France hotels 2027: the 5 weekends when prices will soar

A hotel room never has a fixed price. The more people want to travel on the same date, the higher it goes. And in 2027, some dates will draw the whole of France at the same time, with a presidential election in the middle of spring on top of that. The good news is that we already know these dates. Here are the 5 weekends when hotels are likely to be the most expensive, what the presidential election may change for your trip, and what you can do now to avoid paying top price.

A quick note: France splits its school holidays into three zones so that not everyone travels at the same time. Zone A: Lyon, Bordeaux, Grenoble, Dijon, Limoges, Clermont-Ferrand… Zone B: Lille, Marseille, Nice, Nantes, Strasbourg, Rennes… Zone C: Paris and the Île-de-France region, Toulouse, Montpellier. When all three zones are off at once, hotels fill up and prices climb.

1. The weekend of February 20–21: the mountains

Why it's expensive: it's the only winter weekend when the whole of France is on holiday at the same time. Winter holidays run from February 13 to March 1 for Zone A (Lyon, Bordeaux…), February 20 to March 8 for Zone B (Lille, Marseille, Nice…) and February 6 to 22 for Zone C (Paris, Toulouse, Montpellier).

Where: ski resorts and mountain towns (Alps, Pyrenees, Massif Central). It's when demand for mountain accommodation is at its highest of the year.

What you can do:

• Travel when the French families from one region only are on holiday: February 6 to 12 (only Paris, Toulouse and Montpellier are off) or March 1 to 8 (only Lille, Marseille, Nice, Nantes and the rest of Zone B).
• Stay in the valley or in a nearby town rather than right at the foot of the slopes.

2. The weekend of April 17–18: holiday regions

Why it's expensive: it's the only spring weekend when the whole of France is on holiday. Spring holidays run from April 10 to 26 for Zone A (Lyon, Bordeaux…), April 17 to May 3 for Zone B (Lille, Marseille, Nice…) and April 3 to 19 for Zone C (Paris, Toulouse, Montpellier). And Sunday April 18 is also the first round of France's presidential election (see below for what that changes).

Where: the coast, the countryside and family holiday destinations.

What you can do:

• If you're flexible, choose a city break rather than a stay on the coast that weekend.
• Book early with free cancellation if you really want to travel on these dates.

3. Ascension, Thursday May 6 to Sunday May 9: everywhere

Why it's expensive: in 2027, May 1 and May 8 fall on a Saturday. Ascension therefore becomes the only real long weekend of the spring. And on Friday May 7, there's no school anywhere in France: families travel too. This long weekend also comes four days after the second round of the presidential election.

Where: all long-weekend destinations (seaside, Brittany, Normandy, Provence, European cities reachable by train).

What you can do:

• Book as soon as your dates are certain, with free cancellation.
• Leave on Thursday morning and come back on Sunday evening, rather than leaving on Wednesday evening, often the busiest night.
• If you can take May 3, 4, 5 and 7 off, you get 9 days (May 1 to 9) and arrive before the Ascension peak.

4. Saturday July 3: the coast

Why it's expensive: it's the first day of the summer holidays for the whole of France at the same time.

Where: the coastline (Mediterranean, Atlantic, Brittany) and the big summer destinations.

What you can do:

• Shift your arrival to Sunday July 4 or Monday July 5 if you can.
• Book a refundable room early, then keep an eye on the price until you leave.

5. July 14 (Wednesday): the coast and big cities

Why it's expensive: Bastille Day falls on a Wednesday. By taking July 12 and 13, or July 15 and 16 off, many French people will get 5 days of holiday in the middle of July.

Where: the coast, and the big cities known for their fireworks and celebrations.

What you can do:

• Compare prices for both options (July 10 to 14, or July 14 to 18): demand isn't always the same before and after the holiday.

The 2027 presidential election: what it changes for your trip

The first round will take place on Sunday April 18, 2027, and the second round on Sunday May 2, 2027. Both fall during the spring holidays:

• April 18 is the last day of the holidays for Paris, Toulouse and Montpellier (Zone C), and falls right in the middle of the holidays for Lyon, Bordeaux and the rest of Zone A;
• May 2 is the last day of the holidays for Lille, Marseille, Nice and the rest of Zone B.

What happened during the 2024 elections

The snap parliamentary elections of June–July 2024 give an idea of how an election affects tourism:

• overnight stays by French tourists fell by 8% between June 1 and July 6, 2024, then by 13% between July 6 and 18 (Atout France and ADN Tourisme);
• in Paris, the average hotel price fell by 14.8% in June 2024 compared with June 2023, and occupancy dropped by 12.8 points;
• in the rest of France, by contrast, the average price rose by 6.5% (UMIH/GNC figures).

In Paris, the period also came just before the Olympic Games, so the election doesn't explain everything. But a trend stands out: during an election period, some French people postpone their bookings, especially for voting weekends, and big cities empty out more than holiday regions.

Who is at risk?

• You're on holiday on a voting day: without a proxy, you won't be able to vote. That's the case for many Zone C families on April 18 and Zone B families on May 2.
• You're booking on the coast or in the countryside for April 17–18: it's the busiest weekend of the spring, and prices there will be high.
• You're booking a non-refundable rate: if your plans change (voting, the situation, work), you lose the money you paid.
• You're heading to a big city during the campaign: that's more of an opportunity. If demand drops as it did in 2024, prices may be lower than usual.

Our tips

1. Set up your proxy vote before you leave. It can be done 100% online on maprocuration.gouv.fr if you have a credit-card-format ID card and the France Identité app, with no trip to the police station. Otherwise, apply online and then confirm it at a police station or gendarmerie. The person voting for you can live in another town, but will vote at your polling station. You'll need their national voter number (8 or 9 digits, on the voter card). Do it in March, not in the last week.
2. If you vote and can choose, leave before April 17 or after the 18th, rather than that weekend.
3. Only book with free cancellation between mid-April and mid-May.
4. Think about big cities on voting weekends: that's where prices fell the most in 2024.

The method to pay less on these dates

1. Book early, but with free cancellation. You secure a room before prices rise, with no risk.
2. Check the price again several times before you leave. Prices change all the time. If it drops, book at the new rate and cancel the old booking.
3. Compare several sites. The same room doesn't always have the same price from one site to another.
4. Shift by a day if you can. Arriving on a Thursday or leaving on a Monday often changes the price of the most expensive night.
5. Think about the train at the same time. TGV INOUI tickets for trips from January 7 to July 2, 2027 go on sale on Thursday November 12, 2026. Booking train and hotel early stops you paying top price for both.

With Prixofy, you can find a hotel at the best price by comparing several sites in one click. And if you've already booked, Prixofy sends you free reminders before you arrive to check your hotel price again.

Key takeaway: in 2027, hotels will be in highest demand on February 20–21 (mountains), April 17–18 (holiday regions + first round), May 6 to 9 (everywhere), July 3 (coast) and around July 14. For the election: set up your proxy online before you leave, only book refundable rates, and think about big cities, where prices fell in 2024.

Plan your trip to France

• Find a hotel at the best price
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• Activities, tours and tickets in France on Klook↗
• Car rental

What do you think?

Will you be on holiday during the presidential election? Will you set up a proxy vote, or change your dates to vote in person?

Sources

• Service-Public.fr, "Vacances scolaires 2026-2027", updated July 16, 2026: https://www.service-public.gouv.fr/particuliers/actualites/A18563
• Faire le pont, "Jours fériés 2027 : une année noire, 4 fériés le week-end", September 3, 2026: https://www.faire-le-pont.fr/actualites/jours-feries-2027-annee-noire-4-feries-week-end-compenser/
• Public Sénat, "La prochaine élection présidentielle aura lieu les 18 avril et 2 mai 2027", July 1, 2026: https://www.publicsenat.fr/actualites/politique/la-prochaine-election-presidentielle-aura-lieu-les-18-avril-et-2-mai-2027
• RMD Technologies, "Présidentielle 2027 et hôtellerie : le risque du printemps", October 6, 2026 (UMIH/GNC, Atout France and ADN Tourisme figures): https://www.rmd-technologies.com/hotels/presidentielle-2027-hotellerie/
• France Identité, "Élections : la procuration simplifiée grâce à France Identité", November 24, 2025: https://france-identite.gouv.fr/articles/elections-2026-procuration-en-ligne/
• French government (info.gouv.fr), "Comment établir une procuration de vote ?": https://www.info.gouv.fr/actualite/comment-etablir-une-procuration-de-vote
• Voyager en train, "Ouverture des ventes des billets de train – hiver 2027", September 16, 2026, updated November 3, 2026: https://www.voyagerentrain.fr/ouverture-billets-hiver-2027/