We are renting a car the first two weeks of April in Frankfurt, traveling the Romantic Road to Salzburg, over to the castle area (including Linderhof) the on to Lucerne Switzerland, back up the Black Forest to the Rhine.

Will we need snow tires in any of these areas?

no

Not so fast, J62. There are cities in Germany with winter driving laws that makes it mandatory the use of winter tires (snow tires or snow chains in the car) from December-April 15. If that is the case, your rental car agency is the best to ask as they will have to provide you with this. "Snow" tires have, more often than not, little to do with snow and a lot to do with icy conditions (early AM or late evening if in early Spring). All seasons tires are a good aletrnative.

This is getting to be a very cold winter, not only in the USA, but in Europe; I would plan for them. Another tip? An insurance claim for an accident in winter conditions will ask to include a description of the tires. Driving in winter conditions with summer tires could be considered negligent on your part and possibly be a reason for denial of compensation. Let me just say that many, many American soldiers serving in that area had find this out the hard way--- according to my brother who lived in that area for 9 years....

No, unless you drive on a road covered by snow and cause an accident or are involved in an accident where snow tires would have changed anything. From Frankfurt to Salzburg snow tires won't be an issue, for the rest, who knows. Some sleet in the morning hours at higher elevations maybe, maybe more. The Allgäu is a pit filled with snow.

There is a federal law for all Germany that you have to drive with winter tires IF there are wintery conditions (snow or ice) on the road.

If you drive without winter tires (with the M+S symbol) in wintery conditions

- you are subject to a fine,
- the fine will be increased if you are an encumbrance to others,
- you lose insurance coverage if you are involved in an accident.

In mid-April, probability is low that you will encounter snow or ice on the road but it may happen, especially in the castle area. If it happens you should not drive. I personally would take winter tires.

In the Alps and the Black Forest there may be wintery conditions in April. Maybe, maybe not. Impossible to predict. If you plan to take mountain roads in Switzerland the probability of snow is even higher.

The fine will be negligable,less than having dinner for 2 somewhere, even if you totally block the road (40 or 50&euro BUT an accident is quite a different story as mentioned above.

Thanks to everyone who replied to my inquiry. Looks like I had better get those snow tires to be safe. Thanks again!

Last April I rented a car at the Munich airport and opted out on he snow tires because the weather was fairly warm and they are realy good about maintaining the roads in Germany and Austria where I planned to drive. In the end the car had snow tires on it anyway and they didn't charge me and they certainly didn't want to swap them out. The ones I have seen run about $20 a day so add it up and see if it is worth it.