Semana Santa — Holy Week / Easter week is not just a religious calendar event on the Costa del Sol. It is the week when the whole coast shifts gear. Restaurants that have been running quiet January numbers fill every seat. Short-term rental owners take their biggest revenue of the quarter. Hotels run at close to capacity. The streets of Marbella, Fuengirola, and Nerja fill with domestic tourists, most of them from Madrid.

The assumption underneath all of that is that people can get here.

That assumption is now in question.

The AVE high-speed rail line between Madrid and Málaga has been partially suspended since a train derailment near Adamuz, a town in Córdoba province, in January. Forty-three people died. That fact sits behind everything that follows. Repair works on a separate section between Antequera and Málaga, related to obras — construction works at Álora, have further complicated the picture. As of late February 2026, passengers travelling between Madrid and Málaga by rail face a hybrid service: train to Córdoba, then a bus transfer to Málaga. The journey takes approximately 4.5 hours. Tickets are priced at €22.20. (Confirmed February 2026)

For comparison, a direct flight from Madrid Barajas (MAD) to Málaga Airport (AGP) takes around 1 hour 20 minutes.

ADIF, the Spanish rail infrastructure body responsible for restoration, has set an early March target for full service resumption. Semana Santa runs from March 29 to April 5, 2026. That means ADIF has roughly two to three weeks between a confirmed restoration and the start of the coast's highest-revenue week. Barely enough time for cancelled bookings to recover. No firm commitment has been made publicly. (Confirmed February 2026)

The AEHCOS, the Málaga Hotel and Tourism Association, formally attributed losses of €300M+ to the rail disruption as of February 17, 2026. That figure was upgraded from an earlier estimate of €109M. Between January 19 and March 1, the disruption is projected to mean 65,848 fewer tourists arriving by rail. Hotel bookings along the Costa del Sol are down 15 to 20 percent compared to this period in a normal year. (Confirmed February 2026)

To put that in perspective: Málaga Airport (AGP) handled 1,440,294 passengers across 10,830 operations in January 2026 alone. The airport is functioning normally. The air route from Madrid is running. The problem is specific to the rail link, but rail accounts for a significant share of domestic weekend and short-break travel from the capital.

People planning Madrid-to-Málaga travel for Easter are making decisions right now. Some of them are looking at a 4.5-hour hybrid journey and booking elsewhere, or not booking at all. If ADIF misses the early March window, there is no recovery window before Easter. The bookings that drive Semana Santa occupancy do not materialise in the final ten days before the week begins.

If you're planning to travel between Madrid and the Costa del Sol over Easter week:

The hybrid service (train to Córdoba, bus transfer to Málaga) is running, but the journey is significantly longer. Book a direct flight from Madrid Barajas to Málaga AGP as your primary option if timing is critical. Iberia, Vueling, and Ryanair all operate the route. The ADIF announcement in early March is the one to watch. If full AVE service is confirmed by then, rail becomes viable again for late Easter travel. If not, assume the hybrid is the only rail option and plan accordingly. All Madrid-Málaga options, including current prices and journey times, are in our Costa del Sol transport guide.

If you own a short-term rental property:

Semana Santa is typically your highest single-week revenue of Q1. This year, the overland domestic segment from Madrid is running at a significant discount to normal. The airport arrivals are holding up, so international and fly-in domestic guests are less affected. Now is the time to reprice for that mix shift: hold rates for fly-in guests, consider whether your listing copy mentions airport access. The ADIF early March announcement is your planning pivot. If the line is still down, the Madrid drive-and-rail market will not recover for Easter. Our Short-Term Rentals guide covers VUT licensing, pricing strategy, and platform compliance for 2026.

If you run a restaurant or hospitality business:

The domestic tourist footfall from Madrid during Easter week is at risk. International arrivals via Málaga airport are relatively insulated. Plan for a week that is busier than February but potentially 15 to 20 percent below a typical Semana Santa if the line is not fully restored. That is not a forecast. It is the current booking trend as reported by AEHCOS. Staff accordingly before Easter week, not during it.

If you live here full-time and aren't travelling:

The softness in the rental market during what should be peak week will have downstream effects on the local service economy. It is also worth knowing that the hybrid rail option exists if you need to get to Madrid at a lower cost, at the cost of time.

What Semana Santa typically looks like for the coast (road closures, procession schedules, what closes, and how to plan around it) is in our Semana Santa guide.

Servicio mixto — hybrid service (train and bus combined)

Obras en la vía — track works / works on the line

The AVE Madrid-Málaga disruption has already cost the Costa del Sol €300M+ in projected losses. Whether Semana Santa recovers depends almost entirely on an ADIF announcement in early March that has not yet been made. That date is the actual deadline, not Easter itself. If you have travel or revenue decisions riding on Easter week, make your contingency plan now and treat the early March update as the trigger to revise it.

Enjoy the weekend — A. and the WaypointSur team, who are currently checking the bus timetables from Córdoba