I saw this referenced on another post. What is the holiday and will it effect our visit much? We are planning to go on our FIRST trip April 27 to May 4. Plan on staying in the 6th St. Germain area.

Will we need to plan around this holiday? Is it major in Paris or France or a little one??? Help. Any info on this will be helpful to us. Thanks.

May 1 is "Labor Day" - a public holiday in France. Banks and govt buildings will be closed, as well as national museums (Louvre etc). That is a Sunday so not sure if the holiday rolls over to Monday in that case.

I believe May 1, 2006 is a Monday.

On May 1, Monday, will restaurants, cafes, shops, etc. be closed? Museums? Will it effect our sightseeing plans do you think? Thanks for any info...

Museums will be closed. Public monuments will be closed. All the department stores and all but the very smallest shops will be closed. Many restaurants will be closed; those that are open will be very crowded as the French take their families out to lunch. Many cafes will open late (late morning) or not at all. The metro and bus lines will be on reduced schedules and some busses will not run. There is very likely to be a large parade or demonstration in some public place like the Champs Elysee or Hotel de Ville, disrupting traffic and with high levels of security. If it is a nice day, the parks will be full of French families enjoying themselves.

This will affect your sightseeing if any of these is important to you, but you will get to see a real city on an important holiday, and that is the best sight of all.

By the way, I am not sure there are anything but major holidays in France in the sense that things really do close down in the cities when it is a holiday; it is not just another shopping day. All this in my experience, mind you. Yours may be/have been different.

Of course it is Monday.. I hate those calendars that start w/ Monday when I'm used to the week starting with Sunday!

Can I ask people's experience on Victory Day, which is the 8th of May? I've done a search here and results seem mixed, but this seems to be a "lesser" holiday than Labor Day, which is May 1?

Planning to be there then, just trying to gauge if I'll be bored silly that day!

Any good ideas on what to do this Monday the 1st of May? Since so many things will be closed? Don't want to waste the day sitting in our little room.

Ideas, anybody out there??? HELP!

I don't agree wtih Ackislander, as there are only a few "major" holidays in France where almost everything really does close. Those would be Christmas day, New Years day, and May 1st, International Labor Day (which is a public holiday over the entire world, BTW, there are only a few places that do not have that as Labor Day, the US being one of them). I would also call National Day (aka Bastille Day) of July 14th to be a "major" holiday, but in the last five years much more is open on that date than on Christmas or Labor Day. Other holidays are more minor and many things are open, including many museums and monuments, and many stores.

YOu can always walk around and enjoy the gardens and views and general people. The Eiffel Tower is open virtually every day of the year, I think (it is privately run), and those Seine cruise boats probably will be also, as well as being able to go into churches. there is no reason to sit in a room just because museums and dept. stores are closed.

What about one of the Segway tours of the city? We are taking one in April - looks like fun.

You should be able to find something do, if only take photos. On Christmas Day, my mom and I found a flea market in a parking lot. There was an exhibit at the National Gallery (Grande Palais), tour buses were operating, the tourist shops on the Champs Elysees were open and we went up the Eiffel Tower.

If you stay at the hotel for any reason, you are wasting your trip money.

Thanks all. Trust me, we don't want to stay in the hotel. That is why I am asking for alternatives ahead of time. Might be a great day to book something a little different. Or plan on a picnic or something. But does sound like we would be wise to be prepared for this and plan ahead so we aren't freaking out wondering what to do with our tourist selves...

Thanks for all of your ideas. Not sure what a Segway tour is, but I will look it up...

Here is the company we are using

http://www.fattirebiketoursparis.com/

Yes -

May 1 is really only a surprise to Americans - we don;t have a real labor day - or actually recognize the contributions of workers to society - this is why our labor movement is almost moribund - and you end up with what you have in Washington.

I had tentatively scheduled the Conciergerie and the Louvre for May 1st. I couldn't find any websites that say these places would be closed that day... does anyone else know?
Heavens...I will also be in Paris April 28th till May 2nd.
Would you want to hook up and do a Fat Bike Tour that day/night?

The Louvre would be closed for sure on May 1.