Where to expect travel disruption in Germany over Easter weekend

The Easter holiday weekend is almost here! If you’re planning to get away, by road, rail or air, here’s where you can expect disruptions from Good Friday to Easter Monday.

High fuel costs mean trains will be busier

Easter is always one of Deutsche Bahn’s busiest times, but passenger numbers may be even higher this year. Speaking to Bild am Sonntag, Deutsche Bahn CEO Evelyn Palla said that bookings over the weekend were “in the double-digit percentages over expectations”.

Palla attributed the increased demand for train travel to rising fuel costs caused by US-Israeli attacks on Iran. Additional trains will be in operation to manage higher passenger numbers, “in the directions of Sylt, the Black Forest and Lake Constance,” Palla explained.

However, as always, major construction works will cause additional delays. These include works on important stretches between Leipzig and Halle, around Hanover and between Frankfurt and Fulda.

There are also cancellations and disruptions on the lines between Hamburg and Berlin and between Hamburg and Hanover. These disruptions have had knock-on effects on regional trains connecting Lower Saxony.

Over the weekend, trains between Berlin and Cologne, Berlin and Munich and Frankfurt and Cologne are likely to be the busiest. DB has encouraged passengers to check occupancy levels on the DB Navigator app before boarding the train.

German roads will be busy from Maundy Thursday

According to ADAC, Germany’s motor association, roads across the country will start to fill up with Easter holiday traffic from Thursday, April 2. In fact, this will be the busiest day for traffic because school holidays began in 10 federal states between March 27 and 29.

ADAC says routes surrounding Berlin, Hamburg, Frankfurt, Stuttgart and Munich will all be busy. Drivers should expect traffic jams and delays on the A1, A3, A7, A8 and A9. For the full list of roads expecting delays, check the ADAC website.

However, just as trains will be busier due to high fuel prices, roads will be quieter overall than last year.

Flying during Easter weekend 2026

The past few weeks have seen significant disruption at German airports. In mid-March 2.000 staff at BER Airport took part in industrial action. Negotiations between ver.di and employers are still ongoing, but the trade union has ruled out any further warning strikes until April 13.

Pilot strikes at Lufthansa also led to disruption in mid-March. Negotiations are ongoing and according to the UFO pilots' union, Lufthansa employee members have recently voted in favour of further strike action. 

A day over Easter weekend may well be chosen to make strike action effective. However, a date is yet to be announced. Warning strikes are typically announced one to two days in advance.