Eurostar fares revamp and motorway closures: 6 France travel updates

This week in travel news we covered the protest against a new motorway project in the south-west, the chaos caused by cancelled flights on April 25 and the plans for an air traffic control strike in May.

Here are more travel articles affecting France. 

Road travel updates

Fewer people getting MOT tests in France 

An increasing number of people are not submitting their cars for a contrôle technique, France’s roadworthiness test that is equivalent to the UK’s MOT test, a new study has revealed. 

The majority of drivers who fail to get the compulsory inspection are owners of older vehicles, according to the study by 40 Millions d’automobilistes and Autovision reported in Le Parisien. 

The contrôle technique is mandatory every two years after a vehicle has been on the road for four years, but a rising number of people are flouting the rules. 

Read more: Explainer: The rules of France’s contrôle technique car checks

The main reason given is cost – a contrôle technique costs more than €75 on average, and often involves costly maintenance and repairs. 

These roadworthiness checks are also mandatory for motorbikes since April 15.

The fine for failure to undergo the contrôle technique is €135. 

More motorway closures scheduled 

Major roadworks are scheduled on several motorways around France as the country grapples with maintaining its infrastructure.

The scheduled closures include:

• The A13 motorway near Paris is closed until at least May 1 

• The A4 near Noisy-le-Grand (Seine-Saint-Denis) is scheduled to close from May 27 to June 5.

• The A86 near Créteil (Val-de-Marne) is scheduled to close from June 10 to June 21

The quality of France’s roads has deteriorated considerably over the past decade, falling from first place in 2012 to 17th place in 2024 in the rankings of the World Economic Forum.

The problem was brought to light by the dramatic collapse of a bridge in the Gard in April and a series of landslides in recent months. 

Read more: State of French roads causing alarm

Rail travel updates 

Eurostar launches new travel classes 

Eurostar has unveiled three new classes of ticket fares across all of its trains in the UK, France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany after its merger with Thalys. The new fares will begin in November 2024. 

The three new classes are: 

Eurostar Standard 

The most basic fare does not include any food or drink, but passengers will have access to refreshments from the on-board cafe. 

Eurostar Plus 

This includes a workspace and more comfortable seating, as well as a meal and drinks on cross-channel journeys. This service will replace the current Standard Premier class on cross-Channel journeys and the Comfort class ticket on continental routes. 

Eurostar Premier

This ticket includes more flexibility, with an all-day boarding guarantee, lounge access, a meal service and a priority lane.This service will replace the current Business Premier class on routes between the UK and France and the Premium class on European routes. 

Premier ticket holders can exchange their ticket or get a refund with no fee up to two days after their scheduled departure date. 

However, all three new classes offer more flexibility than the old fares. Passengers with Standard and Plus fares can also exchange tickets for free up to one hour before departure - a service that costs up to €50 under the current system..

The new ticket types opened for booking on April 23 for journeys from November 4. 

Launch of Olympics public transport app 

Paris’ public transport authorities launched an app to help Olympics spectators travel around the French capital more easily.

The Transport public Paris 2024 app, which is available in English, works on iOS and Android.

It includes a route planner to help visitors avoid the most congested areas, and from June, users will also be able to buy transport tickets directly in the app.

The president of Ile-de-France, Valérie Pécresse, announced in March that the price of metro tickets will rise to €4 from the current €2.10 to discourage people from queuing up to buy tickets in metro stations during the Games.

Air travel updates 

Launch of Southampton-Caen flights 

French airline Chalair, based in Normandy, will fly between Southampton and Caen between June 28 and September 22. 

The 40 minute flights will depart from Southampton on Friday mornings (departure at 10:30) and return on Sundays (departure at 10:00). 

It marks the first ever UK route for the regional airline.

New flights between France and the United States 

Paris - Phoenix

Air France will start a new route between Paris Charles de Gaulle and Phoenix from May 23. 

Flights will be on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. 

Philadelphia - Nice

American Airlines starts a new seasonal service between Philadelphia and Nice on May 6, which will run until October 5.