- Online marketplace Traum-Ferienwohnungen determines the availability of vacation accommodations in Germany most popular regions
- Most accommodation available in the Ore Mountains and Harz Mountains
- East Frisian Islands as good as fully booked
The summer holidays have just begun in North Rhine-Westphalia and the next group of German states is already in the starting blocks. Although unrestricted travel to lots of overseas holiday destinations is now possible again after years of the pandemic, mass flight cancellations and chaotic airport scenes have unsettled many holidaymakers.
Waiting times of more than five hours, luggage left behind and flights cancelled at short notice – all these scenes were witnessed in the airport lounges of North Rhine-Westphalia at the start of the holiday season, and they surely won’t remain the exception to the rule in the weeks to come. The frustration is particularly great for travellers when their excitement gives way to the disappointment of a cancelled flight and their long-awaited break is put in jeopardy.
A great alternative is to take a vacation in your own country. Nevertheless, stays in Germany are also extremely popular this summer, with levels expected to hit record highs after the events of the last two years. Traum-Ferienwohnungen has taken a close look at the most popular holiday regions in Germany to find out which areas still have holiday homes available.
Holidaymakers currently have the best chance of finding accommodation in the Ore Mountains, where 52% of the holiday lets are still available in July and 53% are open for bookings in August. The Eifel (July 47%, August 49%) and the Harz (July 44%, August 54%) are attractive destinations for last-minute bookers. A holiday in the Elbe Sandstone Mountains is still very much a possibility, too – 39% and 46% of lets in Saxon Switzerland still have availability in July and August, respectively. The Bavarian Forest is a great destination if you’d like a hiking holiday in the south (July 39%, August 34%). Berliners in particular would do well to consider a trip to the Spree Forest: You can get there in around an hour with a 9-euro rail ticket and, with availability rates of 38% in July and 39% in August, you’ll still be able to find a holiday home.
Your search on the East Frisian Islands is likely to be much more difficult, however: With availabilities of just 7% in July and 9% in August, the islands are practically booked up. The North Frisian Islands are also very popular and have hardly any accommodation left, with rates of 14% and 15%. The lowest availability on the mainland can be found in the Bay of Kiel with 8% in July and 11% in August, closely followed by the Bay of Luebeck with 9% in July and 13% in August.
“We recommend all those who have not yet booked anything not to hesitate too long. We’re seeing high demand and rapidly increasing occupancy rates everywhere, even in regions that still have relatively large numbers of places available. At the same time, we also believe that the growing supply of holiday rentals and potential cancellations mean there will still be lots of last-minute deals. That’s why we recommend everyone to check what’s available, even if they’re booking at short notice,” explained Ruud Smeets, CEO of Traum-Ferienwohnungen.
