German Holidays & Vacation Vocabulary
This set covers how Germans actually talk about getting away: der Urlaub for the vacation itself, der Ausflug for a short day trip, and das Freibad for the outdoor pool everyone heads to in summer. The trap here is Urlaub versus Ferien: English just says "vacation" for both, but German splits them by who's off, adults on Urlaub, kids and schools on Ferien.
Learn these 17 words
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All 17 words
plural: die Ausflüge
excursion/trip
Morgen machen wir einen Ausflug nach Heidelberg. — Tomorrow we're going on an excursion to Heidelberg.
plural: die Reisen
trip, journey
Wir machen eine Reise nach Österreich. — We are taking a trip to Austria.
plural: die Urlaube
vacation, holiday
Ich nehme im September Urlaub. — I am taking vacation in September.
- campenA2
to camp
Im Sommer campen wir gern am See. — In summer we like camping by the lake.
plural: die Campingplätze
campsite
Der Campingplatz liegt direkt am See. — The campsite is right by the lake.
plural: die Ferien
vacation
Bald haben wir Ferien. — Soon we have vacation.
go on a trip
Verreist ihr in den Ferien? — Are you going on a trip during the holidays?
- erlebenB1
experience, live through
In unserem Urlaub haben wir viel Schönes erlebt. — We experienced many beautiful things on our holiday.
plural: die Rückfahrten
return journey
Auf der Rückfahrt besuche ich meine Eltern. — On the return journey I visit my parents.
plural: die Rückkehren
return; homecoming
Nach meiner Rückkehr haben wir ein großes Fest gefeiert. — After my return we celebrated a big party.
plural: die Rundfahrten
round trip
Am zweiten Tag haben wir eine Rundfahrt durch den Hafen gemacht. — On the second day we took a round trip through the harbour.
plural: die Souvenirs
souvenir, memento
Ich habe ein paar Souvenirs aus dem Urlaub mitgebracht. — I brought back a few souvenirs from my holiday.
to stop off / make a stop
Wir wollen auf der Reise kurz einkehren. — We want to stop off briefly during the trip.
plural: die Freibäder
outdoor pool
Im Sommer gehen wir ins Freibad. — In summer we go to the outdoor pool.
plural: die Heimkehren
homecoming / return home
Die Heimkehr nach dem Krieg war emotional. — The homecoming after the war was emotional.
- pilgernB2
to make a pilgrimage
Viele Menschen pilgern jedes Jahr nach Rom. — Many people make a pilgrimage to Rome every year.
plural: die Karawanen
caravan
Die Karawan durchquerte die Wüste mit vielen Kamelen. — The caravan crossed the desert with many camels.
How to learn this set
Notice how many of these nouns are built from fahren and kehren: Rückfahrt, Rundfahrt, Rückkehr, Heimkehr, einkehren. Once you know fahren means "to travel/drive" and kehren means "to turn/return", you can guess most of these instead of memorizing them cold: Rück- (back) plus Fahrt (the noun form of fahren) gives you the return journey, Rück- plus Kehr gives you the more abstract return. Drill the pair Rückfahrt/Rückkehr and Heimkehr/einkehren together so the fahren-vs-kehren split sticks, rather than learning all 17 words in one flat list.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Urlaub and Ferien in German?
Urlaub is the time off work that adults take, while Ferien refers to school or university breaks. A working adult says 'Ich habe Urlaub', not 'Ich habe Ferien', unless they're a teacher or student.
What is the difference between Reise and Ausflug?
Reise is a longer trip, often with overnight stays and covering real distance, like a holiday abroad. Ausflug is a short outing, usually a single day, like a trip to a lake or a nearby town.
Is Rückfahrt the same as Rückkehr?
No. Rückfahrt is the physical journey back, the actual drive or ride home, and it pairs with Hinfahrt (the trip there). Rückkehr is the more abstract idea of returning or coming home, closer to 'homecoming'.
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