May 8 is a holiday in France. I wasn't sure if it meant museums would be closed so I e-mailed one I wanted to see on that day. It is indeed closed, so if you're going to be in France on that date, check and see what will be closed and what won't!

Le 8 mai 2007 est un jour férié. En conséquence, le Musée Basque et de l'histoire de Bayonne sera fermé.

If this is Ascension Day, pretty much everything except restaurants and movie theatres in the 6th-7th area was closed last time I was there, and many of them (my neighborhood cafe) opened late. By mid-day, the parks were full of families enjoying themselves. This kind of relaxation may have more to do with the French outliving us than red wine.

Does anyone know if this applies to Versailles? Will it be closed on May 8th?

Hi,
According to http://www.chateauversailles.fr, the castle is closed on 1 May and 28 May 2007, but there is no mention of it being closed on the 8th.

This is a point of history people should know about -- it is WWII Victory Day, not a religious holiday. It is called VE Day in some countries. Most museums aren't closed on that day, at least not in major cities. Details should be on museums' web sites. For Paris, they often have a complete listing of openings/closures of museums for particular holidays on the Paris Tourist Info website, although I don't think they do for that one as it isn't a day museums typically close (May 1, Christmas and Jan 1 are the big ones when most are closed).

I find that the museums don't always list their closings. Find the "contact" on the web site and just e-mail the museum. They always respond.

May 8th? Isn't that Harry Truman's B'day? It's a holiday here in Missouri.

I was in Paris on V-E Day last year and encountered nothing closed. I went to a few museums and went shopping and to a concert.

Ascension is May 17 this year; just checked it out for a friend who will be there at that time.