The autumn holidays bring busy roads, rails and airports, and the national debate is about rents, health insurance and the cost of smoking. Here is what matters today for internationals in Berlin, Munich, Leipzig, Frankfurt and beyond.
Autumn holiday rush begins in Berlin and Brandenburg
The autumn school holidays (Herbstferien) have started in Berlin and Brandenburg, and many people are heading away. Anyone taking the train to the Baltic coast should expect engineering works on the route, drivers should be ready for traffic jams, and BER, the capital’s airport, is also expecting crowds. If you are travelling in the coming days, allow extra time and check your connections before you leave.
Source: rbb24
Munich flat prices fall as developers hold back
Munich’s property market is in crisis, according to the tz: developers are sitting on their projects and prices are falling. A researcher warns of a further problem that he expects to hit rural regions especially hard. Lower prices may sound welcome to buyers, but projects left on hold add no new homes to the market.
Source: tz
Ten years of opening Leipzig’s art school to refugees
In Leipzig, the Akademie für transkulturellen Austausch (Academy for Transcultural Exchange) has spent ten years helping refugees study at the Hochschule für Grafik und Buchkunst, the city’s academy of fine arts. Its route into the school is a two-year preparatory course. For artists who have had to flee their home countries, it is a structured way into German higher education.
Source: MDR
A3 closure near Frankfurt on two October weekends
Drivers in the Frankfurt area should note that the A3 motorway will be closed at the Offenbacher Kreuz interchange in the direction of Cologne on the last two weekends of October. The closure is needed for work on the new motorway bridge. If you use the A3 for weekend trips, plan another route.
Source: hessenschau
Renters want firm action on rent overcharging
Politicians, tenant groups and unions met in Berlin for a housing summit on Thursday, and a new survey released for the occasion shows that nine in ten renters in Germany back tough penalties for landlords who charge excessive rents. The result shows overwhelming support for stronger enforcement. Many internationals compete for flats in the big cities, so they will want to follow what the summit produces.
Source: The Local Germany
Smokers face higher prices after tax vote
The Bundestag, Germany’s federal parliament, has voted to raise the tobacco tax. Millions of people in Germany smoke, which already brings the federal government billions in tax revenue, and the increase is meant to raise that further. Smokers should expect to pay more.
Source: tagesschau
No rise expected in health insurance top-ups for 2027
People with statutory (public) health insurance in Germany can expect their supplementary contributions to stay the same in 2027. This is the extra amount each insurer charges on top of the general rate. Contributions are taken directly from your salary, so for now this part of your payslip is not expected to grow next year.
Source: The Local Germany
Germany Today is a curated digest: we summarise and link, the reporting belongs to the publications named. Something wrong or missing? Tell us.
Sources
- rbb24: Herbstferien beginnen in Berlin und Brandenburg mit Reisewelle, accessed 16 October 2026
- tz: Immobilienmarkt in der Krise: Preise für Münchner Wohnungen fallen – Experte warnt vor Problem, accessed 16 October 2026
- MDR: Leipzig: Wie eine Akademie geflüchteten Künstlern den Weg an die Kunsthochschule ebnet, accessed 16 October 2026
- hessenschau: Brückenarbeiten sorgen für Sperrung der A3 am Offenbacher Kreuz, accessed 16 October 2026
- The Local Germany: Nine in ten renters in Germany back tough penalties for excessive rents, accessed 16 October 2026
- tagesschau: Bundestag beschließt Anhebung der Tabaksteuer, accessed 16 October 2026 (archived copy)
- The Local Germany: German public health insurance contributions 'to remain stable' in 2027, accessed 16 October 2026
Germany, for internationals
One email a week: the week's news for internationals in Germany, new practical guides and what changed in the cities. No spam, unsubscribe any time.
