Public Holidays in Geneva, Switzerland & France

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Public Holidays in Geneva, Switzerland & France

The French for: bank holiday/public holiday/legal holiday is un jour férié

• Banks, shops, offices and even some restaurants close on public holidays
• Police stations and hospitals do not close
• Most of the larger shops (especially supermarkets) open on public holidays but some businesses and banks remain closed

Some public holidays are specific to certain cantons. For example the Jeûne Genevois (Geneva Fast) on the Thursday following the first Sunday in September is celebrated in Geneva only, while the rest of Switzerland has the day off for the Jeûne Fédéral (Federal Fast) on a Monday 10 days later.

Below is information on the national public holidays observed in all cantons throughout the country, and those observed in the cantons of  Geneva, Vaud, Jura and Neuchâtel.

2008 Public Holidays in Geneva, Vaud, Jura & Neuchâtel 

National Public Holidays in France 2008

• French organisations and businesses close on public holidays. 
• Although some shopping centres and grocers open for part of the day, the majority of shops do not. 
• Police stations and hospitals do not close.
• When a public holiday falls on a Thursday or Tuesday, it is common practice to "make the bridge" (faire le pont) by taking off the Friday or Monday so creating a very long weekend. When this happens you may find businesses running on short staff or smaller family run business closed for the full period.

2009 Public Holidays in Geneva, Vaud, Jura & Neuchâtel 

National Public Holidays in France 2009

Public Holidays Worldwide

For information on public holidays around the world, see the following links:

• UK: Department for Business Enterprise & Regulatory Reform
• US: Office of Personnel Management 
• The World: Jours-Feries.com
• The World: TimeandDate.com
• The World: Q++ Studio

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