Germany in March/April
 

My husband and I are trying to decide on our Spring Break trip for 2008 and I was wondering if anyone could let us know if March/April is a good time to visit Germany??? And if so, which cities should we make sure not to miss?
We want to fly on Friday, March 28th (08) and would probably want to return on Sunday, April 6th (08).
Any advice would be SINCERELY appreciated!!!

My husband and son went to Germany the first week of April 2007 (Munich, Garmisch, Rothenburg). They had great weather, except for one day on the mountain.

Well - since March is still winter and April early spring most of Germany will be chilly and probably somewhat rainy. But, obviously no one can predict weather specifically that far in advance. Just don;t expect it to be warm.

We went to Bavaria in March one year. It was beautiful and we were lucky- they'd just had a huge blizzard the week before and the snow was still around but not a hazard.
We kept our plans very open. We thought that if it was snowing hard, we would find city things to do and take the train. If the weather was decent, we would rent a car and drive the Romantic Road.
We ended up on the RR.

We were in Bavaria and around the Frankfurt area in late May and early June this past year. We had 2 cold and rainy days, several nice days (65 - 75F), and a couple warm days (80+).
DH and I went in mid-February a couple years ago and it was definitely cold then... felt much colder than Denver, CO where we live because it is much more damp there.

Thanks so much for your comments! So, it's decided... we're going! I don't mind the cold... being from Fort Lauderdale, it's a WELCOME change!
:^)

We went to Berlin in March, 2006. Snow, ice, cold the whole time. You may have better weather down in Bavaria, especially if it's end of March, beginning of April. With one week, Munich and Garmisch would be just fine. Leave the other areas for a different trip.

We went to Bavarian (Würzburg, Rothenburg, Ansbach, Regensburg & Freising) during the first two weeks of April 2007. We liked the trip better than mid-June this year. It was cool, on&off rain and even a spot of snow.

The worst part was that the flowers had not started to bloom. The best was that it was so uncrowded. Plus it is easier to dress up for a little cold rain than to dress down for heat and humidity.

My favorite town in Germany is Würzburg, with its castle, the crooked streets, the university and the residence. As it turned out, we had our best weather there as well.

Rothenburg was a lot more pleasant in April than June. There are still tourists in April but at a manageable level.

Regensburg was a find of the trip for us. I really like the gothic cathedral and all the alleyways. My wife was more taken with the Thurn and Taxis Residence.

We really did not have a bad stop on the trip.

Regards, Gary

We were in Munich, 2 years ago, and it was bitter cold in March. Make sure you take very warm, layered clothing.
Maybe you will be lucky and it will be warmer.
My sister and I were there in early Jan., this year, and it was not nearly as cold and we enjoyed the city and walked around every day and night. We did have on long warm coats, hats and gloves.

Hi, laralynn,

please don't let the previous remarks necessarily put you off seeing Berlin - a real must see IMO. apart from the north coast, Germany has a continental climate - hots are hot, colds are cold.

but berlin has loads to do, whatever the weather, whereas other destinations may be more weather sensitive. museums, galleries, sights a plenty, which are well-heated and have good A/C. brilliant underground system too.

and if the weather's nice, there are boat trips, excursions to Leipzig or even Dresden, the zoo, schloss Charlottenburg, or just walking down Unter den Linden.

I would leave the countryside until you can go in May/june time.

regards, ann

>bitter cold in March
:-) Hasn't been bitter cold since the late eighties. Those days when the diesel engines stop working and your nostrils froze over once you went outside and took a breath. I remenber listening to the east german news on the radio at night which could be recieved a few days in strange weather conditions. "Today the heating level is set to" (...whatever). That was a scary thought at the time...

We were in Germany during the first week of April 2007 - Munich, Bodensee, Black Forest, Stuttgart and Koln. The weather was quite pleasant - 50-60 F daily, and not too chilly at night. the mountains will be chillier, and we were at Bodensee on a chilly and windy afternoon.

I can't imagine it will be balmy, but I think it's too far away and too variable for any of us to tell you it will be particularly warm or cool at that time of year - it's a flex season.

It was beautiful during that time of year.

So much wonderful information!
Thank you all so much for taking time to share your experience and advice... I love this message board! This is a terrific resource!

Any time is a good time to visit Germany.

But where in Germany you should visist depends on your interests.

If I had a week's vacation in Germany at that time of year, by far and away, my first choice of destination would be Dresden, with sidetrips to Meissen and Gorlitz.

Others might prefer Berlin and nearby day trips or Munich and Bavaria (with a possible day trip to Salzburg).

>Hasn't been bitter cold since the late eighties.

I disagree.
When I moved to Munich (actually Neubiberg) in the winter of 1999 it WAS bitterly cold. The temperatures were in the night down to -35°. The S1 ran only because at every switch there was a person with a huge gas torch to thaw up the switches just before the train passed them.
Fortunately this kind of weather didn´t held more than a week, and never returned in the 3 years I spent in Munich...

You must be takling about another year, just checked again, -12C was the max. low in that year in Munich. ;-)
Statistics here: www.wetteronline.de

We were in Munich at the beginning of March, 2003 and it was bitterly cold to us! It was very cold but it was the wind made it almost unbearable...we ran from place to place and ducked into shops just to get warm. I am from the midwest, where it certainly gets coldI am certainly used to cold weather, but I have rarely been as cold as I was that day!

Tracy

Sorry for my gramatical mistakes above!
Tracy

>You must be takling about another year,

The numbers come from an external thermometer that I fixed at the window in Neubiberg. The signals that the skin sent also were consistent with the instrumental measurements.

Hasn't been bitter cold since the late eighties

That might depend upon where you're from.

Laralynn, I'm from San Diego so going to a place with real snow was a lot of fun. It seems, in warm weather places, you can find really good deals on coats too.