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Traffic warnings issued in Germany ahead of public holiday

The Local Germany
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Traffic warnings issued in Germany ahead of public holiday
Traffic queues on the Autobahn near Hamburg. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Jonas Walzberg

People travelling in Germany this week have been warned to expect heavy traffic and busy airports.

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Germany has a nationwide public holiday on May 26th to mark the Christian holiday Ascension Day (Christi Himmelfahrt), which is also known as Father's Day or Men's Day.

Many people also book the Friday off work - known as a Brückentag (bridge day) - to make their annual leave go further. 

It comes after a disappointing start to the year when some public holidays fell on the weekend, meaning that most people didn't get the day off in Germany. 

READ ALSO: German politicians call for 'lost' public holidays to be replaced

Meanwhile, with Covid restrictions being eased in most countries around the world, people in Germany are now desperate to make the most of their time off. 

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It means that roads and airports are likely to be much busier - from Wednesday afternoon onwards. 

Germany's biggest car club, the ADAC, warned that traffic jams were expected. 

Where are the worst traffic jams expected?

The ADAC expects the first peak of congestion on Wednesday from around 1pm to 7pm. It will also be very busy on Saturday and Sunday, while experts believe Friday will be fairly quiet on the roads. 

Roadworks might also pose a problem - the ADAC says more than 1,000 construction work sites are in place across Germany right now. 

The ADAC said the biggest traffic jams were expected around Hamburg, Berlin, Cologne, Frankfurt, Stuttgart and Munich, as well as on the following motorways:

A1 Cologne - Bremen - Hamburg - Lübeck

A2 Berlin - Hanover - Dortmund

A3 Cologne - Frankfurt - Würzburg - Nuremberg

A4 Kirchheimer Dreieck - Erfurt - Chemnitz - Dresden

A5 Hattenbacher Dreieck - Darmstadt - Karlsruhe

A6 Heilbronn - Nuremberg

A7 Hamburg - Hanover and A7 Würzburg - Füssen/Reutte

A7 Hamburg - Flensburg

A8 Stuttgart - Munich - Salzburg

A9 Munich - Nuremberg

A10 Berlin Ring

A61 Mönchengladbach - Koblenz - Ludwigshafen

A81 Stuttgart - Singen

A93 Inntaldreieck - Kufstein

A95/B2 Munich - Garmisch-Partenkirchen

A99 Munich Autobahnring

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Ascension Day is also a public holiday in Austria and Switzerland. 

Road experts say there could similarly be some busy roads in these countries which could affect Germans crossing the borders. 

"This will be particularly noticeable on the access roads to the leisure regions in the lower road network of the Alpine countries - for example, in Austria the Carinthian lakes, the Salzkammergut, Lake Neusiedl and the recreational areas of the Swiss cantons of Ticino and Valais," said the ADAC.

"Slightly longer driving times should also be planned for the Tauern, Fernpass, Brenner, Rhine Valley and Gotthard routes."

READ ALSO: Why Germans are being warned not to cycle drunk on Father's Day

What about airports?

German airports are also expecting a rush of passengers this week. 

From Wednesday until Sunday this week, around 77,000 passengers per day are expected at Berlin's BER airport. On regular weekdays, between 55,000 and 65,000 passengers is the norm, while around 70,000 travellers pass through BER on the peak days of Friday and Sunday.

Passengers are urged to be at the airport at least two hours before check-in, and to keep an eye for any updates or changes to their trip from their airline. 

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