Roads to avoid as people travel for a bank holiday weekend away

Traffic is likely to be very slow on Friday (May 17) as holidayers make the most of the three-day weekend to travel away from the cities.

Monday is Whit Monday or Lundi de Pentecôte and, despite no black warnings having been put out by official traffic watchdog Bison Futé, there will be some hotspots to avoid.

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Saturday morning leaving the big cities and Monday afternoon returning to them will also have some traffic jams but Sunday should be an easier day to travel on. 

In particular, journeys between the biggest cities and holiday destinations will be the busiest, especially on the coasts. This will even be the case on Sunday as people go for day trips. 

Roads to avoid

Bison Futé suggests to avoid the following major roads on Friday: 

• The A10 in the Bordeaux region from 16:00 to 20:00

• The A11 between Angers and Nantes from 16:00 to 20:00

• The A63 between Bordeaux and Bayonne from 16:00 to 20:00

• The A7 between Lyon and Orange from 16:00 and 23:00

• The A50 between Marseille and Toulon from 16:00 to 20:00

For Saturday, it warns that the roads to the Mediterranean coast are likely to be most busy, especially the A61, the A9, the A7 and the A8. 

Between Angers and Nantes and between Poitiers and Tours, expect slower circulation on both directions of the A10 and A11 motorway. 

The slowest point of the day will be around 11:00. 

Sunday should be a clear day for travelling, with Bison Futé not recommending any roads to avoid. 

On Monday most holidayers will be returning home in the afternoon, with 17:00 being the busiest time. This is likely to be the case on all the major roads leading into the big cities.