How To Perfect the Art of a French Sunday and Embrace the Act of Doing Nothing as an American (Laissez-faire Sundays)

When I first moved to France, I found Sundays incredibly frustrating. Nothing was open, and there was nothing to do. Walking into the villages near me was like walking into a ghost town. Many of the little cafes were shut; I couldn’t wander through the local garden center, as they don’t open Sundays, and DIY was out of the question, as those stores were closed too.

A last minute weekly shop on a Sunday evening was out the question, like I used to do when I lived in the US, because grocery stores don’t open on a Sunday, well, most of them don’t. 

It was as though the whole country hung up the closed sign on the door on a Sunday. And then it started to sink in. That was the whole point.

What’s So Special About a French Sunday? 

Sundays, like so many other things the French do, come down to valuing their time. The French are among some of the most productive people in the world, but they don’t work all the hours God sends; they aren’t workaholics, and they still somehow manage to achieve everything they need to.

Part of that is they understand the importance of allowing themselves to be in the moment. They learn from a young age the ability to just be and appreciate what they have; they aren’t motivated by material things, but rather by having the time to enjoy the fruits of their labor. 

A French Sunday has no agenda, no list of errands to power through before Monday, and it isn’t supposed to be a day of productivity. A French Sunday is structured around the simple act of being present.

We’re not even supposed to mow the lawn after midday on a Sunday, although I know I have definitely broken that golden rule. But you see where I’m going with this. Sunday in France truly is a day of rest, mindfulness, and nectar for the soul.

But this isn’t an unwritten rule, since 1906, Sunday has been a protected day of rest in France. Employers are legally prohibited from requiring employees to work more than six days a week, and that seventh day defaults to Sunday. 

There are exemptions, of course, boulangeries, hospitals, restaurants in tourist areas, but the principle has never really shifted. The country collectively decided more than a century ago that one day a week should belong to the people, not to productivity. And it stuck.

7 Ways to Create a French Sunday Wherever You Are

So if the idea of a French Sunday appeals to you, there are some things that are non-negotiable. Things you can apply anywhere, not just in France. And I urge you to try it because it’s liberating when you do, and you feel refreshed and ready for the week ahead in a way you wouldn’t on an American Sunday.

No. 1 No Rules or Plans

We’re wired to fill time, to justify it, to make it productive. A French Sunday asks you to do the opposite. No plans, no commitments, no itinerary. You might end up reading for three hours, or walking to a cafe for a coffee that turns into wine and an afternoon in the village square. That’s the whole idea.

The French call it letting the day unfold. You can’t force it, and you can’t schedule it. You just have to get out of your own way and let it happen. 

I love trying a new recipe on a Sunday as I have the time to enjoy the process. In the winter, I might follow that with a movie in front of the fire. If the weather is good, a spot of weeding in the garden followed by a glass of rosé, admiring my handiwork. Nothing too stressful or strenuous, but something to feed the soul. 

No. 2 Start the Day Slowly

Forget the alarm. If you’re going to do this properly, the morning has to be slow. Make coffee before you look at anything with a screen. Take time to just stare out the window, watching the outside wake up. Indulge in a pastry and take it back to bed for a little more time, relaxing under the sheets. 

The French have a phrase for sleeping in: faire la grasse matinée, literally “to do the fatty morning.” It has zero negative connotation. It’s a pleasure, not a guilty one either.

No. 3 Embrace the French Art of Flâner

Flâner is a French verb that doesn’t translate neatly into English. It means to stroll with no destination in mind, to wander through a city or a neighborhood purely for the pleasure of observing it.

The poet Charles Baudelaire wrote about it in 1863, describing the person who does it as a kind of detective of everyday life, someone who notices what everyone else walks past.

You don’t need Paris to flâner. You need a pair of shoes and a willingness to go nowhere in particular. Leave your phone in your pocket and just look at things. That’s it. You might find yourself wandering through a Sunday market or a field of flowers. Whatever it is, it should feel completely natural and not pre-conceived. 

No. 4 Enjoy a Long Lunch

This is the centerpiece of the French Sunday. Lunch in France isn’t a meal, it’s an event. It can run from noon until four in the afternoon without anyone feeling the need to apologize for it.

The food is usually something that took time, a roast chicken, a daube, or a gratin. There’s bread, there’s wine, and there’s cheese. The conversation covers everything from local gossip to world politics. Nobody rushes. If you’re recreating this at home, the rule is simple: cook something real, set the table properly, and sit down with people you like.

No. 5 Connect With Family

French Sundays are almost always spent with family. That might mean hosting, it might mean driving an hour to someone else’s table, but the expectation is that Sunday is for the people you love. This isn’t possible for me as my family is in the UK, but every Sunday, I call my mom, and we spend over an hour chatting on the phone. I have nowhere else I need to be, nothing else I need to do, and I can devote my time to my mom.

No. 6 Don’t Think About Work

France has strong laws around work and rest, and while the details have evolved over the years, the cultural expectation has never really shifted. Work is for the week, and Sunday belongs to you. The French don’t bring their work home.

This is the part that takes Americans practice. Not checking your email, not drafting the message you’ll send first thing Monday, not running through your to-do list in your head while pretending to relax. A French Sunday requires you to actually stop. Tell yourself Monday will handle itself. It will.

No. 7 Put Your Phone Away

The French Sunday only works if you’re actually present for it, and a phone makes that almost impossible. Social media is designed to pull you out of where you are and into somewhere else entirely. That’s the opposite of what this day is about.

Give it a few hours. You’ll be surprised how much longer Sunday feels when you’re not narrating it to the internet.