Austria’s road network is set to experience its heaviest congestion of 2025 as several events converge on the long weekend of 24-27 October. The motorists’ association ARBÖ warned on 22 October that autumn school holidays, Austria’s National Day celebrations on 26 October and the ATP-500 Erste Bank Open tennis tournament in Vienna will create “exceptionally high” traffic volumes on key arteries.
According to ARBÖ, Vienna’s Südost-Tangent A23, Donauufer-Autobahn A22 and Süd-Autobahn A2 will be the worst urban pinch points as thousands of families begin half-term trips while spectators head to the Stadthalle for the tennis quarter-finals and finals. Outside the capital, the Pyhrn A9, West A1 and Tauern A10 motorways are forecast to see stop-and-go traffic, with returning holidaymakers from Germany colliding with outbound flows from Austria and Baden-Württemberg.
Public-transport hubs will also feel the strain. ÖBB expects peak passenger numbers on Friday evening and Monday afternoon and has added 8,000 long-distance seats. Business travellers are advised to avoid Friday afternoon departures from Vienna and to build extra buffers into airport transfers, especially along the A4 airport motorway, which ARBÖ predicts will be subject to rolling closures for National Day rehearsals.
For mobility managers the advice is clear: move essential road journeys to off-peak hours, brief assignees on alternative rail routes and remind overseas visitors that Vienna’s short-term parking zones remain in force until 22:00, even during public-holiday weekends. Companies with time-critical freight should consider rail or night-time slots to bypass anticipated bottlenecks.
According to ARBÖ, Vienna’s Südost-Tangent A23, Donauufer-Autobahn A22 and Süd-Autobahn A2 will be the worst urban pinch points as thousands of families begin half-term trips while spectators head to the Stadthalle for the tennis quarter-finals and finals. Outside the capital, the Pyhrn A9, West A1 and Tauern A10 motorways are forecast to see stop-and-go traffic, with returning holidaymakers from Germany colliding with outbound flows from Austria and Baden-Württemberg.
Public-transport hubs will also feel the strain. ÖBB expects peak passenger numbers on Friday evening and Monday afternoon and has added 8,000 long-distance seats. Business travellers are advised to avoid Friday afternoon departures from Vienna and to build extra buffers into airport transfers, especially along the A4 airport motorway, which ARBÖ predicts will be subject to rolling closures for National Day rehearsals.
For mobility managers the advice is clear: move essential road journeys to off-peak hours, brief assignees on alternative rail routes and remind overseas visitors that Vienna’s short-term parking zones remain in force until 22:00, even during public-holiday weekends. Companies with time-critical freight should consider rail or night-time slots to bypass anticipated bottlenecks.
