French calendar holiday question
 

In America when a holiday falls on a weekend, employeers usually give one the Friday before or Monday after off work. In France? I see May 1 falls on a Sunday. I'm trying to adjust my trip so as not to be disappointed that something is closed which I might be planning to see. I assume gardens, and lots of other sites are closed on holidays, right?

May is notorious in France for many holidays and the custom of "making the bridge," adding Friday to a Thursday holiday, for example. When a holiday is on a Sunday it's not uncommon for Monday to be tacked on. Most national museums are open on holidays, however, but check individual web sites to get the latest information.

BTW, May is also notorious for strikes, "grèves," especially around May Day, which is the European equivalent of Labor Day.

no, they aren't, actually. What kind of gardens are you talking about, large parts of cities, such as the Tuileries or Luxembourg in Paris? They aren't closed on holidays, nor are any public parks I know of in France.

Private gardens like Giverny might be closed on a real major holiday, or gardens within monuments or tourist sites like chateaux, Fontainebleau, etc.

Other tourist sites or museums would be open on Sunday normally, so they do get that day off if the holiday is on Sunday, and there is no reason to give them two days off. I would expect many museums and tourist sites to be closed on that holiday itself (Sunday) as it is a major holiday.

The only thing I can think of that would normally be closed Sunday and thus would miss a holiday and have to make that day up by giving another off (and I think I've read French law does not require that, but I'm not sure on custom) would be large dept. stores or things like that. I think that is why they designate some Mondays as official holidays when the holiday is always on a Sunday (ie, Easter Monday), because otherwise they wouldn't get a holiday.

Someone else probably knows more specifics, but maybe you should say what gardens you are worried about.

I appreciate the above info. I had to stop and try to remember the name of the Riviera garden -- I know I'll butcher the spelling: gardens at the Villa Ephrussi Rothschild. I believe it's on Cap Ferrat.

I just now googled the website which is all in French, but doesn't appear to list any holiday closures.

It's the Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild--you were very close! It is indeed on St-Jean-Cap-Ferrat and is a very interesting and beautiful place to visit; you can have lunch or take tea in the salon with a view.

According to the Cadogan guide to the South of France, the villa is open from February until October--nothing given on holidays, so perhaps it just stays open. Parking can be difficult; try to get there early.

" When a holiday is on a Sunday it's not uncommon for Monday to be tacked on."
This is common in the UK, but actually it never happens in France, as I was disappointed to discover when I started working here. If a public holiday falls on a Saturday or Sunday, then tough - that's where it stays!
As Underhill says, it's common to "faire le pont" here, but this generally applies to offices and very small businesses, not tourist attractions.

Thanks for the help folks. The garden is one of the parts of the trip I'm really looking forward to.

And it's not just a garden, but a series of them: seven, I think, each different.

Note about May 1st: that's a HUGE holiday in France, with parades and demonstrations and whatever, especially in Paris.

You'll love the garden. It was great when we were there in February a couple years ago. The nearby replica of a Greek villa was also terribly fascinating. I've never seen anything like it.