10 of the busiest roads during the festive season from around the world

The M25 in London is one of the UK’s busiest roads. During the festive period, this stretch of road has been known to see a surge in traffic.

The busiest day last year for this road was December 20th, the last Friday before Christmas. In 2024, the AA issued an amber traffic warning, as severe congestion in parts of this road saw drivers waiting in 45-minute queues.

In the UK, the last Friday before Christmas is known as 'Mad Friday'. It’s notoriously known for drinking and celebrations in the evening after work. As well as festive drinks in the pub, the last Friday before Christmas is also a time when many people finish work for the year and drive to their family homes. This may explain why the busiest hour on the roads in 2024 was between 4 pm and 5 pm. Congestion was very heavy during this hour, as long delays were reported on key sections near major junctions and Heathrow Airport. This might be commuters coming home from work or people traveling to the airport to get home for Christmas.

In 2023, 2022, 2021, and 2020, we found that the busiest day to drive was also the last Friday, but the busiest hour fluctuates. In 2023, we found that there was a surge in traffic, likely from commuters and parents on the school run, and it resulted in drivers being delayed for an hour in some parts, with the M25's western Heathrow stretch seeing the heaviest traffic. There were around 3.2 million trips taking place this day, too, which may have added to the traffic. The busiest hour was between 1-2 pm.

The same story was found in 2022, as the last Friday before Christmas saw the most traffic, especially between the hours of 12:30-1:30 pm. In 2021, the busiest day was Friday, December 24, Christmas Eve, with 1-3 pm being the most hectic. 2020 also saw the last Friday before Christmas as its busiest day, but lockdown restrictions may have meant people weren’t traveling as far to see friends and family, and meeting up in smaller groups.

Up next is Germany’s vibrant capital, Berlin. In 2024, Friday, December 20 was found to be the day when the roads were most congested. There were 30% higher volumes of traffic from commuters, clashing with those traveling to go on Christmas vacation. The outbound autobahns like the A100 on the southern ring saw a lot of this chaos. The busiest hour last year was 4-5 pm, likely due to Feierabend commuters.

In Germany, Christmas Eve is the main day of celebration, when Christmas dinner is usually eaten and presents are exchanged, but Christmas Day is still an important part of the holidays, when people relax with their loved ones.

In 2020-2023, the busiest day to drive on the Bundesautobahn 100 was again the Friday before Christmas. We found that the busiest hour for rush hour traffic has been very consistent over the years, with 4-5 pm being the most congested hour of the day.

If you’re planning on visiting Berlin’s iconic Christmas markets this year, it’s safe to say avoiding this road on Friday, December 19 between 4 and 5 pm may be a good idea!

Spain’s capital, Madrid, is another city that can experience some congestion, particularly on the last Friday before Christmas. In 2024, we found that Friday, December 20 was the busiest day for driving, especially between the hours of 5 pm and 6 pm. We found that there were around 6.7 million trips made between the 20th and Christmas Day, so it may be worth careful planning to avoid peak times if you’re driving in Madrid at this time of year.

In 2023 and 2022, Friday, December 22 and Friday, December 23 saw the busiest roads. There were severe traffic jams reported on the M-30 on both days, from 6 to 7 pm, which is called hora punta (rush hour). In 2022, there were high incident levels reported within this hour, which may have contributed to the congested roads.

In 2021, the busiest day for driving was reported on Christmas Eve. This may have been due to last-minute Christmas shoppers frantically heading out to finish their gift-buying. Commuter traffic may have also contributed to the rise in traffic, as well as the COVID restrictions that were in place at the time.

In 2020, Friday, December 18 saw the most traffic, which could be put down to essential travel during this time.

December 22 is when the Spanish Christmas lottery takes place, which is a huge national event. Tickets are sold in official shops or through those selling them in the streets. Would you try your luck?

The capital of Italy, known for its remarkable ancient Roman ruins and landmarks, is up next on our list of busiest roads during the festive period. Rome is known for its hustle and bustle, so it’s no surprise that the city can get congested during peak travel time around Christmas.

We found that on December 20th, which was Rome’s busiest day for traffic, there was an 8% national growth increase due to travelers and commuters. The busiest hour was between 4 and 5 pm, when outbound holiday traffic overloaded key sections of road near the airport, resulting in a lot of congestion.

In December 2023, the busiest day was also the Friday before Christmas, due to the 1.4 million trips that took place. School holidays, Christmas getaways, and festive shopping all contributed to the chaos. The busiest hour was also 4-5 pm. The same can be said for December 2022, when the last Friday, which was the busiest day, was December 23rd, and 4-5 pm was the busiest time.

In 2021, Christmas Eve was reported to be the day when drivers saw the most congestion, which could be because of last-minute Christmas shoppers. Travel restrictions caused some delays in 2020 on December 18th, with the busiest period being between 4 and 5 pm.

If you’re planning to visit Italy over Christmas, you might encounter the zampognari bag-pipers. This is an Italian Christmas tradition where people dress in traditional sheepskin and woolen coats to play traditional music and hymns on the streets.

The French capital, Paris, is a popular holiday destination for many and is known as the “city of love”. For those traveling there over Christmas, it might be worth planning your route to avoid the peak traffic. In 2024, the busiest time was December 20th, between 5 and 6 pm. There was severe congestion on this day, as people leaving to go on vacation clashed with evening rush hour, which overloaded the Périphérique.

In 2023 and 2022, the last Friday before Christmas was the day the roads were busiest, especially between 5 and 6 pm. This again could be because of people traveling home from work or to their families, and others who are leaving the country to go on vacation. In 2021, the busiest day was Christmas Eve, between the hours of 5 and 6 pm. This might be from last-minute shoppers and commuters driving home to start the celebrations. In 2020, congestion spiked on December 18th, despite there being a 40-60% volume drop as lockdown kept many at home.

If you’re thinking about visiting France over Christmas, you could check out the marchés de Noël, which are wooden market stalls that sell festive goods like delicious food and Christmas decorations.

The Austrian capital Vienna, or the “city of music,” is known for its classical musical culture and is home to many art museums and grand palaces. This beautiful city also puts on several Christmas markets for travelers to enjoy. If you’re planning to visit Vienna over Christmas, it may be worth avoiding driving on the last Friday between 5 and 6 pm!

Friday, December 20th, was the day the roads were busiest over the festive period in 2024 in Vienna, with the peak time being between 5 and 6 pm, likely because of people driving home from work and people heading on vacation. The same can be said for 2023 and 2022, where the last Friday between 5 and 6 pm saw the worst congestion. In 2021, Christmas Eve saw the most traffic, likely from last-minute shoppers and commuters. In 2020, December 18th was the busiest day, like many of the other cities on our list.

If you’re planning to visit Vienna at this time of year, you may come across some fun and unique Christmas celebrations like the Krampus run. This involves people dressing up like Krampus, the devilish creature traditionally said to accompany St. Nicholas to scare badly behaved children at Christmas.

Minsk is the capital and largest city in Belarus and is known for its Soviet-era architecture and beautiful Baroque and Neo-Gothic churches and cathedrals, despite being a modern city. It’s also the 11th most populous city in Europe, home to 2 million people.

In 2024, Friday, December 20 was the busiest day for drivers in Minsk. The ring road was particularly busy between 5 and 6 pm, which might be due to commuters and people traveling home or away for Christmas. In 2023 and 2022, the last Friday before Christmas is also the busiest time for road users, especially between 5 and 6 pm.

As well as celebrations on December 25th, Christmas is also celebrated on January 7th in Belarus, as this is the date it falls on in the Julian calendar traditionally used by some Eastern Orthodox Christians.

Warsaw is Poland's capital and largest city, and is known for its cuisine, charm, and rich history. This bustling city has captured the hearts of travelers from around the world and has a very popular Christmas market for travelers to visit.

In 2024, the busiest day for driving in Warsaw was Friday, December 20th, like many of the other cities on our list. The S8 expressway saw peak congestion around the hour between 4 and 5 pm, which might be because of commuters and people traveling home or away for Christmas.

The last Friday before Christmas was also the busiest day in both 2023 and 2022, and in 2021, it was Christmas Eve. The busiest hour in 2023 and 2021 was 5-6 pm, and in 2022 and 2020, the most congested hour was 5-6 pm.

In Poland, Saint Nicholas Day (Mikołajki) is celebrated on December 6th, where children are given small presents like chocolate Santas.

Bucharest is the capital of Romania and is full of culture, delicious food, and vibrant nightlife. The city is a great place for a winter break, and it puts on beautiful Christmas markets to enjoy this time of year, usually held in Constituției Square.

Like the other cities on our list, traffic peaked on Friday, December 20th, following the same trend across Europe. The hour with the most vehicles on the road was between 4 and 5 pm, which was the same for the busiest day in 2023, 2022, 2021, and 2020. In 2024, there was a 25-30% surge in volume, which might be from travelers on Christmas getaways and festive shoppers, overloading the ring road segments near DN3 and A2.

December 20th is Saint Ignatius Day in Romania, which is a tradition that marks the start of Christmas, with many people getting together with their families to prepare festive meals.

Budapest, Hungary’s capital, is known for its beautiful architecture, rich history, and delicious cuisine, making it a popular tourist destination.

In 2024, the busiest day for traffic was reported to be on Friday, December 6, which is the only city on our list to not have the last Friday before Christmas as the busiest day for travel. It might be because of a Hungarian Christmas tradition, Mikulas Day, which falls on December 6th. Families often celebrate this day together, which might have resulted in more traffic on the road. On this day, there was significant congestion, as travel times reached nearly 26 minutes for 10 kilometers in the city center.

The trend resumes for the years proper, however, as the day with the most traffic fell on December 22nd in 2023, December 23rd in 2022, Christmas Eve in 2021, and December 18th in 2020, like the rest of the cities in our roundup. The busiest hour on these days in Budapest was between 4 and 5 pm, likely due to commuters and last-minute Christmas shoppers in 2021.

The day that saw the least amount of traffic on the roads in all ten cities across the past five years was none other than 25th December, or Christmas Day. This is most likely because most people are at home celebrating Christmas with their loved ones. Many people spend Christmas inside, whether that's opening presents, spending time with family, or preparing a festive meal.

We also found that the slowest hours for traffic across all cities in the past five years were between 4 and 6 am. This is most likely because this time in the morning is when many people are sleeping after celebrating Christmas Eve the night before and getting some rest before Christmas Day celebrations begin.

We hope you found this study useful in planning your journey over Christmas. If you’re looking to rent a car for a vacation this winter, please consider booking with us. We’re a global car rental comparison site that can help you find the perfect rental car in over 164 countries around the world.