With Austria’s National Day falling on Monday, 26 October, the Automobile, Motorcycle and Touring Club (ARBÖ) is forecasting one of the heaviest travel weekends of the year. In guidance issued at 05:00 on 21 October 2026, ARBÖ said a combination of school breaks in Austria and Baden-Württemberg, the end of autumn holidays in seven German states, and several high-profile events will strain the road network from Saturday morning through Monday night. South-bound leisure traffic is expected to clog the A10 Tauern and A9 Pyhrn motorways, with particular delays at the Tauern and Gleinalm tunnels and the Spielfeld border crossing into Slovenia. Return flows on Monday could be equally severe, especially if good weather encourages day-trippers to prolong their outings. ARBÖ also highlights potential bottlenecks on the A12 before Kufstein (German border) and on the A13 Brenner corridor. In Vienna, closures of sections of the Ringstraße for the Vienna Safety Festival and military displays on Heldenplatz will divert inner-city traffic; tennis fans heading to the Erste Bank Open and travellers to Vienna Airport are advised to switch to public transport. For cross-border business travellers, the warning means allowing extra buffer-time when driving to customer sites in Bavaria, Slovenia or northern Italy. Freight forwarders have been asked by the Chamber of Commerce to pre-book time slots under the Smart Border Austria digital customs system to avoid queues at Vorarlberg–Switzerland crossings. Airlines operating out of Vienna and Salzburg have issued travel alerts recommending rail links or park-and-ride facilities. Companies with project teams flying in for the Erste Bank Open or alpine World-Cup opener in Sölden should review itinerary risk. HR mobility managers are advised to brief travellers on potential border waiting times and to monitor live updates via EVIS and ASFINAG apps. Vienna’s city hotel association expects occupancy above 90 %, making last-minute re-routing of meetings difficult. ARBÖ’s traffic newsroom will provide 24-hour updates; the club recommends that drivers carry sufficient fuel, water and warm clothing in case of prolonged stand-stills. Businesses relying on just-in-time deliveries across the Alps are urged to reschedule non-essential shipments until mid-week.
Source: Vienna.at
