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Public holidays in France 2026 – emergency numbers, cash, Sunday shopping and smoking rules

Last updated 25 September 2026Rules checked every MondayOfficial sourcesSources & methodology →

Which public holidays close France in 2026, which number to call in an emergency, whether a shop can refuse your cash and where you may still smoke: these everyday rules catch out most newcomers. Here they are, including what changed this year.

Woman drinking coffee with croissants at a café terrace in Lyon
Photo: rh2010/Adobe Stock

Public holidays in France follow a national list, with a few local additions. Before the calendar, two rules changed in 2026. Since 1 April, nicotine pouches are banned. Since 11 August, companies may cold-call you only if you are an existing customer and the call concerns your contract, or you agreed in advance. And note the date: in the night of Saturday 24 to Sunday 25 October the clocks go back an hour, at 3:00, to winter time.

Permitted sales calls may only come Monday to Friday, 10:00–13:00 and 14:00–20:00, and a contract signed after a call that breaks the rules is not valid. Ending the seasonal clock change is no longer on the agenda.

What are the public holidays in France in 2026?

Mainland France has 11 public holidays in 2026. Only 1 May is a compulsory day off for every employee; whether you work on the others depends on your collective agreement or employer. There is also the journée de solidarité (solidarity day): one extra unpaid working day a year that funds care for elderly and disabled people, organised by company or sector agreement.

DateDayHoliday
1 JanuaryThursdayNew Year's Day
6 AprilMondayEaster Monday
1 MayFridayLabour Day
8 MayFridayVictory in Europe Day
14 MayThursdayAscension
25 MayMondayWhit Monday
14 JulyTuesdayNational Day
15 AugustSaturdayAssumption
1 NovemberSundayAll Saints' Day
11 NovemberWednesdayArmistice Day
25 DecemberFridayChristmas Day

Source: Service-Public, read 23 September 2026.

Some holidays are local. In Alsace-Moselle – the Bas-Rhin, Haut-Rhin and Moselle départements – Good Friday (3 April 2026) is a holiday in communes with a Protestant temple or mixed church, and so is 26 December. Overseas, the abolition of slavery is marked on local dates: 27 May in Guadeloupe and Saint-Martin, 10 June in Guyane, 22 May in Martinique, 27 April in Mayotte, 20 December in La Réunion and 9 October in Saint-Barthélemy.

Looking ahead, 1 May and 8 May 2027 fall on Saturdays and 15 August 2027 on a Sunday.

Which emergency numbers should you save in France?

Calls to emergency numbers are free, work 24/7 from landlines and mobiles, are geolocated and prioritised, and do not appear on your bill. They work from any phone with a SIM card, even if the credit is used up or the plan has ended. If your French fails you, call 112: its operators can speak French or English.

NumberWhat for
15SAMU – medical emergency; also the line to reach a health professional quickly when your doctor is unavailable
17Police secours – to report an offence
18Pompiers (fire brigade) – danger or accident
112European emergency number, in French or English
114Deaf, hard-of-hearing or aphasic people, by app, internet or SMS
196Sea rescue from the coast
115Emergency shelter for homeless people
119Child in danger
3919Women who are victims of violence
31 14Suicide prevention, free, 24/7

Source: Service-Public and the Ministry of the Interior, read 23 September 2026.

Emergency services call people back from one free number, 0 800 112 112. It is not spam: save it as 'Services d'urgence'. For non-urgent care at night or at weekends, your mairie (town hall) has the list of on-call doctors and pharmacies. According to Campus France, SOS Médecins sends a doctor to your home 24/7 on 3624.

Can a shop in France refuse cash or cards?

The euro is the only legal cash, and in principle a trader may not refuse your notes and coins: refusing risks a €150 fine. There are exceptions, and a commune can require prepaid cards for parking meters. Cheques are different: a shop may refuse them, or set a minimum or maximum, if it displays this clearly.

SituationRule
Paying a business in cashUp to €1,000
Your tax home is abroad and it is a personal expenseUp to €15,000 with businesses under anti-money-laundering rules, otherwise €10,000; ID required above €1,000
Taxes or fines at a public finance counterUp to €300 in cash
Between private individualsNo cap, but written proof needed above €1,500
When cash may be refusedMore than 50 coins; no exact amount when the seller has no change; damaged, fake or foreign notes
Contactless card payment€50 per transaction; more with a phone unlocked biometrically
Entering France with €10,000 or more in cashMust be declared to customs

Source: Service-Public, read 23 September 2026.

Lost your card, or spotted a payment you did not make? Block the card at once through your bank or the interbank line 0 892 705 705, open 24/7 but premium-rate. Your bank must refund an unauthorised payment by the end of the next working day after you report it; fraud more than 13 months old cannot be refunded.

Shop hours: can shops open on Sunday in France?

Sunday is in principle the legal day of rest, and most of what you notice as a shopper comes from the limits on Sunday work. Food shops may have staff work on Sunday until 13:00. A supermarket over 400 m² may do the same only until 13:00, unless it is in a tourist or commercial zone or a busy station.

The mayor can let shops open on up to 12 Sundays a year – the dimanches du maire, listed before 31 December of the previous year – and staff who work them must agree in writing and are paid at least double. Otherwise the law does not require extra pay for Sunday work, though a collective agreement may. Alsace-Moselle is stricter (a local rule in the Bas-Rhin, Haut-Rhin and Moselle): shops are in principle closed on Sundays and public holidays, except for the likes of tobacconists, newsagents, florists, bakeries and petrol stations.

Alcohol, tobacco and noise: the rules that surprise newcomers

RuleWhat applies
Buying alcoholNot sold or offered to under-18s; bars must ask for proof of age
Minors in cafés and barsFrom 13, alone in a café with no alcohol; from 16, alone in a bar, but no alcohol
Tobacco and vaping productsNot sold to under-18s; the seller can ask for photo ID
No smokingEnclosed public places, public transport and bus shelters, beaches in the bathing season, public parks, within 10 m of school entrances, play areas, a car carrying a minor; fines up to €750
No vapingSchools, places for minors, closed public transport, enclosed shared workplaces; bars and restaurants decide
Nicotine pouchesBanned since 1 April 2026 – possession, sale and use
Being drunk in public placesProhibited

Source: Service-Public, read 23 September 2026.

The penalties fall mostly on sellers: a bar that serves a minor risks a €7,500 fine and a one-year licence ban, a tobacconist €135. In cafés and restaurants, look for three notices: that tap water is served free, drink prices and the dish of the day outside, and 'prix service compris' when service is included.

Tapage nocturne (night-time disturbance) covers 22:00 to 07:00, but daytime noise can be penalised too – there is no national period when noise is allowed. The fixed fine is €68, or €180 if not paid within 45 days, and mayors may set local quiet hours, so ask your mairie.

What to do now

StepWhatWhen
1Save 112, 15, 17, 18 and the callback number 0 800 112 112 in your phoneToday
2Add the 2026 holidays to your calendar, plus local ones in Alsace-Moselle or overseasBefore you plan leave
3Check which holidays you work, and the solidarity day, in your contract or collective agreementFirst weeks in the job
4Ask your mairie for local quiet hours and on-call doctors and pharmaciesAfter you move in
5Keep 0 892 705 705 and your bank's card-blocking number to handAlways
6General questions: Allô Service Public, 3939, or +33 1 73 60 39 39 from abroad (landline only)Mon and Thu 8:30–18:15, Tue and Wed 8:30–13:00, Fri 13:00–17:00

Source: Service-Public, read 23 September 2026.

Official sources

The official pages this guide is based on, read 23 September 2026. Links open the authority’s own website.

Relocate in Europe provides general information, not legal or financial advice for your individual situation. Check with the authority named above before you act – rules change, and your case may differ.