France officially observes 11 public holidays. The entitlement to paid holidays is at the discretion of the employer through either an employment contract or collective bargaining agreement with trade unions. Some regions and departments in France observe two additional holidays.

All employees are entitled to public holiday compensation after one month’s employment. French law mandates that work should stop and employees should be paid only for May Day, called the Fěte du Travail. All other paid holidays are solely at the discretion of the employer. In France, if a public holiday falls on a Saturday, no time off is granted. If an official public holiday falls on a Thursday, most businesses allow employees to take Friday as a “bridge” day, allowing for an extended four-day weekend.

Unlike other European countries, if a public holiday falls on a Sunday, French employees are not entitled to take the following Monday as a paid holiday.