London and Paris Spring Vacation, end of May - Impact from School Holidays and Whitsunday?
I am looking to plan a vacation going to London and Paris near the end of May so I can take advantage of the US Memorial Day Holiday which I get off from work to get more days out of my vacation.
I noticed that in the UK that the last week in May 2015 will be a UK School Holiday, with Monday the 25th a UK Bank Holiday. Sunday and Monday in Paris will be Whit Sunday and Whit Monday holidays. It looks like in the UK the Whit holidays do not have a major impact, but in France they might.
How much of an impact should these holidays have on my vacation planning? Does the UK break mean worse crowds or closures in London attractions or do a lot of people go to France? As a tourist who will not be celebrating the Whit holidays in France, will I find too many things shut down and be wasting days? I have some flexibility for about a 2 week trip and would like to utilize my American day off, spending 5-6 days in London and the rest in Paris. Am I better off trying to find a better time versus saving the "free" day off from work?
Would appreciate a local view on how these Holidays impact how the locals act and how it will impact tourists.
Best Answer
The UK School Holidays may coincide with school holidays from other parts of Europe. This will mean there will be more crowds in general, and costs for flights, hotels etc.. will be higher during this period.
The UK Bank Holiday you mentioned is just a day off for a lot of people but all shops and tourist attractions will remain open. You may see a lot of people travel out of the UK, but also shopping areas like Regent Street may get but people coming out on their day off to go shopping.
Whit Sunday and Monday is the same, and won't affect most shops or tourist attractions either, but you may see more locals going to churches. edit: some museums and shops may be closed on Whit Sunday and Monday so it could be prudent to check the attractions you wish to visit first
But generally April/May is still relatively quiet compared with July/August which is the height of the peak season. I think this would be an ideal time to go. edit: Personally I haven't noticed these holidays causing much change to "everyday life"
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Answer 2
Whit Monday is still a bank holiday in France so schools and post offices will be closed, mail will not be dispatched, etc. but that should not bother you too much as a visitor. Shops in France do usually close on bank holidays but many supermarkets and shops in larger cities will open, maybe with reduced opening hours.
On the other hand, major attractions and especially museums will definitely be open. National museums close on Tuesday for the same reason: Many people do not work on Sunday and either Saturday (office workers) or Monday (small shops) so that museums are open on their day off.
Transportation networks will have a different schedule, with reduced frequencies and slightly different rules for card holders, like on a Sunday but (obviously?) don't close down completely.
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