With the arrival of spring and the beginning of the holidays in Germany, many tourists and Russians working in Germany are planning trips abroad. Kaliningrad is a popular holiday destination and the family home of many families living in Germany on a daily basis, which is why there has been a sharp increase in traffic at the border crossings with Kaliningrad.
Many travelers have to take into account longer waiting times to cross the border and traffic difficulties. This situation is caused not only by increased tourist traffic, but also by increased border control. All this makes a trip to Kaliningrad more complicated than usual.
In our article, we will take a closer look at the situation on the border with Kaliningrad Oblast. You will find out what are the causes of the difficulties and what steps you can take to avoid traffic jams and delays.
We will also present alternative routes and ways to cross the border faster. We invite you to read!
The current situation on the border with the Kaliningrad Oblast
As of the day of writing the article, the evening of April 2:
Grzechotki - Mamonovo 2: Towards Russia about 10-12 Hours
Bezledy - Bagrationovsk: Towards Russia about 4-5 hours
Movement towards Poland is currently taking place on a regular basis.
Spring break in Germany 2023
Below, I present the dates of the beginning and end of the holidays, broken down by German Länder. It is worth taking this information into account when planning your trip.
For example, the first Länder will end the holidays on April 6 and 8, so from Wednesday evening you can expect increased traffic also on the return to the EU.
The greatest traffic at the border can be expected in the period of April 12-17, at that time the traffic in both directions will certainly be heavy.
Spring break dates in Germany:
27.03 – 11.04 Bremen
27.03 – 11.04 Lower Saxony
03.04 – 06.04 Rhineland-Palatinate
03.04 – 08.04 Saxony-Anhalt
03.04 – 12.04 Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
03.04 – 12.04 Saarland
03.04 - 14.04 Berlin
03.04 – 14.04 Brandenburg
03.04 – 15.04 Baden-Württemberg
03.04 – 15.04 Bavaria
03.04 – 15.04 North Rhine-Westphalia
03/04 - 15/04 Thuringia
03/04 - 22/04 Hessen
06/04 - 17/04 Hamburg
06/04 - 22/04 Schleswig-Holstein
07/04 - 15/04 Saxony
Holidays in Germany: Alternative routes and ways to avoid traffic jams on the border with Kaliningrad
Currently, only two road border crossings with the Kaliningrad Oblast and Poland are open. These are Grzechotki and Bezledy, both crossings are only available for road traffic, i.e. they cannot be crossed on foot.
Another border crossing that can be considered is Kibarty in Lithuania, unfortunately the road leading through Masuria to this crossing is in very bad condition, the expressway currently under construction is only put into use in less than 50%. The journey on the Gdańsk - Kibarty - Kaliningrad route takes about 9-10 hours of driving, not including the time for border clearance.
Nevertheless, it can be an alternative for people who want to get to the Eastern part of the Kaliningrad Oblast or for travelers coming from Warsaw.
One of the ways to get to Kalliningrad faster is to use a bus or minibus for more than 9 people. In accordance with applicable regulations, public transport uses separate entry / exit gates, thanks to which public transport takes place only with minimal delays.
Another way is to use a bicycle. As it was written earlier, the border crossing is a road crossing, unless a pedestrian has the right to enter such a crossing, this does not apply to cyclists.
Cycling through the crossing is one of the ways to check in quickly, because you don't have to wait in line. It's even faster than taking the bus.
One of the ways to speed up the border crossing is to prepare an entry declaration in advance. During the check-in process, the Russian tax and customs service requires an import declaration to be written on the car.
It is a document in two copies in which you must accurately describe the details of the vehicle, destination, and luggage. The document is available for download
We wish everyone a safe journey and we encourage you to familiarize yourself with our offer of transfers to Kaliningrad. See you soon.
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