Six ‘black traffic’ days predicted in France for 2026
Highest-level warnings occur around public and school holidays
Heavy traffic is forecast during the summer months as families head off to holiday hotspots
Christian Mueller / Shutterstock
French traffic watchdog Bison Futé has released its calendar for expected traffic across the entire 2026 year.
While this is subject to change, it uses previous driving habits as well as public and school holidays to predict when traffic levels will be heaviest.
More detailed warnings including for specific major roads are usually given in the preceding week and available on the official website.
In 2026, there are six days where at least one region is expected to face ‘black levels’ of traffic, the highest possible in the four-scale ranking (Green, orange, red, black).
In all cases, the warnings apply to people ‘leaving’ major cities and driving towards holiday destinations, usually Brittany, Normandy, the Mediterranean, and the south-west.
Out of these however there is only one day where the warning applies to the entire country and not certain regions.
The expected busiest days for traffic are:
Wednesday, May 13 (before the Ascension public holiday on Thursday)
Friday, July 10
Saturday, July 11
Friday, July 31
Saturday, August 1 (the day where all regions face black traffic warnings)
Saturday, August 15
The full calendar can be found here. There are also well over a dozen days with one of more region facing second-highest 'red' level warnings.
On these dates - particularly in regions facing black warnings - drivers who do not need to travel are advised to avoid driving.
If they need to use their vehicle, they should avoid busy roads such as motorways and stick to smaller local routes.
