Lorraine Williamson
Spain’s Easter return traffic is already beginning to build, with the DGT warning that this weekend’s final phase will combine short local journeys in holiday areas with the first long-distance trips back towards major cities. The traffic authority updated its guidance on Saturday, 4 April, stressing that the intensity of traffic is expected to rise significantly as the holiday period enters its closing stretch.
The key shift this evening is that the return is no longer just a Sunday story. According to the DGT, many drivers are already setting off early to avoid the heavier queues expected on Sunday, particularly in regions where the holiday ends this weekend, including Andalucia, Madrid, Murcia, Castilla y León, Galicia, and the Balearic Islands, among others.
Why the roads are getting busier tonight
The DGT says the staggered return will gather pace mainly from Saturday afternoon, bringing heavier traffic to routes linking tourist zones and second-home areas with large urban centres. That means the pressure is likely to be felt first on the roads out of coastal destinations and holiday hotspots before spreading towards inland motorways and city approaches.
That is also why this is not just about one single return wave. The authority says these long-distance return movements are overlapping with short local trips, especially on coastal roads and access routes to seaside towns, while in places such as Catalonia, the Valencian Community, Navarra, the Basque Country, and La Rioja, the return will be pushed back because Monday is still a holiday.
Sunday is still expected to be the worst day
Even so, Sunday remains the main pressure point. The DGT says many of today’s movements are being brought forward specifically to avoid the retentions expected on Sunday, when the holiday officially ends in most of Spain. That makes Saturday evening important, but Sunday still looks set to be the toughest day for drivers on the main return corridors.
This sits within the wider second phase of the Easter operation, which the DGT said earlier this week could involve close to 10 million road journeys, supported by a special traffic-management plan including alternative routes, extra monitoring, and restrictions designed to reduce congestion.
The bigger danger may not be on the motorways
One of the more important warnings in the DGT update is not about major motorways at all. The agency says drivers should take maximum care on secondary roads, where accident risk is higher and where many of the most serious crashes happen. It also repeats the usual but important advice: avoid distractions, especially mobile phone use, keep a safe distance, and adapt speed to conditions.
The DGT notes that run-off-road crashes on conventional roads remain especially serious. Those roads accounted for 72% of this type of fatal accident last year, with 349 deaths, which is why the authority continues to highlight them during holiday traffic operations.
Semana Santa day by day
What drivers in Spain should do tonight
For readers planning to travel this evening or tomorrow, the practical message is simple: check conditions before leaving, expect delays on routes out of holiday areas, and do not assume the traffic build-up will wait until Sunday lunchtime. The DGT says live information remains available through its website, radio and TV bulletins, official social channels, the Infocar portal and the 011 phone line.
For many drivers, tonight may feel like a quieter window. But the official warning suggests the return has already started — and that the real weekend bottleneck is now firmly underway.