If you’re planning a long car journey in France this Assumption weekend, you’re going to have to be patient out on the roads, with heightened traffic warnings from Friday.

France’s roads watchdog Bison Futé has warned that summer holidaymakers heading back home from popular resorts are likely to make conditions on the country’s major routes particularly difficult over the weekend.

The worst of the difficulties are forecast for Friday and Saturday, when red and black warnings are in place, but heavy traffic will be prevalent across the weekend and into Monday.

Saturday, August 15th, is the Christian festival of Assumption, which is a public holiday in France and is usually a peak travel period.

READ ALSO: What's open and what's closed in France on August 15th

Just to add to the travel chaos, cabin crew at easyJet have called a strike over the Assumption weekend.

Here's a look at the daily warnings in place and the most difficult roads. 

Friday, August 14th

The worst congestion will be observed on roads leading to the Mediterranean from Île-de-France and from Bordeaux via Toulouse, as well as on those of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region.

Graphic: Bison Fute

 

Outward journeys

avoid the A8 between Le Luc and Italy from 7am to 7pm, and between the junction with the A7 and Le Luc from 9am to 9pm;

avoid the A51 between Gap and Marseille from 11am to 6pm;

avoid the A7 between Valence and Orange from 11am to 7pm, and between Orange and Marseille from 2pm to 5pm;

avoid the A40 between Mâcon and Passy from 4pm and 7pm;

avoid the A46 and the N346 on the eastern bypass around Lyon between 10am and 8pm;

avoid the A43 between Lyon and Chambéry between 4pm and 8pm;

avoid the A61 between Carcassonne and Narbonne between 12noon and 5pm.

Return journeys

enter or travel through the Île-de-France region before 1pm or after 9pm;

avoid the A10 between Bordeaux and Tours from 11am to 8pm, and between Orléans and Paris from 1pm to 9pm;

avoid the A9 between Spain and Nîmes from 11am to 9pm;

avoid the A8 between Italy and the junction with the A7 motorway from 9am to 9pm;

avoid the A7 between Orange and Lyon from 10am and 10pm;

avoid the A71 between Clermont-Ferrand and Orléans from 12noon to 6pm;

avoid the A61 between Narbonne and Toulouse from 11am to 6pm;

avoid the A46 and the N346, on the eastern bypass around Lyon, from 11am to 6pm;

avoid the Mont Blanc Tunnel (N205), heading into France, from 2pm to 9pm.

Saturday August 15th

The busiest day of the weekend nationwide in both directions. For outbound traffic, the day is classified as ‘red’ nationwide. There will be very heavy traffic across the national road network from morning until evening, particularly in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes.

For return journeys, the day is also classified as ‘red’ at national level. Very heavy traffic is expected on roads across the country. In particular, there will be a very high volume of traffic travelling from the Mediterranean coast towards Île-de-France.

Graphic: Bison Fute

Outward journeys

leave or travel through the Île-de-France region before 6am or after 4pm;

avoid the A13 between Paris and Caen from 10am to 4pm;

avoid the A10 between Tours and Poitiers from 11am to 1pm, between Paris and Orléans from 6am to 1pm, between Orléans and Tours from 8am to 1pm, and between Saintes and Bordeaux from 10am to 6pm;

avoid the A11 between Le Mans and Nantes from 11am to 3pm;

avoid the A7 between Valence and Orange from 7am to 6pm, and between Orange and Marseille from 11am to 8pm;

avoid the A71 between Orléans and Clermont-Ferrand from 10am to 6pm;

avoid the A75 between Clermont-Ferrand and Béziers from 4pm to 6pm;

avoid the A61 between Toulouse and Narbonne from 1pm to 3pm;

avoid the A43 between Lyon and Chambéry from 11am to 5pm;

avoid the A46 and the N346 road, on the eastern bypass around Lyon, from 10am to 12noon;

avoid the Mont Blanc Tunnel (N205), heading into Italy, from 11am to 1pm.

Return journeys

enter or travel through the Île-de-France region before 6am or after 4pm;

avoid the A11 between Nantes and Paris from 12noon to 2pm;

avoid the A10 between Bordeaux and Tours from 10am to 6pm;

avoid the A9 between Spain and Orange from 9am to 5pm;

avoid the A8 between Italy and the junction with the A7 motorway from 10am to 7pm;

avoid the A7 between Marseille and Orange from 8am to 3pm, and between Orange and Lyon from 8am to 6pm;

avoid the A61, between Narbonne and Toulouse, from 11am to 4pm;

avoid the A43, between Chambéry and Lyon, from 11am to 1pm;

avoid the A46 and the N346, on the eastern bypass of Lyon, from 12noon to 5pm;

avoid the Mont Blanc Tunnel (N205) heading into France from 3pm to 7pm.

Sunday, August 16th

The main traffic jams will be concentrated on the roads leading to the Mediterranean from the Île-de-France region and from Bordeaux via Toulouse, as well as on those in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region.

For those returning home, it will be difficult to travel on the roads leading to the Île-de-France region from the Mediterranean until late in the evening, and to cross the Massif Central and the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region.

Graphic: Bison Fute

Outward journeys

avoid the A7 between Lyon and Orange from 11am to 6pm;

avoid the A8 between Le Luc and Italy from 10am to 12noon;

avoid the A9 between Nîmes and Narbonne from 9am to 8pm;

avoid the A71 between Bourges and Clermont-Ferrand from 12noon to 3pm;

avoid the A61 between Carcassonne and Narbonne from 11am to 1pm;

avoid the A46 and the N346 road on the eastern bypass of Lyon from 10am to 12noon;

avoid the Mont Blanc Tunnel (N205) heading into Italy from 10am to 4pm.

Return journeys

avoid the A9 between Spain and Orange from 10am to 7pm;

avoid the A8 between Le Luc and the junction with the A7 from 10am to 12noon;

avoid the A7 between Marseille and Lyon from 11am to 11pm;

avoid the A71 between Clermont-Ferrand and Orléans from 11am to 3pm;

avoid the A46 and the N346 road, on the eastern bypass around Lyon, from 10am to 12noon;

avoid the Mont Blanc Tunnel (N205) into France, from 12.00 to 21.00.

Monday, August 17th

The heaviest traffic in the direction of holiday resorts is expected on the routes linking the Île-de-France and Bordeaux, via Toulouse, to the Mediterranean, as well as on roads in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region.

For return journeys, traffic will be heavy on all major routes across the country, particularly on routes from the Mediterranean coast towards the Île-de-France, and towards Bordeaux via Toulouse.

Graphic: Bison Fute

Outbound journeys

avoid the A7 between Lyon and Orange from 9am to 6pm;

avoid the A8 between Le Luc and Italy from 10am to 6pm;

avoid the A9 between Nîmes and Narbonne from 9am to 6pm’

avoid the A61 between Toulouse and Narbonne from 10am to 2pm;

avoid the A46 and the N346 for the eastern bypass of Lyon from 9am to 7pm;

avoid the Mont Blanc Tunnel (N205) into Italy from 10am to 4pm.

Return journeys

enter or travel through the Île-de-France before 11am or after 9pm;

avoid the A9 between Narbonne and Nîmes from 10am to 5pm;

avoid the A8 between Italy and the junction with the A7 motorway from 8am to 5pm;

avoid the A7 between Marseille and Orange from 10am to 12noon, and between Orange and Lyon from 11am to 5pm;

avoid the A61 between Narbonne and Toulouse from 11am to 4pm;

avoid the A10 between Bordeaux and Tours from 10am to 8pm;

avoid the A46 and the N346 on the eastern bypass around Lyon from 10am to 8pm.