Drivers should expect heavy traffic all over France this weekend, the first in August, as hundreds of thousands of families going on holiday coincide with those returning.
Summer traffic in France typically reaches a maximum level of congestion on several key dates: the weekend of July 14, the weekend of August 15, and the weekends at the end of July and the start of August when holidaymakers are travelling, known in France as crossover traffic, ‘chassé-croisé’.
This weekend's ‘crossover traffic’ will start with congestion in the Rhône valley and along the Mediterranean in both directions on Friday, August 2.
Traffic is likely to be particularly dense on all the major roads on Saturday. France’s official traffic monitoring serviceBison Futé recommends that, wherever possible, drivers postpone their journeys.
Bison Futé
On Friday, August 2, in the southbound direction, traffic will be difficult throughout the day.
Slowdowns will be seen on roads serving the north-east (A2), towards Spain via Bordeaux (A10, A63) and Narbonne (A9), and towards the south (A6, A7, A8, A50).
Expect congestion crossing the Massif-Central (A71 and A75).
In the Ile-de-France region, traffic will be heavy from late morning onwards towards the queues for toll gates, particularly on the A6 and A10 motorways.
By mid-afternoon, traffic will be heavier due to commuter traffic and weekend departures until mid-evening.
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Northbound travel will be difficult nationwide and very difficult around the Mediterranean Arc. The roads from the south of the country (A7, A8, A9, A63) will be congested from early afternoon until mid-evening.
Bison Futé
On Saturday, August 3, in the southbound direction, travel will be extremely difficult nationwide.
The roads serving the country's coastal and border regions, as well as the various holiday resorts, will be extremely busy from early morning.
The A7, A8, A9, A10, A61, A63 and A75 motorways will be exceptionally busy.
Access to Italy via the Mont Blanc tunnel will be very difficult between mid-morning and early afternoon.
Northbound traffic will be congested nationwide, particularly so in the Ile-de-France region and around the Mediterranean coast.
The roads from the south of the country (A7, A8, A9, A75) will be very busy throughout the day, from morning to evening.
In the Ile-de-France region, the traffic volumes expected at the queues for toll gates will be relatively high. However, the traffic problems caused by these returns are likely to be exacerbated by travel related to the Olympic Games.
Bison Futé
On Sunday, August 4, the roads will be very busy in the Ile-de-France and Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes regions from morning until evening, particularly the A7 and A10 motorways
In the Ile-de-France region, dense traffic should be expected from late morning to early afternoon, with varying degrees of severity depending on the sector.
In the northbound direction, traffic will be dense nationwide and particularly so in the Île-de-France region.
The A7 and A10 motorways will see very heavy traffic from the early afternoon until the end of the day. In the Ile-de-France region, relatively heavy traffic is expected at the queues for toll gates on the A10 and A6 motorways.
