Holidays in North Rhine -Westphalia: Stauwahnsinn threatens on highways!

Holidays in North Rhine -Westphalia: Stauwahnsinn threatens on highways!

The start of the holiday in North Rhine-Westphalia is just around the corner, and the anticipation for summer vacation-both in Germany and the neighbor in the Netherlands-is noticeable. On 12. July 2025 the summer holidays start in North Rhine -Westphalia, and the highways in the west will be fully utilized due to the high traffic. The WAZ reports that both the ADAC and Autobahn GmbH is advisable before one Warn increased storage risk.

It becomes particularly critical on Friday afternoon (July 11) , on Saturday morning (July 12th) and on Sunday afternoon (July 13) when vacationers and commuters push themselves on the streets. The combination of vacation travel and rush hour can lead to considerable delays, which is particularly great between 2 and 6 p.m. on Friday. For flexible travelers who rely on a good hand, it is advisable to lay the arrival days on Monday or Tuesday and to drive outside of peak times.

stammered motorways

The highways in North Rhine-Westphalia are particularly damable between Cologne and Lübeck, as well as between Rhein/Ruhr and Hanover and along the A3. According to Auto Motor and Sport , the following routes are considered acute staurisiko-stressed:

• A1: between Cologne and Lübeck, construction sites at Münster-Hiltrup, Kamener Kreuz, and more
• A2: Between Oberhausen and Bottrop
• A3: Total course, with critical sections between Oberhausen and Mettmann
• A44: Between Dortmund and Kassel
• A59: affected over the entire course

about 650 to 700 construction sites will be active in NRW during the summer holidays, which further tightens the situation. Autobahn GmbH recommends travelers to take enough drinks and snacks to get through the traffic jams.

preparation for the trip

But that's not all: if you plan to drive on the motorways, you should also be aware that on Saturdays from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. a driving ban applies to truck over 7.5 tons. This could be the traffic situation, especially on 11. July a little relax, but also opens up challenges among the landlords: inside of transport vehicles. The ADAC experts advise you to drive off the motorway at traffic jams over 10 kilometers and to form a rescue alley so as not to hinder the passage for emergency vehicles.

The schools in the north and in the middle of the Netherlands now have vacation, which will also drive travel. The beautiful summer months not only attract Germans, but also visitors from other federal states and neighboring countries such as Lower Saxony, Rhineland-Palatinate and Hesse. Accordingly, on the coasts, in the mountains and around the bathing lakes, increased backlogs are expected. There is also a lot of traffic in the adjacent countries such as Austria and Switzerland.

For all travelers, it is important to be patient and not to let the anticipation of the vacation cloud. Traffic traffic will be challenging, but the goal should be the adventure and relaxing during the holidays!