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Closing for all of August?
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What actually closes?
Independent shops, many restaurants, some medical practices, and a surprising number of the specific places you rely on. Supermarkets and chains stay open. The gap you notice is the gap where the good bakery was.
How long do the closures last?
Two to four weeks is typical for an independent business, usually somewhere between the last days of July and the last days of August. The notice on the door reads fermeture annuelle or congés annuels, with the reopening date written underneath.
The French even have names for the two camps. Juilletistes take July. Aoûtiens take August. The weekend when one group drives home and the other drives out is the chassé-croisé, and it produces the worst motorway traffic of the year, every year, to nobody’s surprise.
The quietest point is the week around 15 August. It is a public holiday, it sits in the middle of the month, and anything that was still open tends to give up for a few days.
Why do they not stagger it?
Because holiday in France is a season rather than an allowance to be spent tactically, and because staggering only works if customers stagger too. When everyone leaves, staying open serves nobody.
Is it true that Paris bakeries had to take turns?
It was, for a very long time. From the Revolution onward, Paris bakers were told by the authorities when they could close in summer, in two alternating groups, so that no neighbourhood was ever left without bread. The rule was only abolished in 2015. Bakers can now close when they like, and many still post the address of the nearest open bakery on the door out of habit.
It tells you what the country considers essential. Nobody ever regulated the holidays of shoe shops.
The tool
How Much Vacation Would You Have in France?
Enter your paid days off and see what you would have in France, where five weeks is the legal minimum.
Count my daysIs this changing?
In tourist cities, yes, somewhat — the closures are shorter and less total than they were. In smaller towns the handwritten sign is alive and well, and it will tell you the exact day in September the bread comes back. That day is usually la rentrée.
Why is everything closed in France today?
If it is not August, it is almost always one of five things.
It is Sunday. Most shops are closed, and supermarkets that open usually stop at lunchtime. Food shops are allowed to open on Sunday until 1 p.m., which is why bakeries and markets are busy on Sunday morning and the street is silent after lunch.
It is Monday. Many independent shops, restaurants and hairdressers take Monday off because they worked Saturday. Museums close one day a week too, usually Monday or Tuesday.
It is lunchtime. Outside big cities, shops, banks and offices often shut from around noon to two.
It is a public holiday. France has eleven, set by the Labour Code: 1 January, Easter Monday, 1 May, 8 May, Ascension Thursday, Whit Monday, 14 July, 15 August, 1 November, 11 November and Christmas Day. Four of them can fall in May alone, and 1 November is one of them, which is why the day after Halloween is so quiet.
It is a bridge day. When a holiday lands on a Tuesday or a Thursday, people take the day in between as well. This is called faire le pont, making the bridge, and a great deal of France quietly makes it.
The next ones. Sunday 1 November and Wednesday 11 November 2026, then Friday 25 December. In 2027: Friday 1 January, Monday 29 March (Easter Monday), Saturday 1 May, Thursday 6 May (Ascension), Saturday 8 May, Monday 17 May (Whit Monday), Wednesday 14 July, Sunday 15 August, Monday 1 November, Thursday 11 November and Saturday 25 December. The two Thursdays, 6 May and 11 November 2027, are the ones to watch for a bridge on the Friday.
Need a pharmacy? On Sundays, public holidays and at night, one pharmacy in each area stays open: the pharmacie de garde. Its address is posted on the door of the nearest pharmacy, or call 32 37 (a paid line) or look it up on 3237.fr.
Visiting France in August: what should you plan for?
Check opening dates for the specific restaurants and shops you care about, and do it close to your trip. The place you read about may be the one with the note on the door.
The things you actually need stay available. Supermarkets and chains are open. Markets carry on. There is always a duty pharmacy, the pharmacie de garde, and its address is posted in the window of every closed one.
There is an upside. Paris in August is calmer than at any other time of year, with less traffic and shorter queues, and the coast and the countryside are where the life has gone. If you want to see how seriously the French take time off, August is the demonstration.
Questions, answered
Why does France close in August?
Because most of the country takes holiday in the same few weeks. Independent businesses close for two to four weeks and the country resumes together in early September. It is a synchronised habit rather than a legal requirement.
Is everything really closed in France in August?
No — supermarkets, chains and tourist businesses generally stay open. What closes is the independent layer: neighbourhood bakeries, butchers, small restaurants and some medical practices.
When does France reopen after August?
At la rentrée, at the start of September, when schools, workplaces and public life resume within the same few days.
Why is everything closed in France today?
Outside August, the usual reasons are that it is Sunday, Monday, the two-hour lunch break, one of France’s eleven public holidays, or a bridge day taken next to a holiday. Supermarkets and chains keep longer hours than independent shops.
How long are French shops closed in August?
Independent shops and restaurants that close typically do so for two to four weeks, between late July and late August. The reopening date is posted on the door.
Are pharmacies open in France in August?
Yes. Individual pharmacies may close for holidays, but a duty pharmacy, the pharmacie de garde, is always open in each area, and closed pharmacies display its address.
Are shops open on Sunday in France?
Most are not. Food shops may open on Sunday until 1 p.m., so bakeries and markets work in the morning and most of the street is closed after lunch. Supermarkets that open usually close at midday, with longer hours in some tourist areas.
What are the public holidays in France?
Eleven, set by the Labour Code: 1 January, Easter Monday, 1 May, 8 May, Ascension Thursday, Whit Monday, 14 July, 15 August, All Saints’ Day on 1 November, 11 November and Christmas Day.
Sources
- French Ministry of Labour: the eleven public holidays listed in article L3133-1 of the Labour Code (page updated 3 July 2025). Code du travail numérique
- Actu-Juridique: food shops may open on Sunday until 1 p.m. under article L3132-13 of the Labour Code (27 January 2023). Actu-Juridique
- HolidayDB: the dates of France’s public holidays in 2026 (2027 dates follow the same Labour Code list, with Easter on 28 March 2027). HolidayDB
- Ville de Lyon: on-call pharmacies on nights, Sundays and public holidays, through 32 37 or 3237.fr. lyon.fr
Verified October 2026.
Still wondering?
Ask my French husband.
A short ruling in a few seconds. Written by AI from our Journal, in his voice.
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Before you go
Your First Day in Paris
You land in Paris at nine in the morning. He is watching what you do next.
