May 1 a French holiday?
 

I read on another post that May 1 may be a holiday in France. Does anyone know if this is true? I ask because we will be taking the train from Paris to Avignon that day, and I'm wondering whether I should anticipate problems traveling. thanks.

Yes, May 1 is Labor Day (Fete du Travail) - - almost worldwide. Trains will run, probably similar to a Sunday.<BR><BR>Not THAT big a deal.<BR><BR>Best wishes,<BR><BR>Rex<BR>

Thanks Rex!

Trains run on May 1st. But museums are closed, AFAIK.

Trains run, though service may be reduced. We rode the TGV from Paris to Cannes in 1999 on May Day and saw no conductor-it was a shame we'd wasted money on tickets. The dining option in 1st class was shrink wrap fare(though alcohol was available). Our original train destination was St-Raphael (thence to Saint-Tropez). We had to rerout (and elongate) our journey because all car rental agencies in St-Raphael were closed to celebrate the holiday.

May 1 is the biggest non-religious holiday in France. It is a MAJOR holiday. Nearly everything is closed (restaurants, stores, etc.), and Lyon was absolutely quiet (and it's the 2nd biggest city in France). <BR><BR>But if you've checked the train schedules and find that the trains are scheduled to run, I wouldn't anticipate a problem -- unless there's a strike. ;-)

Yes, it's a holiday. If you're visiting somebody take some lilys of the valley ("muguets"), and if you're staying in a nice hotel you may find that some have been left for you in your room, or perhaps given to you at breakfast.

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