Living in France has some major perks – and it’s not just the exquisite wine and food! France is home to free education for all, inexpensive cultural activities, and a nationwide standard of five weeks of paid vacation per year. This means that, as we’ve previously noted, August in France (and particularly in Paris) is famously empty; it also means that early September is filled with new activity… and not just for students.

While early September certainly means most kids are heading back to school, la rentrée or “the return” isn’t just for young-uns. Here are three ways that Paris is welcoming la rentrée for all Parisians, young and old.

1. Restaurants Are Reopening

Many of our favorite restaurants closed their doors for a much-deserved holiday in August. But now that September has rolled around, they’re reopening – often featuring an updated seasonal menu and tons of new dishes to try. We’re super excited for our favorites like Martin, Ellsworth, and Racines to be back, among others!

2. New Books are Being Published

La rentrée doesn’t just mean new school notebooks. This is also the season for new novels: hundreds are released in September every year.

In 2018, France is expecting a whopping 567 new books to hit the shelves, so we’ll be hitting up some of our favorite independent bookshops in the Latin Quarter like L’Ecume des Pages (just a step from the historic Café des Deux Magots, where Hemingway used to hang) or Shakespeare and Company to page through all the new releases.

3. Folks are Setting New Resolutions

We’ve always felt that September is a far better time for setting resolutions than January, and the French tend to agree with us. Now that summer has ended, it’s really the prime time for setting goals, be they jogging around the Luxembourg Gardens a few times a week, testing a new restaurant that’s been on your must-try list, or learning a new language.

If you want to get in on the fun of la rentrée at home,why not set a goal yourself? Visiting Paris this year is a great one!