Overview
- ADAC and Autobahn GmbH identify Friday, December 19, and Saturday, December 20, as the first peak, with traffic building after school ends and Friday afternoon the most congested window.
- Northern bottlenecks include the Hamburg region with the Elbtunnel and Norderelbbrücken, with high risk on the A1, A7, A24, A20 and A23, plus heavy flows on main corridors toward the Alps.
- Frankfurt Airport expects about 178,000 passengers today and roughly 3.6 million over the holiday period, while BER plans about 79,000 today and around 1.1 million through January 4, and Hamburg projects roughly 42,000 today.
- Deutsche Bahn reports bookings about six percent above last year, deploys extra services and minimizes construction, and advises seat reservations and off‑peak departures.
- Heiligabend and the first two Christmas days are forecast to be quiet on roads, with a second wave toward ski areas on December 27–28 and return peaks on January 2 and January 6; authorities urge avoiding Friday afternoon, shifting times, using rail or carpools, and preparing cars for winter conditions.