Next year May 8 (VE Day) falls on a Thursday. Are attractions, major restaurants, boat rides, etc, likely to be open or closed on that day?
Last trip we were driving to the airport (on a Sunday) on that day and traffic was incredible.

I've been in France on May 8 for the last 3 years. Plenty of things are open, as the French are also on holiday.
The National museums won't be open, but pprivate chateaux, etc. usually are. The main inconvenience for me was not being able to return or pick up rental cars that day. I guess you can do that at airports, though. I was in Normandy, Provence, and the Dordogne those three times, and traffic didn't seem so bad - but I was on smaller roads, not the major roads. In popular tourist areas (like Honfleur) things can be crowded, though!

We were in Paris on May 8th. Some of the small museums were closed - also some of the buses didn't run. But most restaurants and stores were open.

It shouldn't be any different than when you were there before in terms of thigns being closed. Lots of national museums are open on that day, at least the big ones--they usually only close for the big holidays like Christmas, New Years and May 1st. Boat rides are tourist stuff, of course they'll be open, they aren't nuts, that's their clientele.

Thanks. Forgot to mention, that where I'd possibly be that day would be Paris.

You shouldn't find to many closings. We had to search a bit for a local store for toilet paper in the morning. But, it wasn't that hard. Then later in the day there were many many stores open. We didn't have any trouble after that.

Post offices, banks, government offices and schools are closed on May 8th. Just about everything else is open.

This used to annoy me every year as the French celebrate May 8th as Armistice day and the end of WWII.

It wasn't an armistice, the Germans surrendered to the Western allies on the 7th and the war ended August 15.

I shall now get off my soap-box.

"Les combats de la Seconde Guerre mondiale sur le front européen cessèrent officiellement le 8 mai 1945 à 23:01 (CET), heure d'Europe centrale, en application de la capitulation sans condition de l'Allemagne nazie signée à Reims."

...which is why France commemorates on May 8th and Russia commemorates on May 9th -- time zone differences.

The French celebrating any war type victory is an oxymoron.

Curious

The French don't care what you call your potatoes.

Thanks guys. I won't need post offices or schools. Banks? Well, if the ATM machines are accessible.....