© dpa
In Berlin and Brandenburg, few traffic restrictions are to be expected during the Christmas holidays. However, travellers need to be aware of a few regulations during the holidays.
The Traffic Information Centre (VIZ) announced that there would be hardly any restrictions due to roadworks over the holidays, as many major construction projects could be completed before the holidays.
As the VIZ estimates that Friday December 22nd is always particularly busy on the roads, it is advisable to start your Christmas holiday journey by car in the morning or at midday. An increased volume of traffic is to be expected on the southern Berlin ring road towards Frankfurt (Oder) in particular. The Christmas holidays in Berlin and Brandenburg start on December 23 and pupils will then have until January 5, 2024.
In preparation for the New Year's Eve celebrations at the Brandenburg Gate, Straße des 17. Juni will be closed to cars, cyclists and pedestrians from 6 am on December 26 between Großer Stern and the Brandenburg Gate. Ebertstraße and Yitzhak-Rabin-Straße will also be affected. The closure will remain in place until January 2, 2024. A diversion has been signposted.
Additional roads around the Brandenburg Gate will be closed from midday on New Year's Eve. This will affect Dorotheenstraße, Scheidemannstraße, John-Foster-Dulles-Allee and Behrenstraße. The closure will be lifted at midday on New Year's Day. In addition, the Kemperplatz exit of the Tiergarten Tunnel may be closed if there are large numbers of visitors for the New Year's Eve celebrations. The BVG and S-Bahn will be increasing their services to ensure a smooth journey.
For safety reasons, Sonnenallee between Hobrechtstraße and Jansastraße and Potsdamer Straße between Bülowstraße and Großgörschenstraße will be closed to traffic between 5 pm on December 31 and 6 am on January 1, 2024.
On New Year's Day, the 51st Berlin New Year's Run will take place in the eastern part of the city centre. There will be traffic restrictions and closures between Brandenburg Gate and Alexanderplatz from 10 am to 2 pm. The VIZ informs that the Sunday timetables apply for local transport on public holidays. Only on New Year's Eve will particularly busy lines be temporarily reinforced.