For example, “Saturday, October 21 to Monday, November 6, 2023” means that the last day of school is Friday, October 20 (except for schools that have Saturday classes), and the first day back is Monday, November 6.

Please also note that the holiday dates for Corsica have not yet been confirmed, so they are not listed below.

Sometimes the school itself may change these dates, for example, for staff training purposes or due to examination dates (particularly in the case of lycées).

The government website also offers a ‘simulator’ or calculator, which lets you display and download your school holidays by department (for the years 2022-23, 2023-24, 2024-25, and 2025-26) and find out your zone.

Read also: ‘Starting my British kids at a French school was hard but worth it’

What are the holiday dates for 2023-24?

Rentrée (back to school)

  • All zones: Monday, September 4, 2023

Toussaint

  • All zones: Saturday, October 21 to Monday, November 6, 2023

Christmas (vacances de Noël)

  • All zones: Saturday, December 23, 2023, to Monday, January 8, 2024

Winter holidays (winter half-term, vacances d’hiver)

  • Zone A: Saturday, February 17 to Monday, March 4, 2024
  • Zone B: Saturday, February 24 to Monday, March 11, 2024
  • Zone C: Saturday, February 10 to Monday, February 26, 2024

Spring holidays (spring half-term, vacances de printemps)

  • Zone A: Saturday, April 13 to Monday, April 29, 2024
  • Zone B: Saturday, April 20 to Monday, May 6, 2024
  • Zone C: Saturday, April 6 to Monday, April 22, 2024

Summer holidays (vacances d’été)

  • All zones: Summer holidays begin Saturday, July 6, 2024

Related article

What are the risks for families in France taking term-time holidays?

How to get involved in your child’s education in France

school holidays practical

school holidays