Relaxed Pentecost trip: Peace and quiet on Northern Germany's highways!

Relaxed Pentecost trip: Peace and quiet on Northern Germany's highways!

On the Pentecost weekend, traffic on northern Germany's highways shows a mixed picture. On Sunday, June 8th, 2025, traffic remained largely calm, while Saturday, June 7th, 2025, was characterized by sometimes significant traffic jams. Traffic jams of up to 10 km formed, particularly in front of the Elbe Tunnel in Hamburg. Travelers in Schleswig-Holstein and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania also had to expect longer journey times. The A20 between Lüdersdorf and Groß Sarau was completely closed for several hours on Saturday afternoon after an accident occurred in which three people were injured. Already on Friday, the greater Hamburg area was affected by traffic jams stretching over 50 km.

The high volume of travel during the Pentecost weekend is not surprising, as many federal states have school holidays until June 10th. According to that ADAC Friday, June 6th, and the following Monday, June 9th, are particularly likely to be prone to traffic jams. Whitsun Sunday, June 8th, is considered the best day to travel. In addition to travelers from the federal states with an extended Pentecost weekend, there are also many people from Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria as the summer holidays begin there.

Popular travel destinations and traffic conditions

The main travel destinations are the North and Baltic Seas as well as the Alps and the low mountain ranges. A lot of traffic is expected in these regions. The roads in the direction of Sylt and the Baltic Sea coast are particularly busy, where long waiting times can be expected for car loading in Niebüll. In addition, the road construction authorities are monitoring a large number of construction sites that were opened to traffic by Tuesday morning in order to make Whitsun travel easier. Deutsche Bahn expects full trains, especially in the direction of Hamburg, Berlin, Frankfurt and Munich.

The traffic reports for Northern Germany show numerous construction sites and traffic jam risks on various motorways and federal highways. According to that NDR Further traffic jams are likely to be expected on Whit Monday, as the wave of return travel will take many people on the roads back to their homes.

Traffic jams and closures

Worse road conditions can also be observed on other motorway stretches in Germany. In addition to the motorway sections already mentioned, the A1, A2, A3, A4, A5, A6, A7, A8, A9 and numerous other routes are also affected. Complete closures, such as those on the A40 from Dortmund towards Essen and the A42 from Kamp-Lintfort to Dortmund, increase the traffic jams.

Furthermore, international routes, especially in Austria and the Czech Republic, are also heavily loaded. Queues at border controls could also contribute to longer travel times. Travelers are advised to form an emergency lane when traffic is at a standstill. Non-compliance can be punished with fines of up to 320 euros.