August, public holidays and French customs: the unwritten rules Americans learn the hard way

Paris runs on a calendar and a code of manners that nobody hands you at the airport: half the city vanishes in August, May is a string of long weekends, and "bonjour" is non-negotiable.

The short version

• August is vacation month. Many independent shops, restaurants, bakeries and doctors close for two to four weeks, and offices slow to a crawl. Plan big errands for June or September.
• France has 11 public holidays, but only May 1 is a guaranteed day off for all employees [1]. Holidays that fall on a weekend aren't moved to a Monday [1].
• 2026 bridges: Ascension on Thursday, May 14 and Bastille Day on Tuesday, July 14 invite people to take the Friday or Monday off too [1].
• Always say "bonjour" when you walk into a shop, a waiting room or an elevator. It's the single most useful habit you can build.
• La bise (the cheek kiss) is how friends and colleagues greet each other in many settings; follow the other person's lead [2].

August: when Paris closes for vacation

Back home, the summer slowdown is a couple of weeks around the Fourth of July. In France, salaried workers get five weeks of paid vacation, and a big chunk of it lands in August. Paris doesn't shut down, but the Paris you know does. Expect:

• "Fermeture annuelle" signs on your favorite bistro, the dry cleaner and maybe your neighborhood boulangerie. Most post their dates on the door in July, and many point you to another bakery nearby.
• Doctors, dentists and specialists away. Book checkups and prescriptions before mid-July. Pharmacies stay open on a rotating basis, and emergency rooms work as usual.
• Slow paperwork. Prefectures, banks, landlords and HR departments run on skeleton crews. Don't plan a lease signing, a residence card appointment or an apartment move for mid-August if you can avoid it.
• Construction and roadwork. The city often uses the quiet weeks for metro and road works, so check your line before you leave.
• Tourists everywhere else. The Marais, the Eiffel Tower and Montmartre stay packed even as locals leave.

The upside: the city is calmer, parking is easier and summer events take over the river. Paris Plages, the city's temporary beach program, has turned the Seine riverbanks into sand, deck chairs and activities every July and August since 2002, with the Bassin de la Villette added in 2007 [3]. After the cleanup for the 2024 Olympics, supervised swimming in the Seine came back, and by 2026 there were free public swimming spots in the river at Bras Marie, Bras de Grenelle and Quai de Bercy [3].

The big weekends: when everyone leaves at once

The start and end of July and August, plus the August 15 weekend, are the busiest travel days of the year in France. Highways heading south fill up on those Saturdays, and trains sell out weeks ahead. If you're driving to the coast, leave very early or on a weekday. If you're taking the TGV, book as soon as tickets open.

The 2026 public holidays (jours fériés)

Here's the full list for 2026 from Service-Public, the French government's official information site [1]:

What Americans should know about French holidays

• Weekend holidays are just lost. Unlike the US federal system, France doesn't give you the Friday or Monday when a holiday falls on a weekend [1]. In 2026, August 15 and November 1 are both lost.
• "Faire le pont" (making the bridge) means taking the day between a holiday and the weekend. With Ascension on a Thursday and July 14 on a Tuesday, expect half-empty offices on May 15 and July 13, 2026.
• Not every holiday is a day off by law. Apart from May 1, whether you get a holiday off depends on your collective agreement, your company or your employer [1]. Most offices close anyway, but retail and restaurants often stay open.
• The solidarity day: employers can require one extra unpaid working day a year, often set as Whit Monday [1]. Check your contract.
• Sunday is still mostly sacred. Many shops close on Sundays, though more open in tourist zones. Do your grocery run on Saturday.
• Your American holidays aren't holidays here. Thanksgiving, on Thursday, November 26, 2026, and the Fourth of July are regular workdays. Most Americans in Paris celebrate Thanksgiving on the weekend.

La bise: the cheek kiss, decoded

La bise is the light cheek-to-cheek greeting with a kissing sound, not a real kiss. The rules confuse even the French: the number of kisses varies by region, and there's a running joke that you can tell where you are in France by counting them [2]. Customs vary in other ways too: in northern France, two men who aren't related are less likely to exchange la bise than in the south [2].

How to handle it as an American:

1. Follow the other person's lead. If they lean in, lean in. If they put out a hand, shake it.
2. At work, watch your colleagues. Some offices are all bises, others all handshakes. A firm American handshake is never wrong at a first meeting.
3. Start on the left cheek, turn your head to the side, and keep it light. Two kisses is the usual count in Paris, but don't stress if someone goes for three.
4. It's okay to opt out. The custom came under scrutiny during the 2009 H1N1 epidemic [2], and some people prefer to skip it. A smile and "je ne fais pas la bise, désolé(e)" is fine.

Politeness codes that matter more than you'd think

The biggest culture shock for many Americans isn't rudeness; it's that Parisians expect a level of formality that feels stiff back home, and they read our casual friendliness as either rude or fake.

• Bonjour first, always. Walking into a shop and asking "Do you have this in a medium?" without "Bonjour, madame" first is a genuine faux pas. Say "bonsoir" in the evening and "au revoir, bonne journée" when you leave.
• "Vous" until invited to "tu." Use the formal "vous" with anyone you don't know, older people, your boss and shopkeepers. Let the French person suggest switching.
• Indoor voices. Americans are famously loud on the metro and in restaurants. Lower the volume a notch.
• Don't rush the meal. Waiters won't bring the check until you ask: "l'addition, s'il vous plaît." That's not slow service; it's respect for your table.
• Small talk is smaller. Asking someone what they do for a living or how much they paid for their apartment on first meeting can feel intrusive. Talk food, travel or culture instead.
• Keep your metro ticket. A practical one: the State Department notes that inspectors check tickets randomly and fine on the spot, so keep yours until you've exited the station [4].

Tipping: much less than back home

French menu prices include service, so there's no 18% to 20% expectation like in the States. Leaving a little extra for good service, often rounding up or leaving a few coins, is appreciated but optional. Taxi drivers and hairdressers don't expect a stateside-style tip either. It's one of the rare ways Paris is cheaper than home.

Making it work: a yearly rhythm

1. January: book summer vacation and TGV trips; everyone else is doing the same.
2. April–May: use the long weekends for short trips, and do your paperwork before the summer slowdown.
3. June–July: get medical checkups, haircuts and car repairs done before August.
4. August: stay and enjoy a quiet city, or leave like the French.
5. September (la rentrée): schools, offices and the social calendar restart all at once. Expect a busy month.

Want to find out who's staying in town in August, or who's hosting Thanksgiving? Ask in our community group for Americans in France.

Sources

1. Service-Public.gouv.fr: public holidays in the private sector (verified January 1, 2026)
2. Wikipedia: Cheek kissing
3. Wikipedia: Paris Plages
4. US State Department: France international travel information (page updated July 26, 2023)

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