A public holiday, a debate about another public holiday, tax season begins, new EU border rules fully kick in, and the Women’s Six Nations starts.
Monday
Public holiday — Easter Monday is a public holiday in France, so schools and offices will be closed, while public transport is likely to be limited. It is also expected to be busier than normal on the roads.
READ ALSO: Shops, tourist sites, travel: What’s open and closed in France over Easter
Strike — Cabin crew at the budget airline easyJet have filed a strike notice for Monday, April 6th. There may also be knock-on disruption on Tuesday.
Wednesday
Another strike — Operators of France’s private ambulances, which are mostly used for patient transport and non-emergency trips, are set to strike in a long-running dispute over fees.
READ ALSO French ambulance strike announced for April
Thursday
Tax season — Tax declaration season opens on April 9th this year. The deadline for declarations is May or June, depending on where you live, with bills arriving in July or August.
Find our complete Tax Guides HERE
Passover — The Jewish festival of Passover ends.
Court — The trial of a former ETA militant leader gets under way in Paris.
Visit — French President Emmanuel Macron will meet Pope Leo XIV in the Vatican.
Space — The European Space Agency’s Smile mission to study solar winds launches from Kourou, French Guiana.
Friday
Borders — The EU’s new entry-exit border check system is due to take ‘full effect’ on April 10th, after a six-month phasing in period. The European Commission is sticking to its guns about the full implementation of EES, but given that airports are complaining about increasing waiting times while terminals in the UK including Saint Pancras station have barely even begun using it, it would not be a surprise to see the deadline pushed back.
Schools — Children attending schools in Zone B, which includes Aix-Marseille, Nice, and Strasbourg, break up for the Spring holidays after classes. They will head back to school on April 27th. Those in Zone A, which includes both Lyon and Bordeaux, have been off for a week already, and will return on April 20th. Meanwhile, children attending schools in Zone C, which includes Paris, Toulouse and Montpellier, have another week of classes to go.
Sport — Rugby’s Champions and Challenge Cup competitions have reached the quarter-final stage.
Politics — MPs debate a bill that would allow certain establishments and businesses to operate as normal on May 1st, the Labour Day public holiday.
Saturday
Sport II — The Women’s Six Nations kicks off. France, under new coach Francois Ratier, begin their bid for the title against Italy at Grenoble’s Stade des Alpes.
Sunday
Sport III — Thousands of runners gather in Paris for the Paris marathon.
