Geoffrey Branger (in Cabourg), edited by Gauthier Delomez / Photo credits: Jérôme Leblois / Hans Lucas / Hans Lucas via AFP 19:41 p.m., May 18, 2023, modified at 19:51 p.m., May 18, 2023

Many French people took the road this Thursday to enjoy the Ascension Bridge until Sunday. After a red Thursday on the roads, traffic is expected to be black in the direction of returns on Sunday. In Cabourg in Calvados, many tourists are already flocking to the delight of traders.

After this red Thursday, it is a black Sunday that awaits the luckiest of us on the roads according to Bison Futé, for this weekend of the Ascension Bridge. There were already people this Thursday, between Paris and Cabourg, in Calvados, where you had to drive more than four hours to get to the seaside. A duration that has not put off the French on vacation, because tourists flock to the coast. Europe 1 went to the Normandy commune, where it is difficult to walk freely in the pedestrian streets.

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"It's off to a good start! There are already a lot of people," enthuses Elie, a pancake and waffle seller near the beach. "People love pancakes, so there are no worries!" she adds. Among the tourists met by Europe 1, Romain and his companion Ludivine will stay four days to have fun. "It's an opportunity to enjoy the sea, the good weather, even if it's a little windy today, but it's rather nice," concedes the holidaymaker.

As a taste of summer

Families are not left out in Cabourg, because there is an unmissable activity: the carousel of the city, as Nicolas relates, who came with his wife and two children. "They've done several laps, they don't want to leave!" says the father.

There is like a foretaste of summer in the sub-prefecture of Calvados. An observation confirmed by restaurant professionals, like Laurent, boss of a downtown brewery that is full this Thursday evening. "Given the world, given the affluence, I think the restaurant will overflow," he said at the microphone of Europe 1. If the season is just beginning, Laurent is now preparing for a big marathon until the end of September.