Peak day at Schiphol, busy roads expected as summer vacation starts in central NL

Summer vacation starts in the central Netherlands today, which means it will be a busy day for traveling. Schiphol expects a peak day for departures. And travelers' association ANWB expects busy roads from this afternoon.

On Friday, the school year ends for pupils in all of Zuid-Holland, large parts of Gelderland and Utrecht, and parts of Flevoland and Noord-Brabant.

Schiphol airport expects a "peak day" for departures, meaning long queues at check-in, security, and passport control. The airport urged travelers to check the itinerary for their flight on the Schiphol website or app and not to come to the airport more than four hours before their flight departs. That just adds to the crowds and chaos.

It will be a busy day at arrivals, Schiphol expects. That means lines at passport control and the baggage belts.

Staff shortages in baggage handling at the airport have meant that travelers sometimes had to wait hours for their baggage to appear over the past weeks. Many decided to just leave without their bags, and that is causing increasing problems. According to NOS, thousands of suitcases, strollers, and other baggage are piling up at the airport, some even lying outside. An anonymous baggage handler told the broadcaster that about 16,000 suitcases were lying at Schiphol.

The ANWB expects morning rush hour to be no busier than usual. But the roads will get crowded from around noon as schools in Midden-Nederland close their doors for the summer vacation. The ANWB expects lots of traffic heading towards the Zuid-Holland and Zeeland coasts, the Veluwe, and the Wadden Islands.

Elsewhere in Europe, the first holidaymakers will also start making their way to their vacation destination, the ANWB said. "This will be visible on European roads in particular on Saturday, July 9, and there is a high risk of traffic jams in a southerly direction."

Trains will also be crowded. NS sold 370,000 international train tickets in the run-up to the summer vacation, about 30,000 more than pre-pandemic June 2019, NOS reports. Paris, Berlin, and London are the most popular destinations.