help - when do the french take their holidays? want to avoid busy period

[bagpussmice]

am trying to book a holiday in France and want to avoid the mad rush when the french all take their holidays - does anyone know when they go? I know it is August, but is it the whole month??

yes

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First weekend in August is usually the worst though. Going OUT to France and travelling to the resorts in the later part of August is OK - roads are quieter then.
Avoid coming home last weekend in August though. They go back to school 1st September sharp.

They do a sort of swap over in the middle of august, too, where some come home and some set out - so the first, middle and last weekends are bad on the roads. There's a website somewhere that shows you the forecasted traffic levels.

here it is it's all in french but not hard to follow