According to figures from traffic navigation company TomTom, Marseille and Paris are the cities with the heaviest traffic in France. 

 

In Marseille during 2016, people spent a whopping six days and 16 hours in traffic. This translates to 41 minutes spent in traffic jams every day, according to TomTom.  

 

The 2016 figures mark a worsening of the traffic situation in the southern city. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the evening – when people are leaving work and school – is the worst time to hit the city's roads.

 

Indeed, during this peak in traffic, journey time increases by an average of 75 percent compared to quieter periods. 

 

But in Paris it's the mornings that cause the most hassle for motorists, with TomTom saying that during peak traffic hours, Parisian motorists' journeys can be extended by 68 percent. 

 

People in the greater Paris region of Ile-de-France typically lose six days and ten hours a year to road traffic. 

 

“Traffic is the ill of the century. Every city is working on the issue,” Vincent Martinier, TomTom's marketing director told BFM TV in February. “We must keep it in mind that the road network is at saturation point. There aren't new roads being built to ease the pressure in the big cities like Paris.”

 

And the traffic in Marseille and Paris isn't just considered bad compared to other French cities.

 

In fact, they are among the most congested cities in the world, with Marseille coming in at 26th and Paris ranked 35th, according to TomTom. 

 

Among the other French cities struggling with traffic are Bordeaux, where motorists spend six days a year in traffic.

 

And Grenoble and Toulon, where traffic became markedly worse in 2016, with drivers spending around five days a year in traffic jams.  

 

Across France people spend an average of 23 hours in traffic each year, according to traffic app Inrix. 

 

Here's the full list of cities in France with the heaviest traffic in 2016:

 

1. Marseille

2. Paris

3. Bordeaux

4. Montpellier

5. Lyon

6. Nice

7. Grenoble

8. Toulon

9. Strasbourg

10. Toulouse

 

But there's good news for people living in Orléans, Dijon et Reims, which were among the country's least congested cities. 

 

According to the the figures, people living in Reims – or les Rémois as they're known – only spend 15 minutes in traffic on average every day. This amounts to just 59 hours a year.