When is the best time to travel to germany for vacation?
Posted by AngWay@reddit | Shoestring | View on Reddit | 15 comments
So i'v never been on a plane in my life and i have never traveled at all. But i want to take a trip to germany to visit some of the ww2 sites and see the history. I'm wondering what would be the cost for this and how long could i stay? my budget is 5k max. But what can i do and for how long on that much money?
Also what time of the year would be the best to go? Thanks
ColoursOfSeptember@reddit
May, June, September and early October are the best times, weather and temperature wise (you'd also avoid the holiday crowd when most of the schools are closed). July and August are way too hot (at least for me and I'm living here, lol, but I guess it depends on what you're used to)
With that budget I think you could do a lot, even a longer stay, especially when you book in advance. If ww2 is what interests you the most, you'll want to visit Berlin, Nuremberg and probably Munich as well. Though Munich I'd avoid in September and October due to the massive Octoberfest crowd. With these three and a longer stay you could also do day trips to other cities like Potsdam to see more varied history.
JeyTee02@reddit
1933-1945
Doesn't get better than that
AngWay@reddit (OP)
I know wish i could have lived through it
ChestChance6126@reddit
Late spring or early fall is probably the sweet spot if you want decent weather without peak summer prices. I went through parts of Germany in September once and it felt perfect for walking around historical sites all day without melting or freezing. Beer gardens were still lively too, which honestly added a lot to the experience.
With a 5k budget, you can do a pretty solid trip if you plan flights early and avoid moving hotels every other day. trains are great there, and smaller guesthouses or simple hotels can stretch your money way further than people expect. I’d personally stay at least 10 to 14 days if it’s your first big trip abroad. Germany has this way of making you slow down once you start exploring smaller towns and museums.
Medical_Fox_7259@reddit
For WWII/history sites, I’d probably base the trip around Berlin + Munich/Nuremberg rather than trying to cover the whole country.
April–May or September–October have good weather and usually less touristy as well
Latvis@reddit
Weather is pleasant between March and October (high summer can and does get hot and muggy, though). Go in that time window. 5k including flights or not? If not then ~4k is more than enough for a month, month-and-a-half if you're frugal. If you're young and don't care about comfortable living, buy a cheap tent and stay at campgrounds, there are many even inside the cities (Germans are big on RV travel and many RV places accomodate tent-only travellers, too). Bonus is that wild camping is a good way of saving money. Buses will probably be the cheapest way of getting around, trains are unreliable and expensive if you don't buy tickets well ahead of time. Or hitchhike, it's easy, interesting, and a good way to get to out-of-the-way places that public transport doesn't go to. If you want a little hack for a slower pace of travel and getting more local experience look up Workaway, it's a work-for-accomodation thing, you do about 4-5 hours a day at the hosts' place and get food and board in exchange. Great if you want to base yourself in an area and explore it in your time off, hosts can often help out with knowledge or transport as well. $50 for a year's membership. Eating - from the budget supermarkets like Aldi, cheap and decent.
ViolettaHunter@reddit
Match, April and October can be absolutely miserable.
Latvis@reddit
I've seen instagram stories from friends living in Cologne and the south of Germany with 20+ C weather in March. I got the impression that spring weather is starting earlier and earlier over the last years due to climate change. But you're right, March probably can be miserable, April too. But should still be quite tolerable, if "good good" weather is not the main reason for visiting (and WW2 objects are). Probably also cheaper to visit then, too.
uncr3471v3-u53r@reddit
For public Transportation you should get a Deutschland-Ticket for 63€/month.
Personally I would go go in May or September/beginning of October
madamebutterfly2@reddit
I had a great time in December at the Christmas markets, tbh. I guess the weather is not the best then but it was warmer than Canada so I didn't mind.
bookmonkey786@reddit
Yeah. If you can deal wit the cold the Christmas markets are amazing
gmmammg@reddit
As someone from one if the warmer regions in the south of Germany, there is no definitive "best time". I would usually tell people to come in August, because the chances of sunny and warm weather are the highest, but that's also when school vacation is and everything is more expensive. Last year we had two weeks of an absolute heat dome in June/July with several thousand dead and then it rained at least once a week for the rest of the summer.
The so called "Eisheiligen" (Ice Saints) are usually over by the middle of May and after that you can usually expect warm weather. Fall starts in late September and what would pass for winter in California starts at around the middle/end of October.
Yaonoi@reddit
May to September is optimal. 5000 usd will get you far. Book train tickets as possible amd invest in a Deutschlandticket transit pass for unlimited travel on all local/regional services. For WW2 and holocaust history, Berlin and Munich are good places with memorial sites and museums. I'd suggest a guided trip to the Dachauer concentration camp memorial site.
Expensive-Snow1617@reddit
September 1st 1939
ViolettaHunter@reddit
What country are you from and what's the weather like where you live? That will influence which weather you'll think is good.