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DRIVING

EXPLAINED: The German roads to avoid as school holidays come to an end

Germany's largest motoring club has warned drivers that this weekend and the coming days will be busy on the roads as summer holidays in five states are set to end soon.

Published: 11 August 2023 16:06 CEST
People drive on the Autobahn in Laichingen in Baden-Württemberg.
People drive on the Autobahn in Laichingen in Baden-Württemberg. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Stefan Puchner

Many holidaymakers are likely to be on their way back home this weekend or next weekend so key routes on the Autobahn will be crowded, said the ADAC. 

The auto association expects more traffic jams than normal from Friday onwards. 

In five German states, the school holidays are ending around the same time: in Lower Saxony, Bremen and Saxony-Anhalt, the last day of the school holidays is on August 16th, in Saxony it’s August 18th and in Thuringia it’s August 19th.

Adding to the mix is that the third week of holidays is about to begin in Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria.

Plus Bavaria and Saarland have a regional holiday coming up with Assumption Day – or Mariä Himmelfahrt – on Tuesday, August 15th. It’s expected that many people will use this holiday as part of a long weekend and take Monday as a ‘bridge day’ off work. 

READ ALSO: When are Germany’s state and national holidays in 2023?

According to the ADAC, there will likely be traffic backed up in key areas at peak times such as Friday afternoon, Saturday and Sunday.

Particular hotspots are expected to be around the German border crossings with Austria, including the A3 between Linz and Passau, the A8 between Salzburg and Munich and the A93 between Kufstein and Rosenheim.

According to the ADAC, these stretches could get crowded:

Trunk roads to and from the North Sea and Baltic Sea

A1 Lübeck – Hamburg – Bremen

A3 Passau – Nuremberg – Frankfurt

A4 Kirchheimer Dreieck – Bad Hersfeld – Erfurt – Dresden

READ ALSO: Can I take my child out of school in Germany to go on holiday?

A5 Karlsruhe – Basel

A6 Heilbronn – Nuremberg

A7 Flensburg – Hamburg

A7 Hanover – Hamburg and Füssen/Reutte – Ulm – Würzburg

A8 Salzburg – Munich – Stuttgart – Karlsruhe

A9 Munich – Nuremberg – Halle /Leipzig

A19 Rostock – Wittstock/Dosse junction

A24 Berlin – Hamburg

A45 Giessen – Dortmund

A61 Ludwigshafen – Koblenz – Mönchengladbach

A72 Hof – Chemnitz

A81 Stuttgart – Singen

A93 Inntaldreieck – Kufstein

A95/B 2 Munich – Garmisch-Partenkirchen

A99 Munich bypass

Watch out for building sites

The ADAC also warned drivers that construction on roads could add to the build-up of traffic.

There are more than 1,450 construction sites around Germany currently. 

People taking to the roads during this busy time of year are advised to try not to travel at weekends or travel early or in the evening. 

According to experts, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays are good times to travel. 

The ADAC added that the holiday ban on HGVs, which is in force from 7 am to 8 pm on Saturdays until the end of August, will ease the situation.

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EURO 2024

Germany prevents hundreds of illegal border entries ahead of Euro 2024

Police detected well over a thousand illegal entries or attempted entries into Germany shortly before the start of the Euro 2024 championship.

Published: 17 June 2024 11:00 CEST
Germany prevents hundreds of illegal border entries ahead of Euro 2024

German authorities put temporary border controls in place on June 7th in the run up to the UEFA European Football Championships in a bid to clamp down on any violence. 

Police announced that shortly before the start of the tournament on June 14th, 1,400 unauthorised entries were detected during border checks.

A total of 900 people were prevented from entering Germany or deported during this time, while 173 arrest warrants were served, Interior Minister Nancy Faeser told German newspaper Bild am Sonntag.

“This shows that our measures are working,” Faeser said, adding that the aim is to recognise and stop possible violent offenders at an early stage. 

According to the minister, 19 perpetrators wanted by police due to politically motivated crime were also found, while 34 people smugglers were arrested.

The extended checks are taking place at the borders with Denmark, France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg where no checks were previously carried out.

READ ALSO: Germany to check passports at Danish border during the Euros

Travellers from the Schengen zone may also face random checks during air travel, at ports or on buses and trains. 

The controls are in force until July 19th – a few days after the Euro 2024 final on July 14th.

Travellers should be prepared for possible longer waiting times at borders – and should carry valid ID as well as any travel documents they need to enter Germany. 

READ ALSO: What to know about Germany’s extra border checks for Euro 2024

22,000 officers on the job

Security is a huge factor for the event that sees 24 teams competing in several German cities. Millions of visitors from all over the world are heading to Germany to stadiums and fan zones across the country.

A total of 22,000 federal police officers are on duty to ensure security during the event – the largest deployment in the history of Germany’s police force, according to Faeser.

“They are protecting our borders, airports and rail traffic,” said the minister.

Existing controls at the borders with Poland, the Czech Republic and Switzerland were recently extended by six months until mid-December. The ministry said the aim is to continue combating smuggling offences and limiting irregular migration.

Spike in number of unauthorised entries on eastern borders

It comes as the number of migrants at the German borders with Poland and the Czech Republic – along the so-called ‘Belarus route’ – has risen again.

Police recorded 2,215 unauthorised entries on this route between the beginning of January and the end of May, authorities told DPA.

In January and February there were 26 and 25 respectively, in March the number rose to 412, in April to 861 and in May, according to initial data, to 891.

A total of 1,021 unauthorised arrivals have been detected in Brandenburg since the beginning of the year, 867 in Saxony and 327 in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.

But despite this recent rising trend, the overall figures are significantly lower than last year. By the end of May 2023, federal police had recorded 6,000 unauthorised entries on the ‘Belarus route’, as reported by Mediendienst Integration, which processes police statistics.

Poland and the EU have accused Russia and Belarus of deliberately helping people from crisis regions to enter the EU without permission by providing visas and logistics since 2021.

Poland has now erected a 5.5 metre high fence at its external EU border. But according to Polish border guards, people are still trying to cross the border. Since the beginning of the year, 16,500 attempts have been registered, compared to 11,200 in the same period in 2023.

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