JulieAgain

Hi all. Just returned from our 5 week trip & want to begin our next fall trip which will be to Germany - God willing & the creek don't rise! I know it is quite a ways off, but we need to firm up our dates as far in advance as possible. So....

Options are (1) August (about 8/8-8/26)
or (2) about Oct 12-Nov 10

We will have about 18 days total; want to avoid Octoberfest in Munich; prefer cooler (60's) weather, but have heard that Oct/Nov can be too cool + rainy (don't know if that is accurate info); prefer to avoid high tourist seasons (such as we do Italy/UK in Nov); tentative plan is to have Berlin & Munich as our hub cities with day trips from each - but of course, itinerary not firm at this time.

Appreciate any info/opinions on weather, crowds, prices, openings/closings of sites, other pertinent info, etc. regarding our two travel periods.

Thanks in advance, Julie

Paul1950

I think that at this point, historical weather averages would be better for planning than random people's opinions. You can get average highs/lows and precipitation info for cities by month here: www.weatherbase.com

Octoberfest does not occur during either of your travel periods.

MonkeyJim

On the other hand, there's nothing quite like first hand knowledge and experience. First, it depends on where in Germany you will be going. There are mountainous regions and those close to sea level. However, it's safe to say that August will be far more pleasant regardless of weather averages. Warmer temperatures for sure, although there are never guarantees with regards to rain. I vote for August.
Best,
Jimmy

JulieAgain

Thanks Paul1950 & Jimmy for your time & responses. Sorry, but I failed to post that I had checked the weather sites. However, temps in the 50's (Oct/Nov) can be both cold & comfortable. As you said, Jimmy, first hand knowledge can maybe advise us whether in Oct-Nov the 50's are accompanied by sun (great touring weather) or by a bone chilling wind/damp/rain - we just experienced that in Paris (which thru first hand knowledge we had been advised to expect).

It does appear to us that the 55-75 degree temps given for August are desirable, but are there other issues we should take into consideration, such as, tourist crowds at their peak or winding down, any August shutdowns while Germans vacation elsewhere, etc?

Julie

quokka

The rain is generally warmer in August than in November but the probability of rain is just the same. This is about the only valid rule of thumb about the weather in these parts of the world.

The weather is unpredictable, every year is different, and I do not believe in weather statistics. I'd rather listen to the experience of locals and frequent visitors.

Mid October can be very pleasant if you are lucky to catch the "Golden October" period with sunshine and clear skies and beautiful autumn colours. This period usually lasts around two weeks, this year it was hardly 3 days, in other years it was 6 weeks - and you never know when exactly.

August is peak season so prices are notably higher than in October.
However, in October/November daylight hours are already short and it can become uncomfortably cold. August can be hot and humid but does not necessarily have to be.
Cultural life in the cities will have its summer break in July/August and be in full swing in October/November, so if this is a focus of your trip the autumn date would be better. If you want to explore the countryside and spend time outdoors, August is better. It's a question of priorities.

gourmet2go

I always go to the Frankfurt Bookfair every year (mid October) and then travel around the country afterwards...yes you get some rain, but you also get many glorious sunny days when you can happily eat outside in restaurants oor go for a walk in the park. Sunday afternoon in the Englischer Garten in Munich is fabulous if its sunny. Also you might find out the last weekend that the small palace buildings surrounding Nymphenburg are open. Well worth a stroll through the forest to see these. And if you like music, all the main concert venues are in full swing in October while they are closed in August usually.

JulieAgain

Thanks; great first hand knowledge. Is the spring season, April to mid May, about the same as the Oct/Nov season? I noticed the statistical temps are about the same. But is the spring season as rainy/damp - I had just assumed spring is rainy? If not, maybe we should consider elsewhere for next fall & consider our Germany trip for spring time.

Julie

logos999

Spring is A LOT nicer than October. The rain comes preheated. And days are longer too. Right now, you have days where you need electric light during the whole day. And it's raining and dark outside at rush hour.

hausfrau

Hmmmm....I lived in Germany (Stuttgart) for 2.5 years...fall is my favorite season no matter where I am in the world, including Stuttgart...we took a fabulous trip to northern Germany in October...but it can also be cold and rainy, and the days are shorter, as others have already said.

Spring is also gorgeous - I can tell you from firsthand knowledge that in southwest Germany the flowering fruit trees and spring bulbs are spectacular.

If I had a choice I would not travel to Europe in August, ever. It is the most popular time for Europeans to travel, plus you have all the tourists from America traveling with their kids before school starts up.

My preference would be May or September, if that's possible for you. You are more likely to get better weather, without the summer crowds, and lower prices.

Ingo

Later April/May is perfect IMO, especially for the cities. Quokka's reply is very accurate, fully agree. You would definitely experience very nice and very ugly weather in Oct/Nov. It's up to you to be flexible and play everything by ear. Only thing for sure: avoid August.

JulieAgain

That's a lot of info; appreciate it. And thanks for handling one decision for me - no August. That leaves the Oct/Nov 2010 or Apr/May time periods. And between those 2, spring sounds really good & then we don't have to schedule around the crowds of Octoberfest (midSept-midOct). But then we would have the disappointment of postponing our first trip to Germany, because we can not go spring 2010.

September, which also sounds good, may be doable, but we would have to avoid Munich beginning mid-Sept. Do the crowds of Octoberfest/fall celebrations include other areas beside Munich? If not, & we can get the Sept dates for travel, we could stay in Munich prior to the mid-Sept Octoberfest & then move on to Berlin or elsewhere before Octoberfest begins.

Julie

quokka

Oktoberfest 2010 begins on Sept 18, so make sure you get away from the Southern half of Bavaria before that date (if you select September).

April/May is definitely a great season because of spring leaves and flowers and long daylight hours. Rain occurs equally throughout all seasons (trust a local) so the risk is there any time.

Solution to your problem: do your first trip in late summer/fall 2010 and then return to see a different part of the coutry in spring 2011 ;-) You will want to return, I'm sure!

nytraveler

Weather will vary by year and by what part of German you're in. BUT - August is high season everywhere and I wouldn;t really travel much of anywhere then - to avoid the mobs and get better hotel rates.

hausfrau

I don't think you will run into Oktoberfest-crazed crowds outside of Munich. Stuttgart has its own version of Oktoberfest (the Cannstatter Volksfest, or Wasen) but it does not attract the same kind of crowds (mostly locals - which makes it all the better, IMHO). I don't think there is anything remotely similar to Munich's Oktoberfest anywhere else in Germany, so you won't have trouble with crowds.

I like quokka's suggestion!

Mainhattengirl

There just isn't the same kind of "high season" in Germany like there is in other places, like Paris and Rome or London. For one thing, the schools in Germany have staggered summer vacations all through the summer. So kids in Bavaria will not be on summer break at the same time as kids in Berlin or Cologne or Frankfurt. Things do not close down in August.

One of the Premier events in Germany is the Museumsufer Fest in Frankfurt the last weekend in August. Great party, lots of cultural stuff mixed with tons of ethnic food, music, arts, hand-crafts, and simply a good time. We have had over 3 million people show up for this the past few years. Argentina is the featured country this year as they are also the featured country at the October Book Fair. So I would expect a fantastic party.

Most of the wine fests are in September in the smaller and larger towns. Trade fairs can raise hotel prices in many of the bigger cities during any of the months of the year.

As far as weather goes. This is simply a hit or miss thing in Germany. I have seen snow on Easter a couple of times, but last year it was 80°. This past October was lovely, t-shirt warm the first week or so. Last year it was rainy and cold. You just never know. For prettiness though, I would pick the spring. Everything is so lovely with the flowers blooming as well as the trees all in bloom too.

Paul1950

Oktoberfest ends October 3 in 2010.

Paul1950

In most of Germany, average high temperatures in October and April are usually about the same--with some slight variations depending on where you are in the country. April low temperatures tend to be a bit cooler than those in October.

October gets about the same amount of rainfall as April, though that varies a bit by the part of Germany you are visiting.

November sees a big change as temperatures really start to dip.

As Mainhatten girl noted, it all will vary widely from year-to-year.

JulieAgain

Thank you so much everyone; such great info. We have now added these possible dates to our fall dates - April 25 to May 15, 2010. Am I correct in analyzing all of your posts that the spring dates are better than our 2 fall dates - no fall celebrations that bring crowds, flowers in bloom, weather about the same but spring breezes may be warmer than fall winds?

Thanks again, Julie

hausfrau

Sounds like a good analysis to me. With those dates and that length of time I think you are guaranteed at least a few days of beautiful sunny spring weather. I just checked my photos from 2006 and 2007 and we had plenty of gorgeous days in Stuttgart between late April and early May, and the bulbs and flowering trees were in full bloom.

swandav2000

Hi JulieAgain,

I've only been here a year (I live in Garmisch-Partenkirchen about 90 minutes south of München), so obviously cannot tell you if this last year was normal or unusual. But I have to disagree with what everyone has been saying above.

I remember that it rained almost every day from April-July, and the fall was glorious with almost no rain from September-early November.

I think you just have to plan for and pack for every eventuality. I never, ever leave the apartment without an umbrella.

s