Okay, the TN Trio of Terror (minus Amy aka "I have a car payment I can't go anywhere for 5 years") is going to Paris in Spring 2010. Since the remaining 2 of us are "older" we were thinking of going in April, after Holy Week. Is this a bad idea? When do the French take a spring vacation, before, during or after Holy Week?

Spring school vacations, if that's what you're referring to, are staggered throughout France, with different schoolkids in different regions taking their vacations at different times.

We will be mostly in Paris with some day trips. Just wondered if it would be more crowded the week before or the week after. We usually go in March and we were thinking it might be better weather in April but who knows? The trip before last it snowed and we still loved it.

Holy Week is the week before Easter, so I think it would have to be less crowded the week before Holy Week, rather than the week after. A lot Europeans go to Paris for holidays around Easter. There are national holidays in countries for Easter, that's the issue. Both Easter and Easter Monday are official national holidays in France, for example. I don't know about other countries. Most Paris school holidays for Spring will be after Easter in 2010. In Paris, Spring school holiday is April 17th to May 3rd in 2010.

We were in Paris this year the week between Palm Sunday and Easter. I understand that there were many european school children, as well as american students, there for spring break (we were). The crowds reminded me of the swarms I saw during summers as a young adult. Based on Christina's information, I would go May 4.

Enjoy your trip.

The tourist season starts at Easter, so it is better to come before Easter in terms of crowds and better to come after Easter in terms of certain seasonal attractions.

There will be lots of school holidays no matter not -- if not the French schools, then the Italian, German, Belgian or English ones...

Another Tennessean looking at the same time! Unfortunately I have to adhere to Spring Break so the kids don't miss school. You can count on 4 more tourists either the first or second week of April.

Our experience was in Italy, and many people were coming home for Easter. The week before was very busy at the train station in a university town and then again on Easter Monday.

Parisians and Paris travels can say if the same is true there but I would think it would similar. If you can't avoid the time, I'd go the week after.