Final 'red' travel weekend of France’s summer holidays

La rentrée is fast approaching and summer holiday travellers are heading back home, prompting Bison Futé to issue one last nationwide summer holiday red travel warning - indicating very difficult driving conditions on major routes - between Friday, August 25th and Monday, August 28th.

It has also issued lower-level yellow alerts - difficult driving conditions - on all four days, mostly for those heading back towards major cities from holiday destinations in France.

Meanwhile, it has maintained its forecast yellow travel warnings for Friday, September 1st, and Saturday, September 2nd as the holiday stragglers head home in time for the start of the new school year on September 4th.

The next difficult travel days after that are forecast at the start, middle and end of the two-week Toussaint holidays at the end of October, beginning of November.

For travel on Friday, August 25th, Bison Futé has has put southeast France on a red travel advisory while the rest of the country is on yellow, and advised motorists heading back to major cities from holiday resorts to avoid:

• travel in the Île-de-France region after 2pm;
• the A10 between Bordeaux and Orléans until 8pm;
• the A63 between Spain and Bayonne until 10pm;
• the A7 between Marseille and Lyon until 12midnight;
• the A8 between Nice and Aix-en-Provence until 4pm;
• the A9 freeway Spain and Orange until 9pm;

Access to France via the Mont-Blanc tunnel (N205) will be busy through to 11pm.

Meanwhile, with the entire country on yellow alert in the direction of holiday resorts, anyone planning a late, late summer getaway on Saturday, August 26th should:

• leave or cross the Île-de-France region and major cities before 10am;
• avoid the N165 between Nantes and Quimper between 11am and 1pm;
• avoid the A7 between Lyon and Marseille between 9am and 5pm;
• avoid the A61 between Toulouse and Narbonne between 11am and 2pm;
• Be aware that the Mont-Blanc tunnel (N205) from France into Italy will be busy between 10am and 6pm.

Those heading back home from their summer break on Saturday face the most difficult driving conditions, with all major routes expected to be very busy. They are advised to:

• reach or cross the Île-de-France region before 2pm;
• avoid the N165 between Quimper and Nantes between 10am and 12pm;
• avoid the A10 between Bordeaux and Orléans between 10am and 7pm;
• avoid the A63 between Spain and Bayonne between 11am and 10pm;
• avoid the A7 between Marseille and Lyon between 10am and 12midnight;
• avoid the A8 between Nice and Aix-en-Provence between 11am and 1pm;
• avoid the A9 between Narbonne and Montpellier between 9am and 4pm;
• be aware that access to France via the Mont-Blanc tunnel (N205) will be busy from 10am to 10pm.

Warnings are in place for those heading back home on Sunday, August 27th, though on a national level travel conditions are set to be merely "difficult", rather than "very difficult":

• reach or cross the Île-de-France region before 12noon;
• avoid the A10 between Bordeaux and Orléans between 9am and 11pm;
• avoid the A63 between Spain and Bayonne between 12noon and 8pm;
• avoid the A7 between Marseille and Lyon between 9am and 12midnight;
• avoid the A8 between Nice and Aix-en-Provence between 10am and 12noon;
• avoid the A9 between Narbonne and Montpellier between 1pm and 7pm;
• avoid the A71 between Clermont-Ferrand and Orléans between 10am and 8pm;
• avoid the A61 between Narbonne and Toulouse between 12noon and 6pm;
• be aware that access to France via the Mont-Blanc tunnel (N205) will be busy from 10am to 10pm.

And, for Monday, August 28th, the following advice is offered to motorists returning to major cities in France - with a red "very difficult" travel warning in place for Île-de-France:

• reach or cross the Île-de-France region before 2pm;
• avoid the A10 between Tour and Orléans between 10am and 8pm;
• avoid the A63 between Spain and Bayonne between 8am and 4pm;
• avoid the A7 between Marseille and Lyon between 11am and 9pm.
• avoid the A8 between Nice and Aix-en-Provence between 11am and 1pm;
• be aware that access to France via the Mont-Blanc tunnel (N205) will be busy between 3pm and 8pm.