SHARE
COPY LINK

DRIVING

First travel warning of the summer as French head off on holiday

If you’re out on the roads in France this weekend, expect to see more traffic than normal, as the first wave of summer holidaymakers set off on their annual vacations.

First travel warning of the summer as French head off on holiday
Summer holidays in France mean summer traffic... Photo: Jeff Pachoud | AFP

National traffic forecaster Bison Futé has issued an orange travel alert – its third-most severe – for Friday, July 2nd and Saturday, July 3rd, rising to a red in the greater Paris Île-de-France region.

The travel watchdog urged anyone planning trips on Friday to avoid travelling  in the greater Paris area after 12 noon, and try to avoid hitting the outskirts of large towns and cities between 2pm and 7pm.

Image: Bison Futé screengrab

It said traffic would be heavy around the toll points of the A10 and A6 autoroutes, where, it said, queues could start building from the end of the morning as the first Parisians head off to the sun. The Boulevard Périphérique, the A86 and A6b motorways are also likely to be affected by higher-than-usual traffic levels.

In the middle of the afternoon, the combination of commuters heading home and weekend departures, which are numerous during this period, could cause problems on the roads until late in the evening.

It also warned motorists to expect additional travel issues in the east of the country, notably where the Tour de France is passing for its seventh, eighth and ninth stages.

On Saturday, traffic is expected to be at least as heavy as Friday afternoon.

Bison Futé recommends avoiding travel across the Île-de-France before 8am, and around major cities before 9am. It particularly noted that the the A7 between Lyon and Orange, and the A43 motorway between Lyon and Chambéry, will be very busy between 10am and 4pm – while traffic will be heavy on the east-west A9 between Orange and Narbonne from 9am to 2pm.

Image: Bison Futé screengrab

Schools have not yet broken up for the grandes vacances, so traffic levels are not as high as they could be – but Bison Futé warned this weekend’s travel warning is a taste of things to come.

Next weekend will be busier still, it noted – with orange warning on Friday, July 9th and the country painted entirely red for Saturday, July 10th after schools break up on July 6th.

The Tour de France is in southwest France, between Nîmes and Andorra over the weekend, while the first set of school holiday departures are expected to make travel difficult in many of the usual areas. 

Image: Bison Futé screengrab

The A6 and A10, the Périphérique, A86 and A6B around Paris are expected to be very busy; the A13 heading towards Normandy and Brittany will see heavy traffic, as will motorways in the south of the country, notably along the Meditteranean coast.

ALSO READ: Juilletistes vs Aoûtiens: Do France’s two summer holiday tribes still exist?

For the rest of the summer, Bison Futé’s forecasts look like this – watch out for the traditional ‘black travel days’ predicted for the end of July and mid-August:

Image: Bison Futé

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.

TRAVEL NEWS

ID, pets and smoking: 7 things French train ticket inspectors can fine you for

From sitting in the wrong seat to not having your ID on you, here are a few of the rules you need to know in order to avoid fines from France's ticket inspectors.

ID, pets and smoking: 7 things French train ticket inspectors can fine you for

SNCF inspectors on trains in France have something of a ‘jobsworth’ reputation – a recent article in a French newspaper referred to them as ‘les cow-boys‘ and accused them of ‘avoir le sang chaud‘ – ie being hot-blooded or over-enthusiastic.

While it’s true that a minority of railway conductors can seem a little overzealous at times, in most cases they are merely doing their jobs in what can often be difficult circumstances. Anyway, they’re nothing like as bad as the Paris Metro ticket inspectors.

SNCF regulations sometimes leave travellers stunned to find themselves fined, often expensively. Here are a few pointers to help you sort out the obligations on board a train and in a station.

Carry ID when you travel

Conductors rarely ask for identity papers, and usually just scan the ticket, but not being able to show an official document on demand means you could be fined the same amount as if you didn’t have a ticket. 

This is because rail tickets, whether they’re for TGV, Intercités or TER services, are in a person’s name. In the event of an inspection, you may be required to show proof of ID – a photocopy or photo on your mobile phone is not acceptable. 

The same applies to holders of a discount or season ticket, such as the Navigo pass. 

If you’re taking a cross-border train you should have your passport or ID card with you. Although document checks within the Schengen zone are not common, they do happen and you will need a valid travel documents – this includes a passport or national ID card, but does not include a driver’s licence or carte de séjour.

Don’t use someone else’s ticket

Linked to the above, don’t swap tickets with someone else, even if they can’t travel – just in case you need to show some form of ID.

If you don’t have a ticket in your name then you in effect are travelling without a ticket.

Your ticket must be valid for the train you’re using

Don’t try to sneak on an earlier train with a ticket for a later one. In France, a ticket is valid only for the date and time of the train listed on it. If you arrive at the station in time to catch an earlier train, you need to exchange your ticket for the earlier service, or cancel your ticket, get a refund and buy one for the correct service. The same is true if you miss your train, whether it’s your fault or not.

In most regions, TER tickets can be refunded free of charge up to the day before departure, but cannot be exchanged, while a €19 fee applies to TGV ticket exchanges made within six days of departure.

Sit in your assigned a seat

If you are on a train with an assigned seat, use it. One SNCF user took to social media after he was fined €270 for swapping his standard class seat with another user, who had a first class ticket, but wanted to sit with someone who did not. 

Similar to air travel, in theory, everyone must be seated in their assigned seat on a train in France. You may ask a conductor if you can swap seats, but they are not obliged to say yes.

Smoking is banned on trains and station platforms

It seems like a lot of French train passengers have missed this memo, but smoking is outlawed in “a vehicle or area used for public transport of passengers by rail or guided vehicles”.

That includes the train platform and the station (although in reality you’ll often see people hopping off the train for a quick smoke on the platform while a train is in the station).

You can be fined €68 for smoking on a train, or €30 on the platform. Don’t spit on the platform, either – you could cop a €150 fine.

You need a ticket for your pet 

Dogs are allowed on all French trains (apart from the Eurostar), but unless they are registered assistance dogs they will need their own ticket, which costs €7.

Depending on their size they may need to wear a muzzle. Other pets such as cats can also travel, but need to be in a secure carrier – full details here. If you have a pet snail (and who doesn’t?) then it will also need a ticket in order to travel.

And maybe your bike

You can take your bike with you on most types of train, but you may need to reserve a space in advance at a cost of €10. This varies depending on the type of train, with local TER and suburban rail services generally free to take bikes on, while high-speed TGV services may require a reservation. Full details here.

Please note that this is not an exhaustive list of rules, merely some of the most common reasons that people get fined while travelling on a French train.

SHOW COMMENTS