Winter holidays: heavy traffic expected for this weekend of February 22 and 23

It will be a busy weekend for these 2025 winter holidays on the roads of France.

Starting Friday, this weekend will mark the first week of school holidays for Zone A (Academies of Besançon, Bordeaux, Clermont-Ferrand, Dijon, Grenoble, Limoges, Lyon and Poitiers), the second for Zone C (Academies of Créteil, Montpellier, Paris, Toulouse and Versailles) and the beginning of the end (of the holidays) for Zone B (Academies of Aix-Marseille, Amiens, Caen, Lille, Nancy-Metz, Nantes, Nice, Orléans-Tours, Reims, Rennes, Rouen, Strasbourg).

"This weekend also marks the start of the holidays for Belgium, for the Central and Southern zones of the Netherlands, as well as the end of the holidays for the Northern zone of the Netherlands and Luxembourg", adds Bison Futé, enough to add some of our European neighbours on the roads.

From Friday, February 21, the first difficulties are expected: the day is classified orange (difficult traffic) in Île-de-France and the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in the direction of departures.

Traffic is expected to be quite heavy towards the ski resorts, particularly on the A72 and A43 motorways.

In Île-de-France, slowdowns are expected from the end of the morning on the A6 between Wissous and Chilly-Mazarin. Traffic should increase thereafter, on the A6B, A86 and A6 motorways, with work-home flows adding to holidaymakers at the end of the day.

In the direction of departures:

• leave or cross Île-de-France before 10 a.m.
• avoid the A72 motorway between Nervieux and Saint-Étienne, from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m.
• Avoid the A43 motorway, between Lyon and Chambéry, from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m.
• avoid the Mont Blanc tunnel (N205), between France and Italy, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Saturday, February 22, is expected to be the busiest day of the weekend, classified as red (very difficult traffic) in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in the direction of departures and orange (difficult traffic) in Île-de-France and the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in the direction of returns.

Tips for Saturday, February 22

In the direction of departures:

• Avoid the A40 motorway between Mâcon and Passy, ​​from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Avoid the A43 motorway, between Lyon and Chambéry, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and between Chambéry and the Fréjus Tunnel, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Avoid the A430 motorway between Chambéry and Albertville from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.
• avoid the Mont Blanc tunnel (N205), between France and Italy, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

In the sense of returns:

• reach or cross Île-de-France before 11 a.m.
• Avoid the A43 motorway, between Chambéry and Lyon, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Back to green on Sunday February 23 throughout France: normal traffic conditions therefore, but with the risk of heavy traffic jams at the end of the weekend in this school holiday context.