France December 2 Strike To Disrupt Transport

Visitors traveling around France on December 2, 2025, now need to treat public transport as at risk rather than guaranteed, because a nationwide strike called by the CGT, FSU, and Solidaires unions will target the 2026 budget and public services, with knock on effects for trains, metros, buses, and some airport access. In Paris, France, the RATP strike notice runs from 600 p.m. on December 1 to 700 a.m. on December 3, covering Metro, RER, tram, and bus staff, while rail unions have also called on SNCF workers to walk out. Travelers with fixed hotel bookings or flights on and around December 2 should build in extra time, avoid tight same day connections, and secure backup ways to reach stations and airports.

In practical terms, the France December 2 transport strike will see varying levels of disruption across Metro and RER lines in the Paris region, nationwide SNCF services, and some local buses, with additional slowdowns in schools, public offices, and hospitals. The uncertainty comes from the French system itself, where unions file broad strike notices but operators only publish detailed timetables and reduced service plans 24 to 36 hours before the day of action. For travelers, that means they will only know how bad things are on their specific route the evening before, yet they still need to make decisions about tickets and timing now.

What Is Planned For RATP In Paris

RATP reports that a strike notice covers the period from Monday, December 1, at 600 p.m. to Wednesday, December 3, at 700 a.m., with calls for staff across Metro, RER, tram, and bus networks to join the movement. Recent local coverage suggests that fully automated Metro lines 1 and 14, and to a lesser extent line 4, should run close to normal, while manually operated lines could see sharply reduced frequencies or partial closures during the morning and evening peaks.

RER services in the Paris region are likely to be uneven. On past strike days, RER A and B often run limited but still functional skeleton service, for example one train in three or one in two at peak times, with more severe cuts in the off peak. Because RER B is the main rail link to Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) and Paris Orly Airport (ORY), even modest disruption can cascade into missed flights when platforms are crowded and travel times stretch. Travelers should assume that some trains will be cancelled, that platforms will be busy, and that waiting times between trains may be longer than normal, especially outside the peak commute windows.

Surface transport will also feel the strain. Paris buses and trams are covered by the same RATP notice, although the operator usually prioritizes core urban lines and school routes. In practice, that means visitors cannot rely on any specific line running exactly as scheduled. Where possible, travelers staying in central neighborhoods should be ready to walk an extra one to two Metro stops, or combine whatever trains are running with taxis or rideshares for the last leg.

Expected Impacts On SNCF Trains

On the national rail network, the CGT Cheminots union has called for staff to join the December 2 strike as part of a wider European action, signaling potential delays and cancellations on TGV high speed routes and regional TER lines. SNCF has said that it will publish a detailed traffic plan by late Monday, December 1, around 5:00 p.m., specifying which trains are kept, which are cancelled, and where replacement or reinforced services are offered.

Past national strike days provide a rough benchmark, although exact patterns will only be clear once the operator publishes forecasts. Typically, SNCF maintains more of its flagship TGV services on major axes such as Paris to Lyon, Paris to Lille, and Paris to Bordeaux, while cutting a larger share of regional TER trains and some Intercités services. For cross border travelers, international links like Eurostar, Thalys, and some TGVs into Spain, Germany, and Italy have historically operated with better protection, but they can still be affected by crew availability and knock on congestion.

Travelers with rail tickets on December 2 should therefore prepare for three main scenarios. First, that their original train runs but is more crowded, with limited luggage space and fewer staffed services on board. Second, that the train is cancelled but a later or earlier alternative remains available, sometimes on the same ticket. Third, that entire time bands on certain routes have no trains at all, forcing rebooking to different days or routes. Anyone relying on a same day rail connection into a long haul flight should strongly consider moving the rail leg to December 1, or booking a backup train several hours earlier with a flexible fare.

Airport And Flight Effects

The strike is officially framed as a protest against austerity and the 2026 budget, not as an aviation specific action, so French civil aviation authorities have not yet announced air traffic control, ATC, restrictions specific to December 2. Coverage so far points to two minor Air France pilot unions participating, with authorities and airlines expecting only limited direct impact on flight schedules.

However, airports could still see indirect disruption. Staff from security contractors, ground handling companies, and public sector agencies that operate checkpoints or customs posts can choose to follow wider strike calls, which in the past has led to longer queues and slower processing even when most flights depart. The bigger operational risk remains how passengers and staff reach the airports, since both RER B and Orly access services sit inside the RATP and SNCF ecosystems.

Travelers flying into or out of Charles de Gaulle or Orly on December 2 should plan airport access as if there were a known disruption, not a remote possibility. That means leaving at least one extra hour beyond normal guidance for journeys from central Paris, booking airport coaches where possible, and being prepared to switch to taxis or rideshares if rail and bus options thin out. Those connecting same day from one flight to another inside France should treat tight domestic connections as unsafe, especially if they require a terminal change and fresh security screening.

Background: How French Strike Days Work

French unions are required to file strike notices, known as préavis, which specify the days and sectors covered. For key public services, those notices often extend beyond the core date, which explains why the RATP window runs from the evening of December 1 into the morning of December 3 even though the main protest day is December 2. In sectors like ATC, individual controllers must also declare their intention to strike at least 48 hours in advance, allowing partial service plans to be drawn up.

This system helps operators avoid complete shutdowns, but it also means that concrete information arrives late. Local outlets are already warning that Metro, RER, and bus timetables for December 2 will only be published the evening before, and that parents and commuters will need to check right up to the last moment. For visitors, especially those who do not read French easily, this lag can be confusing, since English language summaries sometimes appear hours after the original French bulletins.

Planning Strategies For Visitors

For travelers already committed to being in France around December 2, the most effective strategy is to move the most time sensitive segments off the strike day where possible. That means shifting long rail journeys to December 1 or December 3 if tickets and hotel plans can stretch, and prioritizing arrivals, not departures, on December 2 for those who must travel that day, since missed arrivals are usually easier to absorb than missed onward flights.

Travelers who must fly on December 2 should favor early morning or later evening departures, which often see better staffing and more predictable operations than the mid day peak on strike days. Booking fully flexible or changeable fares, even at a small premium, can pay off if forecasts published the night before reveal heavier disruption on specific routes. For airport access, every party should have a primary plan via rail or coach and a secondary plan via taxi or rideshare, with realistic estimates of road traffic if protests or marches pass near key junctions.

For rail, visitors should register their bookings in the SNCF app or on the website so that they receive cancellation notices and rebooking offers as soon as timetables are finalized. Those using Eurail or Interrail passes should pay attention to seat reservation requirements on TGV routes across France, since even a reduced timetable can fill quickly on strike days. Where flexible passes allow it, buying a seat on an earlier train, and treating later slots as backups, is often the safest approach for same day travel.

Finally, travelers should have a plan if schools, museums, or attractions in their destination city operate on reduced hours or limited staffing. While the December 2 strike is not expected to target tourism directly, widespread participation across teachers, municipal workers, and health staff means that some public venues may close or curtail services, especially outside the main tourist centers. Checking local city websites and tourism boards a day or two ahead will reduce the risk of wasted journeys.

If negotiations between unions and the government over the 2026 budget fail to progress, the December 2 strike could also set a pattern for further days of action later in the winter, similar to the rolling pension protests seen in earlier years. Travelers with trips to France in early 2026 should watch for extra dates being announced and treat this episode as a rehearsal for how quickly they can adjust rail and airport plans when new strike calls appear.

Sources

• National strike on December 2, transportation, schools, airports, what to expect in Paris
• Transport strike on December 1, 2, and 3, what to expect in Paris
• Grève nationale du 2 décembre, revendications, mobilisations, perturbations
• Grève du 2 décembre, voici les perturbations prévues dans les écoles, les transports et les services publics
• Major strike to disrupt services across France on Tuesday 2nd December
• Nationwide strike announced in December, Kuehne Nagel advisory
• Train strikes in France, information and tips
• Le 2 décembre, tou tes mobilise es pour un budget de progres social
• Préavis de grève pour la journée du 2 décembre 2025
• Updates on the future of air traffic control strikes in France