November 1st
 

I read in a guidebook (don't remember which one) that November 1st is a Holiday in France (Jour des Morts, I believe). We will be in Paris October 31st - November 7th and want to plan accordingly. I have never been there this time of year. Is this day a true "jour ferie" where shops, sites, and monuments will be closed? I can't find any info on this. Thanks much!

It is "All Saints Day" I am not sure what, if any, impact that may have short of some parades & festivities.

I didn't see your French reference, & my French is lacking...sorry for stating the obvious.

>Is this day a true "jour ferie"
Of course it is.

But Toussaint (meaning all saints)is the official name for that hoilday so SanParis actually has provided a good info. To explain what it is, they might say "c'est le jour des morts".

That's a holidy so, offices and shops are closed like Sunday, except souvenir & other tourist oriented shops. Most museums and monuments are open as they are on Sunday but you have to check with each places you are interested to be sure.

For the last 5 years or so, all of the major stores and supermarkets have been open as normal on every holiday except May 1st. Banks, post offices and offices will be closed. Commerce rules. Tourists will notice no difference at all.

Actually, I should have written "every holiday except May 1st, December 25th and January 1st."

americaine,

We have been in France the past few years on November 1st (in Provence)...contrary to what you might expect, all the shops and restaurants were open and many of the sites as well..there was a festive atmposphere and people everywhere...really like a big party..and we also found it to be the same when we were in Italy on that date.

In Italy this is a major holiday when people travel the length of the country to be home with family and visit cemeteries. Don't know if this is true in France. When I was in Italy on this day, I made sure to book my train tickets in advance as trains were very full on that day, especially since it was part of a long weekend.

Thank you, everyone, for your help and explanations. It is greatly appreciated. It has been 3 years since I've been there and am quite excited to go back.

Americaine

The post was about Paris, though, not Provence, so if people close on a minor holiday in Provence, it doesn't matter. They often take more holidays or close more for all kinds of things in Provence and less urban areas. It is a legitimate govt. fixed holiday, though, but I think that isn't really what the poster meant by asking if it were a "true" jour ferie. It is a true one, but closing of all those sites isn't the definition of a true one. They don't even close a lot of stuff on 14 july any more.