diff --git a/hugolib/hugo_sites_test.go b/hugolib/hugo_sites_test.go
index aa8575075..cbd6bd627 100644
--- a/hugolib/hugo_sites_test.go
+++ b/hugolib/hugo_sites_test.go
@@ -14,10 +14,10 @@ import (
 	"github.com/spf13/hugo/helpers"
 	"github.com/spf13/hugo/hugofs"
 	"github.com/spf13/hugo/source"
+	jww "github.com/spf13/jwalterweatherman"
 	"github.com/spf13/viper"
 	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
-
-	jww "github.com/spf13/jwalterweatherman"
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
 )
 
 func init() {
@@ -52,7 +52,7 @@ func TestMultiSites(t *testing.T) {
 
 	sites := createMultiTestSites(t)
 
-	err := sites.Build(BuildCfg{skipRender: true})
+	err := sites.Build(BuildCfg{})
 
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatalf("Failed to build sites: %s", err)
@@ -126,6 +126,11 @@ func TestMultiSites(t *testing.T) {
 		assert.Equal(t, "fr", frenchPage.Lang())
 	}
 
+	languageRedirect := readDestination(t, "public/index.html")
+
+	// French is the main content language
+	require.True(t, strings.Contains(languageRedirect, "0; url=http://example.com/blog/fr"), languageRedirect)
+
 }
 
 func TestMultiSitesRebuild(t *testing.T) {
@@ -498,7 +503,7 @@ func readFileFromFs(t *testing.T, fs afero.Fs, filename string) string {
 		// Print some debug info
 		root := strings.Split(filename, helpers.FilePathSeparator)[0]
 		afero.Walk(fs, root, func(path string, info os.FileInfo, err error) error {
-			if !info.IsDir() {
+			if info != nil && !info.IsDir() {
 				fmt.Println("    ", path)
 			}
 
diff --git a/hugolib/site.go b/hugolib/site.go
index cce78f14d..776876980 100644
--- a/hugolib/site.go
+++ b/hugolib/site.go
@@ -134,10 +134,11 @@ func newSiteFromSources(pathContentPairs ...string) *Site {
 }
 
 type targetList struct {
-	page     target.Output
-	pageUgly target.Output
-	file     target.Output
-	alias    target.AliasPublisher
+	page          target.Output
+	pageUgly      target.Output
+	file          target.Output
+	alias         target.AliasPublisher
+	languageAlias target.AliasPublisher
 }
 
 type SiteInfo struct {
@@ -1398,6 +1399,16 @@ func (s *Site) renderAliases() error {
 			}
 		}
 	}
+
+	if s.Multilingual.enabled() {
+		mainLang := s.Multilingual.DefaultLang.Lang
+		mainLangURL := helpers.AbsURL(mainLang)
+		jww.DEBUG.Printf("Write redirect to main language %s: %s", mainLang, mainLangURL)
+		if err := s.publishDestAlias(s.languageAliasTarget(), "/", mainLangURL); err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+	}
+
 	return nil
 }
 
@@ -2161,6 +2172,11 @@ func (s *Site) aliasTarget() target.AliasPublisher {
 	return s.targets.alias
 }
 
+func (s *Site) languageAliasTarget() target.AliasPublisher {
+	s.initTargetList()
+	return s.targets.languageAlias
+}
+
 func (s *Site) initTargetList() {
 	s.targetListInit.Do(func() {
 		if s.targets.page == nil {
@@ -2185,6 +2201,12 @@ func (s *Site) initTargetList() {
 				PublishDir: s.absPublishDir(),
 			}
 		}
+		if s.targets.languageAlias == nil {
+			s.targets.languageAlias = &target.HTMLRedirectAlias{
+				PublishDir: s.absPublishDir(),
+				AllowRoot:  true,
+			}
+		}
 	})
 }
 
@@ -2198,7 +2220,12 @@ func (s *Site) writeDestPage(path string, publisher target.Publisher, reader io.
 	return publisher.Publish(path, reader)
 }
 
+// AliasPublisher
 func (s *Site) writeDestAlias(path string, permalink string) (err error) {
+	return s.publishDestAlias(s.aliasTarget(), path, permalink)
+}
+
+func (s *Site) publishDestAlias(aliasPublisher target.AliasPublisher, path string, permalink string) (err error) {
 	if viper.GetBool("RelativeURLs") {
 		// convert `permalink` into URI relative to location of `path`
 		baseURL := helpers.SanitizeURLKeepTrailingSlash(viper.GetString("BaseURL"))
@@ -2212,7 +2239,7 @@ func (s *Site) writeDestAlias(path string, permalink string) (err error) {
 		permalink = filepath.ToSlash(permalink)
 	}
 	jww.DEBUG.Println("creating alias:", path, "redirecting to", permalink)
-	return s.aliasTarget().Publish(path, permalink)
+	return aliasPublisher.Publish(path, permalink)
 }
 
 func (s *Site) draftStats() string {
diff --git a/target/htmlredirect.go b/target/htmlredirect.go
index d8eac943c..81051589a 100644
--- a/target/htmlredirect.go
+++ b/target/htmlredirect.go
@@ -45,6 +45,7 @@ type AliasPublisher interface {
 type HTMLRedirectAlias struct {
 	PublishDir string
 	Templates  *template.Template
+	AllowRoot  bool // for the language redirects
 }
 
 func (h *HTMLRedirectAlias) Translate(alias string) (aliasPath string, err error) {
@@ -56,7 +57,7 @@ func (h *HTMLRedirectAlias) Translate(alias string) (aliasPath string, err error
 	alias = filepath.Clean(alias)
 	components := strings.Split(alias, helpers.FilePathSeparator)
 
-	if alias == helpers.FilePathSeparator {
+	if !h.AllowRoot && alias == helpers.FilePathSeparator {
 		return "", fmt.Errorf("Alias \"%s\" resolves to website root directory", originalAlias)
 	}