Traffic, weather and work: What to expect this Ascension weekend in France

However, because it’s such a great idea for so many people, it also means that you may need to do a bit of planning - as many other people will have had the same plans.

Ascension Day (Thursday, May 18th this year) is a public holiday in France, while many people take the opportunity to faire le pont and take Friday off work as well.

READ ALSO Why is Ascension Day a public holiday in France?

Work

Expect banks and public services to be closed on Ascension Day (Thursday) at least. Shops may operate reduced hours or services - supermarkets may close their Drive operations for the day, for example - but many open as normal.

Some public services and businesses may shut completely for the four days of the long weekend, while most schools give their pupils (and teachers) and extra day off on Friday to allow for  along weekend away.

Travel

Probably won’t be that straightforward. Although air services are expected to be running as normal, you may well find it difficult to get a seat on a train, or have to be prepared for traffic jams, if you’re travelling by road.

Trains

SNCF admitted it has been caught out by the post-Covid rise in demand for travel. As a result, some 80 percent of trains are already booked up over the four-day holiday weekend.

Ascension and the upcoming Pentecost holiday are routine periods for maintenance and improvement work on French rail lines. Some 1,600 individual works are planned for 2023, and some will take place this weekend, disrupting services.

As a result, carpooling services have been in hot demand as people look to make the most of a four day weekend. But there are issues, there, too…

Roads

France’s roads watchdog Bison Futé has issued red traffic alerts, warning of ‘very difficult’ conditions on roads heading away from major cities across the country, on both Wednesday and Thursday.

And it has issued a nationwide black alert - its highest level, indicating ‘extremely difficult’ traffic conditions - on Sunday, as everyone heads back home in time to go back to work on Monday.

On Wednesday, it urges road users to:

• leave or cross the Île-de-France and major cities before 12noon;
• avoid the A13 between Paris and Rouen from 4pm to 8pm, and between Rouen and Caen, from 5pm to 9pm;
• avoid the A10 between Paris and Tours from 12pm to 10pm;
• avoid the A11 between Paris and Angers from 2pm to 10pm, and between Angers and Nantes from 6pm to 9pm;
• avoid the A7 between Lyon and Orange from 1pm to 12midnight, and between Orange and Marseille from 4pm to 9pm;
• avoid the A9 between Orange and Narbonne from 2pm to 7pm;
• avoid the A61 between Toulouse and Narbonne from 3pm to 10pm;
• avoid the Mont-Blanc between France and Italy, from 9am to 11pm.

On Thursday, it says road users should:

• leave or cross the Île-de-France before 7am;
• avoid the A1 between Paris and Lille from 10am to 12pm;
• avoid the A13 between Paris and Caen from 9am to 5pm;
• avoid the A10 between Paris and Tours from 7am to 3pm;
• avoid the A7 between Lyon and Orange from 7am to 7pm;
• avoid the A9 between Montpellier and Spain from 9am to 5pm;
• avoid the A61 between Toulouse and Narbonne from 8am to 5pm;
• avoid the Mont-Blanc tunnel between France and Italy from 7am to 6pm.

And, on Sunday, the worst of the travel days, it advises:

• Travel across the Île-de-France and major cities before 12noon;
• avoid the A13 between Caen and Paris from 10am to 9pm;
• avoid the A11 between Nantes and Paris from 9am to midnight;
• avoid the N165 between Quimper and Nantes from 10am to 7pm;
• avoid the A10 between Bordeaux and Paris from 11am to midnight;
• avoid the A7 between Marseille and Lyon from 9am to midnight;
• avoid the A9 between Spain and Orange from 4 pm to 7 pm, and between Montpellier and Orange from 9 am to 11 pm;
• avoid the A61 between Narbonne and Toulouse from 11am to midnight;
• avoid the Mont-Blanc tunnel between Italy and France from 11am to midnight.

Planes

Assuming no technical incidents (they happened last year) air services in France should run as normal over the entire weekend, with no strikes - for example - scheduled.

Still, at least it's nice out...

Weather

Forecasters predict the long holiday weekend in France will be relatively pleasant and spring-like over the northern two-thirds of the country. But thundery showers are also expected across the southern third, especially around the Mediterranean. Temperatures will range from from 7C in the north to 13C in the south in the mornings and from 15C to 23C in the afternoons.

So, the weather’s not necessarily that great, some shops may be shut, and it might take you longer to get places. But, whatever you have planned for this Ascension holiday, we hope you enjoy it.