Busy roads, crowded Schiphol expected as summer vacation starts in northern NL
Summer vacation starts for schools in the Noord-Nederland region today. Travelers association ANWB expects busy roads this afternoon and over the weekend. Schiphol airport expects a peak day for departures and a busy day for arrivals.
A peak day for Schiphol means a very crowded departure hall and long queues at check-in, security, and passport control. Schiphol expects the arrival halls to be busy, with long lines at passport control and the baggage belt.
The airport urged travelers not to come to Schiphol more than four hours before their flight departs. “If you arrive too early, your check-in desk or baggage drop-off won’t be open,” the airport said. Travelers won’t be let into the departure hall if their flight departs in more than four hours.
The ANWB expects “peak traffic” on the European roads this weekend as holidaymakers head for their destination by car. “The advice is to travel on Sunday or depart around noon on Saturday,” the ANWB said.
The travelers’ club expects Liege in Belgium to be a problem due to road works on the ring road E25. In France, traffic will build up on the Autoroute du Soleil and the A7 to the south between Lyon and Orange from early Saturday, the ANWB expects. The A10/A63 towards Spain will also be very busy.
People traveling in Germany on Saturday can expect traffic jams around Hamburg and on the A8 between Munich and Salzburg. In Austria, most problems should be on the A10/A11 Salzbur-Villach-Slovenia around the Karawanken tunnel.
In Switzerland, traffic will start building up on Friday afternoon on the A2 at the St Gotthard tunnel towards Chiasso, and problems will persist into the weekend. Travelers can expect to be stuck there for over two hours, the ANWB said. In Italy, holidaymakers will test their patience towards the northern Italian lakes, Tuscany, and the coast.