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France’s summer holiday traffic will once again reach critical levels in July and August, according to official forecasts from state traffic monitoring service Bison Futé.

Major slowdowns are expected in the outbound direction (from cities to coastal and holiday areas) from the first weekend of July. 

Traffic intensifies again around the July 14 national holiday. 

Saturday July 12 is marked black (extremely difficult) in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes for outbound journeys, and red everywhere else.

The annual chassé-croisé, when July and August holidaymakers swap places, peaks between August 1-4. 

Saturday August 2 is classified black nationwide for outbound travel, with very heavy traffic also expected for the first returns (from holiday areas back to cities). Southern and Mediterranean routes are expected to be the most affected.

The direction for returns becomes more problematic from mid-August. 

Saturday August 16 is red for returns nationwide. Saturday August 23 is marked black, indicating the most difficult traffic conditions of the season for return travel.

recommends avoiding major roads on red or black days, leaving very early or travelling midweek, and checking forecasts before departure. 

While ‘outbound’ and ‘return’ directions still guide predictions, real-life journeys often mix both – especially on long routes crossing regional boundaries.