I spent about four days in Bavaria on a tour and fell in love with it. I'm planning on going back with my husband for a longer trip, but am wondering when would be the best time to go. Is it very flowerful in the spring? Is it red/orange/yellow in the fall? When do the crowds come; is it ever too cold to go? I'd love to hear people's experiences there in different times of the year. Thanks!

I love late August in the Alpine regions. The flowers are still out, you can enjoy lake experiences, and the tourist season is dying down. This time of year (unless there's a heat wave) is also great for people who don't like to sweat in the daytime and who like a brisk evening. I think the mountains are in better view too, as there aren't many fog covers or weather issues to block scenic vistas. I've been in the winter, and it's beautiful in a different way. There's the lights of the holiday season, the Christmas markets, and snowy days. Personally, unless you're a skier, I'd pick the August dates.

We've been twice in June. Lovely wild flowers in the fields. The longest days in the year. This year was extremely hot however! Last year was perfect, temp around 80F. Not really crowded (July and August is top holiday season).
I've been in the winter as well but the purpose was cross country skiing, so that's totally different.

We love Bavaria and get there as often as possible. A few thoughts:

June is great with the long days, but you can run into rain. We did one June trip with very little and another June trip with a lot of rain. If you go in June for the long days, prepare for some rain.

October is very nice and I do not believe the rain is as much a possibility. You still have good daylight and the temps are very nice. Cool at night, but sunny days usually.

We have also done 7 trips to Bavaria to see the Christmas markets at end of November. The days are short and cold, but the atmosphere is fantastic. Not too many tourits and you feel like you almost have Germany to yourself. Gluwein and a lot of fun.

Bottom line? I would do June or October to get the better weather for a first time visitor. On the return trip it would be fun to try the Christmas markets. You just have to keep in mind that in the mountains in the winter it gets dark very early, so your daytime sightseeing is cut to a minimum. If you are like us, you will return to Bavaria.

My favorite weather for travel in Germany is in April, which shares honors for the lightest rainfall with March. Temperatures can be chilly in the Alps sometimes, but rarely bone-chilling; the rest of Bavaria is usually very comfortable at that time. The countryside is green, the Alps are snowy, the trees are budding, and the tourists are still at home. A great time to go.

We like Bavaria in December, but mind you, we like the cold and snow. One year in early December we were greeted with two feet of snow - we arrived in Munich, then drove to Berchtesgaden, Garmisch and Mittenwald. It was extremely cold (even for us), but we loved every minute of it.

Last year we went at the same time, same places, but there was no snow, and the temps were really quite mild.

We also like to travel to Germany/Switzerland in mid to late May or very early June. The weather can be iffy, but it's nice and cool for hiking, yet prior to the busy tourist season, so it's very quiet.

We were in Bavaria in September and it was absolutely beautiful. Perfect weather (no rain) and the crowds we're too bad even though Octoberfest was going on in Munich, acutally the most crowded place was Rotherburg which I would only recommend if you could stay overnight. Otherwise it's Asian tourist hell!

Bavaria during foliage is one of my best .
Octoberfest can be interesting for a couple of hours.
I add 10 points to Bob1 remarks over Christmas time there.

The best time to go would be early summer(May-June) or late summer (late august september) All the germans all seem to go on vacation at the exact same time. Bavaria is a popular destination for them. Be aware though, winter seems to arrive a little early in bavaria. The leaves were already turning in the first week of September last year.

It's really hard to predict what the weather will be like! I wouldn't recommend coming Nov-Feb unless you like cold, gray, dreary weather. Jun-Aug there are a lot more tourists everywhere. This summer has been a lot hotter and drier than usual, but generally it rains a lot mixed in with sunny, warm days. The weather during spring and fall isn't consistent year to year (or week to week!). March is usually still pretty chilly and it might snow a bit. During Sept-Oct it tends to start cooling down and raining more, but there have been times when it was really beautiful and warm. April-May tend to be pretty nice. There are flowers all over starting in early spring through the summer.