French head for holidays - how to dodge the traffic jams

A view of the port in Saint Tropez

Myosotismail

By RFI

French roads will be crowded and trains will be packed this weekend as the first wave of France's holiday-makers head out of the country's main cities. The official traffic monitor has declared a red alert for congestion around Paris on the traditional start of July holidays. Here are our tips on how to avoid spending your first hours of freedom stuck on the motorway.

French holiday-makers leave their stuffy hot offices and steaming concrete for seaside resorts, camping and country homes. School holidays begin on Friday and, according to an Ipsos poll, 60 per cent of French people are expected to spend their holidays in France.

Travellers are advised to put off travelling until Sunday, to avoid the traditional traffic jams on the French motorways. Here is our advice:

Avoid Paris on Friday and Saturday. France’s traffic monitor Bison Futé has classified Friday as “red” in and around Paris, and “orange” in the rest of France.
Leave early. On Saturday heavy traffic is expected in the morning and until evening on the A86, which circles Paris, on the A6 motorway from Paris to Lyon, on the A10 from Paris to Bordeaux and the A13 from Paris to Caen.
Travel on Sunday, when the roads should be relatively quiet.
Book your train tickets in advance -France’s rail company, the SNCF, is expecting 1.4 million of travellers to transit through French train stations. Paris stations Gare Montparnasse and Gare de Lyon will be the busiest.

Looking ahead, travellers are advised to avoid driving on 31 July and 7 August, the two worst days of the year in terms of traffic.

Click here for advice on travelling in France on 31 July.