With North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous federal state starts the holidays. That puts a lot of traffic on the freeways. Read here where traffic jams are likely to remain in the coming weeks.
A lot of patience and a cool head – that’s what everyone who wants to start their holiday by car in the coming weeks needs. The ADAC estimates that the travel summer should be as congested as before Corona. The autobahns will already be filling up next weekend (June 24 to 26) when the summer holidays begin in North Rhine-Westphalia.
They are joined by travelers regardless of the holiday dates. Especially when the weather is nice, last-minute holidaymakers and day-trippers come along.
Although, according to the Auto Club Europa (ACE), holiday traffic should be well distributed on the classic routes to the south and to the coasts, heavy travel and a high risk of traffic jams can still be expected. However, the ADAC does not expect endless traffic jams at the start of the season.
Friday
Commuter traffic jams are to be expected throughout Germany from midday, and holiday traffic will also be felt in the Rhine-Ruhr area, the ACE predicts. The busiest times are between 12 p.m. and 7 p.m.
Saturday
The classic holiday routes to the south or to the coasts of the North and Baltic Seas are heavily loaded from early in the morning. Traffic is likely to be at its highest between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m.
Sunday
For Sunday, the ACE expects a lot of excursion traffic, especially when the weather is nice. This fills the branch lines and the routes around the local recreation areas.
Holiday traffic on the motorways should be noticeable from the morning, although the situation should be more relaxed than on Saturday due to the truck driving ban. The main travel times are therefore between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Those who can start the holiday trip anti-cyclically, for example on a Tuesday or Wednesday, should be able to get through traffic jam weekends best. However, if you need Saturday as your travel day, you should start longer journeys in the morning as early as possible. With a short journey, it can also start in the afternoon or on Sunday.
According to the car clubs, there is an additional risk of traffic jams due to the G7 summit in Elmau (June 26 to 28). According to the ADAC, considerable traffic obstructions must be expected here in the Bavarian Oberland between Garmisch-Partenkirchen and Mittenwald. According to ACE, drivers must expect extensive diversions (from June 23) for through traffic, temporary closures of individual streets and also identity checks in this area.
The car clubs consider traffic jams and delays to be possible, especially in the metropolitan areas of Hamburg, Berlin, Rhine-Ruhr, Rhine-Main, Stuttgart, Munich, in the Garmisch-Partenkirchen area, on the routes to the coasts and on the following routes, often in both directions:
A 1 Cologne – Dortmund – Bremen – Hamburg – Lübeck
A1/A3/A4 Cologne Ring
A 2 Hannover – Dortmund
A 3 Oberhausen – Cologne – Frankfurt/Main – Würzburg – Nuremberg – Passau
A 4 Kirchheim triangle – Erfurt – Dresden
A 5 Hattenbacher Dreieck – Darmstadt – Karlsruhe – Basel
A 6 Mannheim – Heilbronn – Nürnberg
A 7 Flensburg – Hamburg – Hanover – Kassel – Würzburg – Ulm – Füssen/Reutte
A 8 Karlsruhe – Stuttgart – Munich – Salzburg
A 9 Nuremberg – Munich
A 10 Berliner Ring
A 24 Hamburg – Berlin
A 31 Bottrop – Emden
A 45 Olpe – Hagen
A 61 Mönchengladbach – Koblenz – Ludwigshafen
A 81 Heilbronn – Stuttgart – Singen
A 93 Rosenheim – Kiefersfelden
A 95/B2 Munich – Garmisch-Partenkirchen
A 96 Kreuz Memmingen
A 99 Munich bypass
Even on the classic holiday routes in Austria and Switzerland, the destination is unlikely to be reached without traffic jams. According to the ADAC, the Tauern, Fernpass, Brenner, Rheintal, Karawanken and Gotthard routes are particularly at risk of congestion.
For Switzerland, the ACE expects traffic jams, especially in front of the Gotthard tunnel. If the waiting time is longer than an hour, the alternative route (A 13) via the San Bernardino tunnel is worthwhile.
When crossing the border to Germany, you should be prepared for waiting times due to border controls. How long you currently have to wait when returning from Austria to Germany can be seen online at the Austrian infrastructure company Asfinag.
