Congestion is already very dense on Europe's motorways as millions of holidaymakers drive south across France. By midday on Saturday, French national motorway authorities had calculated more than 820 km of traffic jams on the major roads.
Whilst last weekend was designated "black" to mark the most severe congestion expected on French roads during the holiday period, delays are expected this weekend as well, both heading south and also for those returning towards the north.
The French governmental website for road conditions today warns that all routes southbound – regardless of where they are in the country – will be slow, often with stationary queues.
Motorway sections with especially high volumes of traffic include the Rhone valley, where the A7 and A9 route between Lyon and Spain currently have over 250 km of traffic jams. Similarly, the A10 and A63 motorways linking Paris to Bordeaux and on to Spain are heavily affected by traffic.
The volume of vehicles on Saturday is expected to peak at noon and fall to less critical levels by 16:00. Sunday will have less traffic across all of Europe, though will still be dense in the most frequented sections, notably around the Mediterranean. For those returning north on Sunday, circulation officials recommend avoiding the A7 between Lyon and Orange from 10:00 until 19:00.
#InfoTrafic 🚗🛣️Pour ce #weekend prolongé du 15 août, circulation difficile vendredi et samedi dans les sens #départs et #retours. Sud-Est : dimanche chargé dans les deux sens. Retours chargés mercredi en Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. Soyez prudents. Nos conseils➡️https://t.co/Ko032EekCX pic.twitter.com/mpqvj4hW66
— Bison Futé (@BisonFute_MT) August 9, 2023
Elsewhere in Europe
Germany: there are queues both heading south and north. The A7 motorway around Hamburg is especially busy towards Denmark. The Munich area is also experiencing heavy traffic. Local reports warn of delays between Munich and Salzburg.
Switzerland: traffic conditions have calmed compared to those seen in previous weeks. Motorists should avoid the Gotthard tunnel, where queues of 1 hour and 40 minutes are currently reported.
Austria: high traffic has been noted on the A10 in Salzburg-Villach towards Slovenia. Traffic is also difficult in both directions on the Brenner motorway towards Italy.
Italy: the Brenner motorway (A22) is the busiest point in Italy. Traffic jams have been reported there in both directions, as well as on the A1 between Milan and Florence.
