# The French Culture War You've Never Heard Of Is Causing Massive Traffic Jams > Inside France's summer holiday tradition: how the debate over the best month to get away turns the country's roads into one endless traffic jam. - URL: https://langandtrip.com.ua/en/article/litnia-vidpustka-u-frantsii-tradytsii-zatory-ta-superechky-pro-naikrashchyi-misiats-dlia-vidpochynku/ - Language: en - Published: 2024-02-01 - Categories: Culture, Leisure, Beaches, France, Relaxation, Events --- In France, the summer holidays are sacred. So sacred that the government was willing to rework its own Covid vaccination policy just so French workers could head to the beach without worrying about a second jab. Before that, public outrage over the idea that strict vaccination schedules might jeopardize people's summer break was enough to unite one of France's biggest divides: the "juilletistes," who holiday in July, and the "aoutiens," who prefer August. To reassure these devoted holidaymakers, the authorities agreed to scrap the guidance that had insisted second doses should generally be given in the same place as the first. Now people can choose their location, popular holiday spots included. The monthly preferences of French sun lovers might strike the rest of the world as a simple curiosity, but for those who live there it's a serious matter, and one that brings the entire country to a standstill every year. Anyone thinking of visiting France in the summer months should take note too, especially if they'd rather not find their favorite Paris restaurant shut for weeks, or if they want to steer clear of one of the world's biggest traffic jams. To understand why some people in France would rather take their holiday in August while others swear by July is to get one step closer to understanding what it means to be French. "Everyone in France looks forward to the summer holidays," says Julien Louap, a 30-year-old aoutien. "It's like Christmas, but in summer." For Louap, a proud Parisian, the reason August beats July for a getaway is simple: Paris is far too exciting to leave in July. Every year the city puts on a spectacular fireworks display on July 14, France's national day, alongside public events and private parties. ## Fireworks on the beach ![](/storage/image/prev/july-article-image-6-1-2024.jpg) When August arrives, a different feeling takes over the city: calm. Most of the city's residential neighborhoods empty out as locals leave on holiday, which gives Arthur Cuel, a 26-year-old aoutien, yet another reason not to go away in July. Cuel doesn't want to come back from holiday at the end of July to an empty city and be stuck at work while most of his colleagues are enjoying their August break on the beach. On top of that, August also means better weather and guaranteed sunshine for him. "There are fewer people in July," Cuel said. "But the weather is also worse, and I need the sun." But for many juilletistes, a less crowded beach is worth more than a sunnier, hotter one. Besides, celebrating July 14 on an empty, relaxing beach is every bit as much fun as throwing a party in Paris. "There are fireworks on the beach," said Juliette Gache, 21. "And August 15 is usually packed." Holidaying in July also costs less, since demand for hotel rooms is generally lower than in August. Holidaymakers in France booked 23.4 million nights in July compared with 24.8 million nights in August during the summer of 2019, the last summer holiday season before the pandemic, according to a study published by France's National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. Divided as they are on so many fronts, juilletistes and aoutiens can agree on one thing: neither of their months is any good for driving. "Traffic jams are kind of a tradition," Gache said. "Even if you leave home at four in the morning, which my family usually does because we're crazy, you'll always end up stuck in traffic." ## The 'jam of the century' ![](/storage/image/prev/july-article-image-6-2-2024.jpg) Being crammed into a tiny, sometimes air-conditioning-free car with three or four other family members on the A7 motorway is a childhood memory that many French people share. This motorway, which links the French cities of Lyon and Marseille through the Rhone valley, is nicknamed the "motorway of the sun" because it leads to the sunny French Riviera. "The Rhone valley is very hot in summer," said Lilian Delom, a 24-year-old juilletiste. "You basically die, and then you come back to life once you reach the beach." France's most notorious annual traffic jam happens every year on the Saturday of the week when July meets August. It's the day returning juilletistes cross paths with departing aoutiens, causing gridlock across the country that's known as the "crossover jam." "This year, as in previous years, we expect more than 700 kilometers of jams," said Fabrice Vella, chief forecaster at Bison Fute, "Clever Buffalo" in English, the traffic information service of France's Ministry of Transport. In fact, the traffic service was created in the wake of a bad crossover jam, the one back in 1975 that came to be known as the "jam of the century." On August 2, 1975, a peak jam 450 kilometers long formed on the 800-kilometer National Road 10, which at the time connected Paris with Spain, meaning half the road was blocked by traffic. These days Bison Fute uses a four-color ranking system to signal how bad the traffic is, where green means a good getaway and black a bad one. France sees only one or two "black days" a year, when the whole country is covered in black, and the crossover day is usually one of them, according to Vella. ## A city on pause One of the main reasons for the French passion for the summer holiday is that French labor law guarantees five weeks of paid leave for most of the workforce. In fact, France was the first European country to introduce a general two-week paid holiday, back in 1936 under the socialist government led by Leon Blum, according to Alain Chatriot, a professor at Sciences Po university. In the summer of 1936, for the first time in a long while, hundreds of thousands of French workers set off for the beach and enjoyed their holiday, a privilege previously reserved for the bourgeoisie and the aristocracy. "It remains one of the most symbolic provisions of labor law," Chatriot said. The French love of holidays also means that American tourists planning to visit Paris this summer, particularly in August, will find that most restaurants and cafes are closed. A Paris native, 40-year-old Cyril Chouan has worked in the French capital's culinary world since 2006. His own restaurant, Eclipses, recommended by the Michelin guide and located near the Musee d'Orsay, closes its doors in the first half of August, like most other restaurants in Paris, because most of their customers are away. "Last year I tried opening from August 1 to 15," he said. Demand "dropped by more than 90%." But for Chouan, the calm is exactly why he recommends everyone visit his hometown at this time of year. Just remember one thing, he said: "Always bring a bottle of water with you, and keep in mind that it'll be hard to find a restroom, because most of the city will be on pause."