Help Me Choose Best Time For Trip to Germany!
 

We are planning to travel to Germany (and a little bit of Austria) this year. The plan is to visit Munich / Bavaria / Salzburg areas, and perhaps the Rhine or Mosel if time permits. However, we have only 2 windows of opportunity for this trip - either the last week of August / 1st week of September, OR the last week of October / 1st 2 weeks of November. I'd appreciate any advice as to which of these time frames would likely be better. I know the weather will likely be much nicer in the late August / early September time frame, but I'm wondering if we should expect the area to be too full of tourists, difficult to get bookings for small hotels / B&Bs, and difficult to get around (we'll be renting a car) due to high tourism traffic? What about the weather in the late October / early November time frame? Any input on choosing either of these travel times would be greatly appreciated!

Weather in Germany can be a fickle thing. You are as likely to get wonderfully warm and dry spellls in late October as cool, wet and miserable periods in late August. In cities, you find they are just as busy in October (with locals, students, trade fairs, conferences etc) as in August (fewer locals, more tourists), esp in Munich. I find that in touristed areas like Bavaria and Rhine Valley, there are masses of reasonably priced accommodation and to find one on spec isn't too difficult. You may like to have reservation for summer weekends in Bavaria when a lot of Germans take a short break. If you have a car, it's easy to move to smaller places outside of big resorts to find affordable lodgings. We've had many vacations in Bavaria in August and usually found easy enough to tour around, using smaller roads at weekends. October/November can see the first significant snow falls in higher Alpine areas and can disrupt travel plans, but only for a day or so. The sky is particularly clear at that time of the year with the absence of summer heat haze and so is ideal for hiking. And there may be still a few Wine Festivals in late October along the Rhine (and its tributaries), which are full of local color. So the choice is yours; I'd go for the summer period with its outdoor life and longer days.

If you're planning to be in Munich during Oktoberfest (end Sept. - beg Oct.) you'd best have your reservations already. Otherwise, I'd say your earlier option is the better. You can always stay somewhere outside Munich and daytrip in, of course, preferrably by train, during this busy time. Also, there are a good number of wine festivals along the Rhine in September (Boppard has two, one on each of the last two weekends in Sept.) which include outdoor music, dancing, fireworks, and the like) that may bring crowds but which should be a lot of fun as well. The early fall temps will be nicer, important perhaps if you're planning a river cruise; rain, which seems to fall almost every month in Germany in considerable amounts, isn't likely to be much different in one month or the other.

We were in Germany end of October/first of November two years ago and the weather was great, but it had snowed in Berlin a couple of weeks before we arrived. We had 30s-50s and mostly sunny. The best things about that time of year is the lack of tourists and the off-season prices. It is a great time of year. In fact, if you went late November/early December, you could go to the Christmas markets.

I have found both living in Germany and traveling around Europe aswell as traveling in the US that September has been usually the best month for weather. Of course as mentioned above Germany can be fickle, but my best guess would be September. <BR>Regards <BR>Art <BR>

I would say to definatly go at the end of August or first of September. Weather in November can be very tricky and you might even run in to snow, even in the beginning of Nov. You shouldn't have too hard of a time making reservations and such as long as you do so early.

my husband and I traveled to germany in late november we had a wonderful time. although the days were short and the trees bare. we went down the rhine and saw the wonderful castles. you might be dissapointed if castles or museums are closed during this off-peak season we weren't Munich is beautiful

We went to Germany during the end of October/beginning of November 2 years ago and found the weather to be perfect. But as you know, weather is always just a stroke of luck. In some areas the fall leaves were still on the trees. If anything, I packed too many "warm" clothes.

I lived in Germany for 5 years, and, generally, the best weather is during September (the first 2 weeks being best).

Weather vs. other tourists. <BR> <BR>I'd vote for early September.