Wildfires Disrupt Travel in France and Spain: Flights, Rail, and River Cruise Updates

Relentless heat waves and a lack of rainfall are making it harder for firefighters to contain several massive wildfires that are ravaging parts of France and Spain. Hundreds of thousands of people have been forced to flee parts of southwest France, as well as from areas near Madrid, in what some reports are calling the continent’s biggest evacuation efforts since World War II.

As reported by the BBC, government officials in the Gironde region of southwestern France are asking tourist to stay away. The active Gironde “megafire” is currently burning some seven to nine miles away from the outskirts of Bordeaux – the capital city of the Gironde region – but the airport there remains open. However, NPR reports that rail traffic south of Bordeaux has been suspended, except on the route toward Toulouse.

River cruises in the Bordeaux region have, so far, been only mildly impacted.

“To date, we have not canceled any cruises in France due to the wildfires, and our itineraries remain largely unaffected… We have made small modifications to docking spots out of an abundance of caution,” a spokesperson for Uniworld Boutique River Cruises told TMR. “It is a highly fluid situation and, if necessary, our teams on the ground will make adaptations that prioritize the safety and well-being of our guests and crew, and maintain the exceptional service and quality that they expect from Uniworld.”

AmaWaterways has not made any changes. “At this time, our Bordeaux itineraries are operating as planned, and we have not made any itinerary changes,” a spokesperson said. “While there is some smoke in the region, the active fires remain a considerable distance from Bordeaux, closer to the Atlantic coast. Current forecasts also indicate an expected shift in the wind, which may help improve conditions in the Bordeaux area.”

Other parts of France remain safe and WISN (an ABC affiliate) reports that Éléonore Caroit, France’s minister for international partnerships, urged tourists not to cancel upcoming trips to other parts of the country, which she said remain untouched.

The official French wildfire map shows more than 20 fires across the country, including in Gironde, Pyrénées-Orientales, Aude, Var, and on Corsica.

In Spain, wildfires are burning in parts of Madrid and Ávila, though Madrid’s city center remains safe and the airport is open.

As reported by the Financial Times, the Spanish government said fires have already burned 170,000 hectares (420,000 acres), making it the worst fire in recent history for the country.