Day 3228 (Friday) 10th April 2026

This is Beaulieu

and this is Villefranche-sur-Mer.

It was quite overcast this morning so we stayed at home and pottered. There was a cruise ship in the bay and I felt rather sorry for the passengers, at least it didn’t rain.

Huw took this lovely photo yesterday. A few years ago when I didn’t know what they were called I asked Huw who knew, because they grow in Australia, and I thought he said ‘bog brush’ flowers. He corrected me saying they were bottlebrush flowers, we’ve called them bog brush ever since. My App tells me they are officially called crimson bottlebrush

How to make the most of May in France

May is the perfect time for a French mini break such as a trip to the seaside. Pictured in Anglet. Photo by Gaizka IROZ / AFP

Yes, we know it's only April - but part of the secret of truly making the most of the month of May is forward planning.

May is a very special month in France - not only is spring well and truly here, but it's also the holiday-max month.

There are always at least two public holidays in May, but often (including in 2026) there are four.

May 1st - International Workers' Day - in 2026 is a Friday

May 8th - Victory in 1945 (VE Day) - in 2026 is a Friday

Ascension - this Christian festival is linked to Easter so changes date each year but is always on a Thursday - in 2026 it falls on May 14th. 

Pentecost Monday - another Christian festival that moves, this year it is on May 25th. 

That's four extra days off work - three of which are connected to a weekend - and one opportunity to faire le pont. Ascension is on a Thursday, so if you use a single day of annual leave on Friday, you get a nice four-day weekend.

Sometimes the school holidays coincide with May - this year, schools in Zones A and B have their two-week spring holiday in April, but schools in Zone C (encompassing Paris, Montpellier and Toulouse) have their holidays from April 18th to Monday, May 4th, meaning that the May 1st holiday weekend coincides with the final weekend of the school holidays.

Forward planning 

Maximising holidays is a popular French pastime, meaning that if you want to book extra time off work over this period you need to do it quickly, before your colleagues beat you to it.

Likewise, these holiday weekends are peak times for train travel, and for holiday accommodation - don't leave it until the last minute or you might find that everything is booked up.

These weekends are also traditionally busy on the roads, so if you have a trip planned, expect extra traffic and keep an eye on the traffic forecaster Bison futé.

Things to do

May 1st is marked by big demos in all towns and cities in France - these are usually jolly affairs with a large turnout, music and something of a holiday atmosphere in addition to the serious issues being protested about. Although violence sometimes flares at the end of the protest, the main marches are usually very safe and you will see families, young children, older people and everyone in between.

The other May 1st tradition is buying the lucky muguet (lily-of-the-valley) flowers, while in some villages, older, pagan-linked May Day rituals are observed such as the 'tree of May'.

Because of , this is the public holiday when shops, businesses, cafés and restaurants are more likely to close, so plan ahead.

The other holidays are a little quieter - VE Day (May 8th) is marked with military parades in the big cities and smaller memorial or wreath laying events at war memorials in smaller towns. Villages and small towns often hold a little municipal get-together after the memorial to share a drink with your neighbours.

Ascension has special church services but in most areas there are no processions or events outside of the churches.

Pentecost is a half-and-half holiday - it used to be a public holiday, then it was converted into a 'solidarity day', when people gave up a day's pay for good causes, and then it became optional so that now some businesses observe it and others don't. The day itself is not marked with anything special.

Trips away

But undoubtedly the most popular French activity around the May holidays is mini-breaks - heading off to a different part of France to enjoy a change of scenery and/or visit family and loved ones, which is why the trains and roads are always busy.

The seaside is always a popular destination, especially as the weather is usually pleasant in May, while a trip to the mountains or the countryside, or even a city break, make a nice break. 

If you're not constrained by school holidays you can always expand your May weekend into a longer holiday - by judicious use of the public holidays you can have a two-and-a-half week holiday while using up only 9 days of annual leave.

You could head for a longer break on one of France's many islands - from Corsica to Île d'Oléron, or go further afield and check out the French overseas territories like Martinique or Guadeloupe in the Caribbean.

Festivals

May is also a good time for festivals in France - from the big events like the Cannes film festival and the start of the French Open at Roland Garros to smaller festivals and fêtes that happen across the country.

If you are a keen gardener this is a perfect time to visit some of France's most famous gardens such as Giverny or the châteaux of the Loire Valley, or Versailles.

Giverny