Southern Germany and Austria are preparing for the most congested travel weekend of the year as summer school holidays begin in Baden-Württemberg on Thursday, joining Bavaria's ongoing break. The ADAC expects the heaviest traffic from Friday afternoon through Saturday morning, 1 August, with around 1,000 highway construction sites nationwide compounding delays.
The A5 between Heidelberg and Basel and the A8 between Karlsruhe and Ulm are among the most affected routes in Germany, where exit restrictions are anticipated on several motorways. Congestion is also forecast for Austria's Tauern motorway, particularly near the Tauern and Katschberg tunnels, as well as Switzerland's Gotthard route. The ARBÖ and ÖAMTC advise travellers to avoid driving on Saturday altogether.
Air travel is equally strained. Stuttgart Airport is handling nearly 250 flights on Friday, while EuroAirport Basel expects 108,000 passengers over the opening days. Last year's first holiday weekend set a regional record with 1,471 kilometres of cumulative traffic jams in Baden-Württemberg.