French School Holidays February 2027: Dates by Zone

Dates of the February 2027 school holidays by zone

In mainland France, the winter school holidays are split into three academic zones. The start date depends on the academy your child’s school belongs to, not on where you live. The dates below come from the decree of 22 October 2025, published in the French Official Journal and repeated by Service-Public.

Source: Service-Public, school zones and holidays (F31952), checked on 25 October 2026. Days of school missed are calculated from the official dates.

Each zone loses ten school days, but not in the same weeks. The gap between the first zone to leave and the last zone to return is more than four weeks.

The official text refers to holidays starting « after class ». If your child doesn’t have school on Saturday, they often leave on Friday evening: that is a school practice, not a rule in the decree.

When the zones leave together: a week-by-week reading

The calendar shows when pupils are off school, not how many families leave at the same time. The table is a calculation based on the official dates: it does not measure crowds or how much resorts have on offer.

Source: calculation based on the dates from Service-Public (F31952), checked on 25 October 2026.

Saturday 20 and Sunday 21 February are the only days when all three zones are on holiday. Two seven-day stretches involve only two zones: 13 to 19 February (Zones A and C) and 22 to 28 February (Zones A and B).

No official source puts a figure on how these overlaps affect prices. The only rental figures in this article come from a reseller and are indicative.

Corsica and the overseas territories: what is certain and what isn’t

February school holidays don’t apply to every territory in the same way. The table separates the published dates from the information still in conflict.

Source: Service-Public, school zones and holidays (F31952), checked on 25 October 2026. Third-party source for La Réunion: vacances-scolaires.com.

Corsica appears in Service-Public on its own line, with no zone, using the Zone A dates: from Saturday 13 February to Monday 1 March 2027. Several sites agree, and a document from the Collectivité de Corse (the regional authority), read in extract, refers to Zone A. A result dated December 2025 and a page updated on 24 July 2026 still listed the Corsican dates as not yet communicated; the pages from August 2026 give Zone A. We found no rectoral source: the dates are announced, not confirmed. Check them with the Corsican rectorate before you book.

French Guiana and Mayotte have no certain dates. For French Guiana, Service-Public gives 6 to 18 February, while another result gives 6 to 22. For Mayotte, Service-Public gives 20 February to 8 March, while another result states there are no February holidays. Don’t book on these dates alone.

La Réunion has no winter holidays in February 2027: its austral summer period ends on 1 February.

In Guadeloupe and Martinique, the « Carnival holidays » cover Mardi Gras, 9 February 2027.

Where to go as a family, by zone

The calendar sets three constraints: the departure date, how many other families are around, and the price of the week. Each option says what is dated and sourced, and what isn’t.

Chamonix: Zone A at the foot of Mont Blanc

Zone A: 13 February to 1 March Alpine skiing Activities off the slopes

Chamonix is one of the resorts that the Alti-mag comparison site lists for Zone A. We found no dated 2026-2027 pass for this resort, so we don’t give one. Alti-mag’s figures are zone averages, collected from a reseller on 30 August 2026.

For a day off the slopes, a private photo session with a local photographer is an option. The listing doesn’t state a minimum age or a target audience, and doesn’t mention children: ask the provider whether your child can take part. It doesn’t give the length of the session either.

Pixidia tip: a photo session has to be booked for a specific date. Keep a spare day in your week.

Private photo session with a local mountain photographer Chamonix: €80 for two adults, or €40 per person, checked on 25 October 2026

See February availability

Les Rousses (Jura): mid-mountain skiing, price grid to be confirmed

Zone A, passes valid until 23 March 2027 Child: €417 for the season (to be confirmed) Mid-mountain

Les Rousses, in the Jura, is the mid-mountain alternative we suggest to families in Zone A. The resort’s price grid, reported by Skiinfo and updated on 24 October 2026, gives €417 for a child aged 5 to 15 and €555 for an adult aged 16 to 70. This price still needs to be confirmed with the resort.

Mid-mountain skiing suits a first week as a family, when the aim is to learn to ski on a known budget.

Pixidia tip: some pass pages show « 2026/27 » in their title for the previous season’s grid. Check the update date in the body of the page.

Lanzarote: February sun, outside the zone calendar

Around 21 °C daytime highs in February Constant trade winds Outside French school zones

The Canary Islands are in Spain: the French zone calendar doesn’t apply there. According to Corendon, the February average at Lanzarote is around 21 °C for daytime highs and 14 °C for night-time lows, with about 18 mm of rain over the month. These are climate averages, not forecasts.

The sources don’t agree on rain. Bouger-voyager estimates seven to ten cloudy days a month, while Lonely Planet puts most of the rain between November and January. We found no dated stay price for February 2027, so we don’t give one.

Nice: the carnival runs from 9 to 28 February 2027

From 9 to 28 February 2027 Theme « Vive l’Amour » Zone B

The Nice Carnival runs from Tuesday 9 to Sunday 28 February 2027, with the theme « Vive l’Amour », according to the official site. Nice is in Zone B, whose holidays start on Saturday 20 February: a Zone B family only catches the end of the carnival.

The flower battles and the parades are the highlights, but the official page we checked doesn’t give their dates. Don’t book a specific day on a timetable found elsewhere.

For another February carnival, our guide to the Venice Carnival 2027 gives the general dates. Its detailed programme isn’t published yet.

Budget: passes, rentals, trains and leave

Few prices for February 2027 have been published so far. What follows is what can be dated, with its source.

Ski passes: Les Rousses

Source: Skiinfo, Les Rousses ski passes, page updated on 24 October 2026, checked on 25 October 2026.

These passes cover February 2027, since they are valid until 23 March 2027. They are season rates currently on sale, not guaranteed prices.

Rentals: the cheapest week in each zone

On 13 October 2026, Alti-mag published the cheapest week in each zone for a four-person rental. Prices were collected on 30 August 2026 from a reseller: they are indicative.

Source: Alti-mag, where and when to ski in February by zone, published 13 October 2026, prices collected 30 August 2026, checked on 25 October 2026.

These are zone averages, not resort prices. For Zone A, the week of 13 to 20 February costs €2,147. For the Northern Alps, Alti-mag gives €2,297 without specifying the period. The cheapest week in Zone B (€1,842) is 12.5% lower than the one in Zone A (€2,106), according to the same figures.

Trains: children under 4

The SNCF Connect help page, undated, sets out the following rules.

• Under 4: free travel on the lap on TGV INOUI, TER and Intercités trains, with no reserved seat. Declare it when you book, with one child of this kind per traveller.
• Forfait Bambin, €9: it gives a child under 4 a reserved seat.
• OUIGO: also free on the lap; a seat costs €8 in Grande Vitesse and €5 in Vitesse Classique.
• Proof of age: a family record book or an identity document is required. For a trip in Europe, each child needs their own identity document, even under 4.

Source: SNCF Connect, offer for children and families (undated page).

When train tickets go on sale

SNCF Connect says that, normally, tickets go on sale 4 months in advance (SNCF Connect help page). For a departure on Saturday 6 February 2027, sales are therefore already open under this general timeframe. Check each journey in the booking tool.

Eurostar Snow: dates that don’t match

To reach the French ski resorts from Amsterdam or Brussels, Eurostar Snow is an option. Tickets have been on sale since 15 July 2026, in limited numbers (Planet Ski). Sources disagree on when the service ends: 20 February 2027 according to Planet Ski, 3 April according to Faire le Pont, 10 April according to a Belgian reseller. The Eurostar page refused our check and no official child fare was found: ask both questions when you book.

Leave: splitting your holiday can add days

According to Service-Public, 3 to 5 days of leave taken outside the period from 1 May to 31 October give one extra working day, and 6 days or more give two. Days taken in February therefore count. The rule applies to the private sector; a branch or company agreement can change it.

Source: Service-Public, splitting of leave (F2258), checked on 30 April 2026, consulted on 25 October 2026.

Choosing your week by profile

The same zone can suit several profiles. Here are three common cases.

Small budget. According to Alti-mag, the week of 27 February to 6 March is the cheapest in Zone B: €1,842 for four people renting. That is a reseller’s estimate, so compare it with other offers.

First time on skis. Choose a week when your child can join a group lesson, and ask the ski school. We found no dated price for group lessons in February 2027.

Child under 4. Riding on the lap is free on the train, but for a long journey, a reserved seat for €9 can be more comfortable. Proof of age must be shown in every case.

Three mistakes come up often:

• Booking « the February holidays » without naming the zone. Saturday 13 February is the departure date for Zone A, not Zone C.
• Using last winter’s price for 2027. Several resort pages still show past seasons under a recent title.
• Trusting a Corsican or overseas date without reading its source. Corsica is announced; French Guiana and Mayotte are in conflict.

For winter in general, our page on the opening of Austrian ski resorts in 2026-2027 gives the opening dates announced resort by resort. It does not cover the February school holidays.

What other guides don’t tell you

Three points you can verify in official sources, checked on 25 October 2026.

• Overlaps are read week by week. On Monday 22 February, Zone C goes back to school while Zones A and B stay on holiday (Service-Public, F31952).
• French Guiana and Mayotte don’t have a fixed date. Their sources contradict each other, so no date is kept here (Service-Public, F31952).
• Splitting your leave changes the days you take in February. In the private sector, 3 to 5 days give one extra working day, and 6 days or more give two (Service-Public, F2258, checked on 30 April 2026).

Before you book

Five checks will help you avoid the most common mistakes.

• Your zone: check it in the table in this article or on the official page before you set your departure date.
• Corsica: ask the Corsican rectorate for the dates, as they are announced, not confirmed.
• Passes: check the update date of the resort’s price grid before you buy.
• Train with a child under 4: declare them when you book and keep their proof of age.
• Eurostar: ask for the end date of the service and the child fare when you book.