Practical guide · Updated on 7 November 2026
Sharing the school holidays, step by step.
Booking a trip is easier when the dates and who does what are confirmed in advance.
Gather the exact dates
Check the school calendar for your zone (A, B or C) and what has been decided for your family. In 2026-2027, the Christmas holidays run from Saturday 19 December 2026 to Monday 4 January 2027, when school starts again, in every zone of mainland France. The winter holidays fall between 6 February and 8 March 2027, and the spring holidays between 3 April and 3 May 2027, depending on the zone. The summer holidays start on Saturday 3 July 2027. The Service Public simulator gives the dates for 2026-2027 and 2027-2028. Write down full dates, including the year, rather than “the first week”.
Set the mid-holiday handover
If the holidays are split in two, check the date, time and place of the handover. Count the nights from the day of departure up to the day of return, without counting that last day: a two-week holiday, from the Saturday to the Monday when school starts again, is 16 nights, not 15. If there is an odd number of nights, decide clearly who has the extra night.
Get ready to leave
Gather the paperwork you need, useful contact details and the packing list. For a trip abroad, a child who travels without a holder of parental authority needs a travel authorisation (autorisation de sortie du territoire), signed by one of the parents. The free holiday-sharing tool works out the nights; Parentello then keeps this information in one place.
Your questions
Do the holidays always follow the usual weeks?
Not necessarily. Many decisions set out a split that alternates between even and odd years, or July for one parent and August for the other, or periods of 15 days. Half each is not a default rule: check what has been decided for your family rather than assume.
Does the free tool know the holiday dates?
No. It does not load any school calendar: enter dates you have checked.