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What's open and what's closed in France on August 15th

This year August 15th falls on a Friday, creating a nice long weekend for those France residents who are not already on holiday. The day marks Assumption, the Catholic festival celebrating the reception of the Virgin Mary into heaven. In French, it is referred to as l'Assomption . Even though France is a secular country, this remains one of several Christian holidays on the calendar – and, perhaps, one that the country's current Prime Minister François Bayrou could have suggested as one to lose for economic reasons , what with half the country being on holiday, anyway. But apart from the day off work and some church services – and small religious processions in some towns – not a lot else happens on this day, so don't expect big parties or fireworks (those happen on July 14th, France's national holiday). Advertisement Public transport - mainline trains and bus services will run as normal. City public transport may have fewer services - more akin to the Sunday timetable - but most will still run. But bus services may well stop altogether in smaller towns and rural communities. Shops - Many smaller businesses may have shut-up shop already for August - but, at least in the cities, most shops and cafés will stay open, especially those in tourist areas since this is not one of the major holidays in France. You may find that s hops may open a little later and close a little earlier, while supermarkets may close their Drive operations for the day, for example. Cafés, restaurants and bars - it's peak holiday season in France. Cafés, bars and restaurants will operate close to normal services. Offices, banks, public buildings - banks and public buildings such as the préfecture will be closed, along with almost all offices. Leisure facilities such as sports centres and swimming pools will, however, open. Most tourist sites will open as usual. Health services - most doctors and dentists will close their offices for the day, leaving the emergency and out-of-hours services. Hospitals and emergency services of course operate as normal and don't forget that pharmacies can also offer medical help - on public holidays they operate a rota system so that there is always one open in each area. Google ' pharmacie de garde ' plus the name of your commune to find the rota. Advertisement What about the weather? The south of France is expected to still swelter under the record-breaking heatwave – which is expected to last well into the weekend, with temperatures rising as high as 40C in parts of the country on Friday. You'll have to wait until Sunday for things to cool down, though it will still be hot around the Mediterranean.