Drivers warned of very heavy traffic ahead of Easter in France

People departing for getaways tomorrow or Saturday may want to avoid certain roads and get out of big cities before noon

French roads are expected to be very busy over this Easter weekend, especially tomorrow and Saturday
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If you are planning to go on a trip within France this Easter weekend, it is advisable to plan your journey carefully, as traffic is expected to be very heavy, especially tomorrow (Good Friday, April 15) and Saturday.

National traffic monitoring service Bison Futé predicts that conditions will be “very difficult” tomorrow across the whole country with regards to departures.

On Saturday, they will be “difficult” everywhere apart from northern and northwestern areas, where they will remain “very difficult.”

Return journeys are not expected to be affected.

Traffic should return to normal on Sunday, before becoming “difficult” for return journeys on Monday.

Good Friday is not a bank holiday in France but Monday is.

Drivers departing for trips tomorrow should:

  • Try to leave big cities by 12:00

and avoid:

  • The A10 between Orléans and Poitiers between 16:00 and 20:00
  • The A11 between Paris and Le Mans between 16:00 and 21:00
  • The A13 between Rouen and Caen between 12:00 and 20:00
  • The A7 between Lyon and Marseille between 11:00 and 21:00
  • The A8 between Aix-en-Provence and Saint-Maximin between 15:00 and 20:00 and between Cannes and Italy between 07:00 and 20:00
  • The A9 between Orange and Montpellier and Montpellier and Narbonne between 11:00 and 21:00
  • The A62 between Bordeaux and Toulouse between 16:00 and 20:00
  • The A61 between Toulouse and Narbonne between 16:00 and 20:00

Access to Italy through the Mont Blanc tunnel will be difficult throughout the day, with waits reaching two hours or more between 09:00 and 14:00.

On Saturday, conditions are expected to be slightly easier, but these motorways will still be very busy.

For return journeys on Monday, drivers are advised to:

  • Get back to Ile-de-France before 12:00

and avoid:

  • The A10 between Bordeaux and Orléans between 16:00 and 21:00
  • The A11 between Angers and Paris between 14:00 and 22:00
  • The A13 between Caen and Rouen and between Rouen and Paris between 11:00 and 22:00
  • The N12 between Saint-Brieuc and Rennes between 16:00 and 22:00
  • The N137 between Nantes and Rennes between 16:00 and 20:00
  • The A6 between Chalon and Beaune between 15:00 and 19:00
  • The A7 between Orange and Lyon and between Marseille and Salon-de-Provence between 11:00 and 21:00
  • The A8 between Nice and Aix-en-Provence between 10:00 and 19:00
  • The A9 between Narbonne and Orange from 10:00 until 19:00
  • The A61 between Narbonne and Carcassonne from 15:00 until 20:00

Access to France from Italy via the Mont Blanc tunnel will also be difficult, especially between 18:00 and 19:00.

For further information, visit the Bison Futé website.

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