Traffic warnings and holiday shutdowns: What to expect in France from Friday
Traffic jams, school holidays, shops and office closures, inconvenient public transport changes and of course a lot of tourists - here's what to expect in France from Friday.
Schools in France break up for les grandes vacances at the end of the week - and holidaymakers are wasting little time setting off for a well-earned break, with Friday and Saturday set to be busy on the country’s roads as the great summer getaway begins.
Road hell
France’s roads watchdog Bison Futé predicts consecutive days of traffic problems this weekend, classifying travel on Friday, July 7th in the direction of popular holiday resorts on the Mediterranean and Atlantic coasts as ‘difficult’ across most of the country, and ‘very difficult’ in the greater Paris Île-de-France region.
On Saturday July 8th, Bison Futé again warns of ‘difficult’ conditions on all the main arteries of France - rising to ‘very difficult’ across a large swathe of the north-west.
Expect to read regular traffic warnings over the next couple of months, as France, Europe, and the rest of the world heads off on holiday. The 'chassé-croissé' weekends of July 29th/30th and August 5th/6th are set to be particularly bad, but we’ll keep you informed.
Planes/trains and ferries
Summer in France means the arrival of tourists, so expect all international travel to be busier than usual.
Kids in the UK get slightly less holiday than their French counterparts, but expect UK ports to be busy from around the third week in July.
Meanwhile big airports like Paris Charles de Gaulle frequently tell passengers to arrive three hours before their flights, instead of the standard two, because of the volume of passengers.
Beat the crowds: 19 alternative places to visit in France
Shut down
Good luck trying to get anything accomplished in France in the summer - especially August. Offices, shops, surgeries, dentists and restaurants close up by the dozens for the entire month so their workers can go on holiday.
Even the end of July can be hit and miss, as some workers take off for their holidays a bit early, so it’s best to get anything important done before then. Or else it will just have to wait until September.
Public transport
The regular work routine goes out of the window on public transport, too. Bus services in some areas change over the summer because fewer commuters and an absence of school pupils. Meanwhile, important maintenance and improvement work is routinely carried out city public transport and the rail network.
READ ALSO Olympics prep means trouble for Paris transport this summer
Shops
As well as summer-long changes to public transport, don’t expect your favourite shops to open at the same time as the temperature rises and the sun shines.
Some shopkeepers may alter their hours, so they can top up their tans - and don’t be surprised to turn up one day at your favourite boulangerie for your daily bread (and super-secret going-home goûter that your better half definitely knows nothing about) to be greeted by a notice on the front door informing you that it is shut for ‘conges’.
The same notice will normally reveal the return date, but - until then - you’re on your own.
This is why it’s always a good idea to have more than one ‘favourite' boulangerie...
READ ALSO Juilletistes vs Aoûtiens: Do France's two summer holiday tribes still exist?
Won’t anyone think of the children?
France’s eight-week summer holidays can strike fear into the hearts of working parents, who are left to wonder how to entertain their bundles of joy, and stop them turning completely feral, while they hold down a job.
For many immigrants, the standard grandparent support network is not available.
Fortunately, France has got parents’ backs. Every town and city has ‘maisons des jeunes et de la culture’ - MJCs - community centres that take in local children and entertain every drop of energy out of them from around 7am to 7pm, five days a week, every school holiday.
For a few euros a day, MJC staff look after youngsters aged from three to 15, sometimes older, bombarding them with activities from sport to cooking, art to dancing for at least most of the duration of the holidays. Morning and afternoon snacks, and a typically French three or four-course lunch included.
The downside? Places go fast. Quicker than the time you took to read that last sentence.
Festive spirit
France, basically, gears up for a party in the summer - and why not?
The offices and shops and doctors shut down in time for the festivities to commence, as towns and cities make the most of the long, hot, lazy days. It's a time when the French enjoy everything, from music, to film, to food, to the birth of the Republic, to traditional culture, art, and sea shanties. Basically, if there's something to celebrate, they'll celebrate it. You won't travel far without seeing a sign telling you the next village is 'en fête'. It genuinely is a great time to be in France, and nevermind the administrative shutdown
There are also two public holidays - Friday, July 14th is the Fête nationale (aka Bastille Day) and Tuesday, August 15th is the Christian holiday of Assumption.
READ ALSO 27 festivals and events to enjoy this summer in France
In conclusion
We moan about the roads and the insufficient public transport; we joke, only half ironically, about the impossibility of getting anything done in France in the summer. But, it could be worse. You could be almost anywhere else.
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Schools in France break up for les grandes vacances at the end of the week - and holidaymakers are wasting little time setting off for a well-earned break, with Friday and Saturday set to be busy on the country’s roads as the great summer getaway begins.
Road hell
France’s roads watchdog Bison Futé predicts consecutive days of traffic problems this weekend, classifying travel on Friday, July 7th in the direction of popular holiday resorts on the Mediterranean and Atlantic coasts as ‘difficult’ across most of the country, and ‘very difficult’ in the greater Paris Île-de-France region.
On Saturday July 8th, Bison Futé again warns of ‘difficult’ conditions on all the main arteries of France - rising to ‘very difficult’ across a large swathe of the north-west.
Expect to read regular traffic warnings over the next couple of months, as France, Europe, and the rest of the world heads off on holiday. The 'chassé-croissé' weekends of July 29th/30th and August 5th/6th are set to be particularly bad, but we’ll keep you informed.
Planes/trains and ferries
Summer in France means the arrival of tourists, so expect all international travel to be busier than usual.
Kids in the UK get slightly less holiday than their French counterparts, but expect UK ports to be busy from around the third week in July.
Meanwhile big airports like Paris Charles de Gaulle frequently tell passengers to arrive three hours before their flights, instead of the standard two, because of the volume of passengers.
Beat the crowds: 19 alternative places to visit in France
Shut down
Good luck trying to get anything accomplished in France in the summer - especially August. Offices, shops, surgeries, dentists and restaurants close up by the dozens for the entire month so their workers can go on holiday.
Even the end of July can be hit and miss, as some workers take off for their holidays a bit early, so it’s best to get anything important done before then. Or else it will just have to wait until September.
Public transport
The regular work routine goes out of the window on public transport, too. Bus services in some areas change over the summer because fewer commuters and an absence of school pupils. Meanwhile, important maintenance and improvement work is routinely carried out city public transport and the rail network.
READ ALSO Olympics prep means trouble for Paris transport this summer
Shops
As well as summer-long changes to public transport, don’t expect your favourite shops to open at the same time as the temperature rises and the sun shines.
Some shopkeepers may alter their hours, so they can top up their tans - and don’t be surprised to turn up one day at your favourite boulangerie for your daily bread (and super-secret going-home goûter that your better half definitely knows nothing about) to be greeted by a notice on the front door informing you that it is shut for ‘conges’.
The same notice will normally reveal the return date, but - until then - you’re on your own.
This is why it’s always a good idea to have more than one ‘favourite' boulangerie...
READ ALSO Juilletistes vs Aoûtiens: Do France's two summer holiday tribes still exist?
Won’t anyone think of the children?
France’s eight-week summer holidays can strike fear into the hearts of working parents, who are left to wonder how to entertain their bundles of joy, and stop them turning completely feral, while they hold down a job.
For many immigrants, the standard grandparent support network is not available.
Fortunately, France has got parents’ backs. Every town and city has ‘maisons des jeunes et de la culture’ - MJCs - community centres that take in local children and entertain every drop of energy out of them from around 7am to 7pm, five days a week, every school holiday.
For a few euros a day, MJC staff look after youngsters aged from three to 15, sometimes older, bombarding them with activities from sport to cooking, art to dancing for at least most of the duration of the holidays. Morning and afternoon snacks, and a typically French three or four-course lunch included.
The downside? Places go fast. Quicker than the time you took to read that last sentence.
Festive spirit
France, basically, gears up for a party in the summer - and why not?
The offices and shops and doctors shut down in time for the festivities to commence, as towns and cities make the most of the long, hot, lazy days. It's a time when the French enjoy everything, from music, to film, to food, to the birth of the Republic, to traditional culture, art, and sea shanties. Basically, if there's something to celebrate, they'll celebrate it. You won't travel far without seeing a sign telling you the next village is 'en fête'. It genuinely is a great time to be in France, and nevermind the administrative shutdown
There are also two public holidays - Friday, July 14th is the Fête nationale (aka Bastille Day) and Tuesday, August 15th is the Christian holiday of Assumption.
READ ALSO 27 festivals and events to enjoy this summer in France
In conclusion
We moan about the roads and the insufficient public transport; we joke, only half ironically, about the impossibility of getting anything done in France in the summer. But, it could be worse. You could be almost anywhere else.
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