France experiences over 1,000 km of traffic jams on major highways during holiday rush

Bison Futé reported a peak of more than 1,000 km of cumulative traffic jams at 11:50 a.m. on Saturday, classifying the day as black for outbound traffic across metropolitan France.

The worst congestion was on the A7 corridor through the Rhône valley and the A9 route to Spain, each with over a hundred kilometres of jams. In the Île‑de‑France region, the A6 and A10 motorways reached maximum traffic by late morning. The A63, recently reopened after fires in the Gironde, remained subject to possible local restrictions.

Bison Futé warned drivers to postpone trips if possible and expected the situation to ease by early evening. For Sunday, the agency forecast a red rating for departures in much of southern France and an orange rating elsewhere, with continued difficulties on return journeys in the Mediterranean coastal area.