Return from vacation: a gigantic red zone this weekend, this region will concentrate all the problems

Many roads will be congested during the last weekend of the school holidays. Here's a list of routes and times to avoid.

While July breakers have been back to work for a while now, many French people were still enjoying the sun and the beach this week. But with the end of the school holidays, many will be heading home for the last days of August. Traffic conditions are very poor on the way back on Friday and Saturday and will remain difficult on Sunday. While the main roads in the Île-de-France region, the Rhône Valley, and the Mediterranean arc are affected, those in the northwest part of the country will not be left out.

If you spent your vacation in Brittany, Pays de la Loire, or Vendée, prepare to spend some time stuck in traffic jams, especially if you plan to drive on Saturday. Bison Futé is seeing red across the entire northwest quarter of the country on August 30th and well beyond, as far as the banks of the Rhône and north of the Alps. The site warns of traffic difficulties on the A10 and A11 motorways for much of the day, as well as on the A71 motorway between Bourges and Orléans in the middle of the afternoon. The A10 between Poitiers and Tours and the A11 from Nantes to Paris should still be avoided the next day, unless traveling early in the morning or in the evening.

If you'd like to experience fewer people on the highways while returning from the Atlantic coast this weekend, you can do so, provided you make a small sacrifice: cut your vacation short by a few hours. Indeed, according to forecasts, traffic will be light throughout the west of the country on Friday and will only be a problem in the southern half of France and when reaching or crossing the Paris region between 11 a.m. and midnight.

Friday, August 29 (in the return direction)

• Reach or cross the Île-de-France region before 11 a.m. or after midnight
• Avoid the A9 motorway between Narbonne and Orange from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.
• Avoid the A57 motorway between Le Luc and Toulon from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
• Avoid the A50 motorway between Toulon and Marseille from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
• Avoid the A8 motorway between Italy and La Fare-les-Oliviers from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
• Avoid the A7 motorway between Marseille and Orange from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and between Orange and Lyon from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Saturday, August 30 (in the return direction)

• Reach or cross the Île-de-France region before 10 a.m. or after midnight
• Avoid the A11 motorway between Nantes and Angers from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and between Angers and Paris from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• Avoid the A10 motorway between Bordeaux and Poitiers from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. and between Poitiers and Tours from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
• Avoid the A9 motorway between Spain and Narbonne from 10am to 7pm, between Narbonne and Montpellier from 10am to 4pm, and between Montpellier and Orange from 3pm to 6pm
• Avoid the A7 motorway between Marseille and Orange from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and between Orange and Lyon from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.
• Avoid the A6 motorway between Lyon and Beaune from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
• Avoid the A71 motorway between Bourges and Orléans from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.
• Avoid the Mont Blanc Tunnel (N205) between Italy and France from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

• Join or cross the Île-de-France region before 10 a.m. or after 11 p.m.,
• Avoid the A16 motorway between Belgium and Amiens from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
• Avoid the A25 motorway between Socx and Lille between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m.
• Avoid the A13 motorway between Caen and Paris from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m.
• Avoid the A11 motorway between Nantes and Angers from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and between Angers and Paris from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.
• Avoid the A10 motorway between Poitiers and Tours from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.