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How to navigate roads and trains in Germany over the Easter holidays

Germany tends to see the most traffic jams and full-occupancy trains just before and after holiday weekends, and Easter is a big one. Deutsche Bahn (DB) has warned that its long-distance trains are already filling up, especially on Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Monday. Motorists' association ADAC suggests that the same days will see particularly heavy traffic on Germany's highways. Here's how you can minimise stress on your journey. When is traffic expected to be the highest? In Bremen, Hesse, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia, travel for the Easter holiday begins this weekend. In these states schools go on spring break from Monday April 7th, and plenty of families will head out this weekend. The busiest days for travel, however, are generally Maudy Thursday and Good Friday (April 17th and 18th this year) as well as Easter Monday (April 21st). If you're highly traffic-averse, you may want to avoid travelling on these days. But if it can't be avoided, book your train tickets well in advance and get seat reservations. If you're going by car, consider driving in the early morning or late evening. Tips for navigating Deutsche Bahn Deutsche Bahn has announced on its website that many trips on the high-traffic days are already well booked. If you're travelling on a high-occupancy train, you'd be advised to reserve a seat - that is, if you do want to have a place to sit. You can check the expected occupancy of your train ahead of time in the DB navigator app. If you have yet to buy a ticket, you can select the "show our best prices" function in the app to find cheaper tickets on connections that are less crowded. Advertisement Unfortunately, some rail connections over the Easter weekend will also be affected by ongoing construction. DB suggests that trains in the Ruhr area between Dortmund and Essen will take around 20 minutes longer due to the expansion of the Rhine-Ruhr Express. Also, the Hanover-Bremen line will be closed from April 7th to the 27th April for repair work. And long-distance trains between Berlin and Munich, will take around 1.5 hours more around Easter when they will be diverted via Würzburg due to construction. READ ALSO: Where Berliners are facing travel disruptions this spring To increase capacity during the holiday, DB says it will use double-length and XXL ICE trains with around 1,000 seats whenever possible. Cars drive on the A100 city motorway in Berlin in springtime. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Carsten Koall New DB connections to start from the holiday weekend In a bit of good news for leisure travellers, DB has also announced plans for around 100 additional weekly seasonal connections to start from the holiday week. New direct connections will run from Munich to Ancona on the Adriatic Sea, for example. READ ALSO: The destinations you can reach by direct night train from Munich There will also be additional high-speed connections between Frankfurt and Brussels, and another intercity connection between the Rhineland and the East Frisian North Sea coast. Advertisement Tips for travel on the motorway According to the ADAC, drivers should expect heavy traffic on the Autobahn around Easter weekend. Maundy Thursday and Easter Monday are expected to be the busiest days to drive, whereas Easter Sunday itself is expected to be comparatively relaxed. Drivers looking to cut down on their travel time are advised to consider off-peak times (such as early morning or late evening departures) and alternative routes, for example on surburban roads rather than major highways. If possible, ADAC advises motorists to plan their alternative route in advance. READ ALSO: Three apps to help drivers in Germany find the cheapest fuel Other things to be aware of If your holiday travels will bring you beyond Germany's borders, remember that border controls are still in effect and may cause delays. Foreign nationals in Germany should carry their residence permit as well as their passport when travelling through or near border zones. Fortunately there is no sign of strikes over the Easter weekend, for both national rail services and at Germany's major airlines and airports.