What you should know about travelling in France this Christmas

What are the rules for travelling?

When France eased its nationwide lockdown on December 15th, the country's inhabitants were once again allowed to freely travel around within the country, although while respecting the strict nighttime curfew.

Those travelling by train, plane or other long-distance services post-curfew hours will however get a curfew exemption, as long as they show their ticket and correctly filled out curfew form to police in the event of a check.

“By car, it's recommended to drive between 6am and 8pm,” French Transport Minister Jean-Baptiste Djebbari told BFMTV.

The government has previously said police will be lenient during checks if those driving to their destination arrive after curfew hours, but only if they fill out the curfew attestation stating their reason for travelling and their destination.

READ ALSO: What are the rules under France's new nationwide curfew?

The same rules were put in place for international travel, although several other countries have their own in place for arrivals from France, including quarantine and compulsory testing – find out more here.

Face masks remain compulsory on flights and ferries as well as inside all airport, train stations and other public spaces in France, as well as on the street in most of the larger towns and cities.

What kind of services are running?

Inside France, French rail company SNCF has been running on a normal service as of December 15th and all train tickets remain fully reimbursable until January 4th.

For a look at what travel services run internationally, click HERE.

READ ALSO: Who will be able to travel to France this Christmas?

Are people actually planning to travel?

It seems like it. SNCF has sold 3 million tickets, the transport minister said on Wednesday, this is more than 1 million tickets above last year’s sales numbers – although transport strikes gripped the country last Christmas and only half the normal services were running.

Which days will be the busiest travel days?

School holidays begin this weekend, although the French government has said parents can keep children home from school on Thursday and Friday. This is to achieve the recommended eight days of self-isolation before travel to see relatives, especially those in high-risk groups such as the elderly.