Severe traffic congestion materialised across western Europe on Friday and Saturday as millions of holidaymakers hit the roads, with the ADAC counting 24 tailbacks exceeding 10 kilometres each on German motorways by Friday afternoon. The A1 towards Denmark and the A9 between Munich and Nuremberg were among the worst-hit corridors, while Bavaria's schools broke for summer on Friday morning — the last German state to do so — unleashing a fresh wave of travellers.
In France, cumulative queues surpassed 300 kilometres by mid-morning Saturday on a day classed "black" for outbound travel, with 75 kilometres of jams on the A7 through the Rhône valley alone. Bison Futé advised drivers to postpone trips or stay off the roads entirely.
Spain's second summer exit operation projected 5.6 million journeys, after the Dirección General de Tráfico launched its special deployment on Friday afternoon. Accidents on the AP-7 near Valencia compounded delays on the Mediterranean corridor.